Question 1

What materials do students need for the land and sea ice activity?

Accepted Answer

Each group requires two 500 mL graduated cylinders, marking tape, a permanent marker, a ruler, and 20 ice cubes. Additionally, prepare a two-inch diameter styrofoam piece with a small hole punched in the middle for draining. These materials allow students to observe how ice melt affects water levels differently in land versus sea environments.

Question 2

How should the greenhouse gases activity be set up?

Accepted Answer

For each group, arrange two 500 mL graduated cylinders, plastic wrap, tape or rubber bands, marking tape, a permanent marker, and two thermometers. This setup enables students to create sealed environments where they can measure temperature changes and observe greenhouse gas effects on heat retention.

Question 3

What data tables and figures should be printed before the climate change lab?

Accepted Answer

Print enough data recording tables for each student group. Students in the ice melt activity need Tables 2 and 4, while those in the greenhouse gases activity need Tables 3 and 5. Also print Figures 3-11 and the historic glaciation figure so students can draw species ranges and visualize species range expansion across time periods.

Question 4

Can the ice melt and greenhouse gas activities be done simultaneously?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the class can be split into two groups of two to four students each, with one group performing the ice melt activity and the other the greenhouse gases activity. Alternatively, all students can complete both activities sequentially. Separate the data tables accordingly based on which activity each group performs.

Question 5

How many species ranges are available for the species range expansion activity?

Accepted Answer

Nine potential species ranges are explored in the lab, tabulated in Table 1. The species list can be edited to fit your class size using data from www.neotomadb.org, allowing flexibility in adapting the activity to different group numbers and learning objectives.

Question 6

What is the purpose of drawing species ranges on the historic glaciation figure?

Accepted Answer

Students draw species ranges on the historic glaciation figure to visualize how species distributions have shifted over time in response to climate changes. This activity helps students understand the relationship between glaciation patterns and species range expansion, connecting climate history to biogeographic patterns.

Question 7

Why is a hole needed in the styrofoam for the ice melt activity?

Accepted Answer

The hole in the styrofoam allows water from melting ice to drain, simulating how meltwater from land ice enters the ocean. This design helps students observe and measure the different effects of land ice versus sea ice melt on water volume and sea level, a key concept in understanding climate change impacts.

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