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CLIMATE DETECTIVES

CLIMATE DETECTIVES. Live-ly Clues to Earth's Climate History. Image Credit: psammophile. It would be hard to miss all the recent news about global climate change, unless maybe you were living on another planet.

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CLIMATE DETECTIVES

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  1. CLIMATE DETECTIVES Live-ly Clues to Earth's Climate History Image Credit: psammophile

  2. It would be hard to miss all the recent news about global climate change, unless maybe you were living on another planet

  3. And even then, if you had a good view of Earth, from a satellite or another planet, you might notice that something was going on . . . Animation Credit: NASA

  4. ¿Estoy en México? Thawing Permafrost Changes in Alaska’s Fisheries Photo Credits: Permafrost – Unite Us (University of Alaska); Seiner – Public Domain; Humboldt Squid – NOAA, public domain

  5. Thousands of Walruses Crowding Onto Arctic Beaches Photos & Video: U.S. Geological Survey

  6. What do scientists think is causing these changes?

  7. INCREASED GREENHOUSE EFFECT • Greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor • Burning of fossil fuels • Clearing of vegetation • Increased amounts of sun’s heat trapped

  8. Global Average Temperature and Carbon Dioxide Concentrations, 1880-2006 Global Temperatures CO2 (Mauna Loa)

  9. But there are still many questions to investigate How much warming is from human activity and how much from Earth’s natural cycles? Were there other warm climate periods during Earth’s long history? How can scientists study Earth’s prehistoric climate patterns if there were no humans around to collect data?

  10. At most, our direct scientific measurements of temperature, carbon dioxide levels, etc., extend back only about 1½ to 2 centuries before the present! Time for Climate Detectives! How can we go back in time to investigate prehistoric climate changes?

  11. OBJECTIVE Investigate how modern and ancient living organisms and their adaptations provide clues to Earth’s climate history and processes that have affected Earth’s past & present climate

  12. Analyze fossil indicators to determine past climate trends and their changes in ancient atmosphere, ocean, and land-based systems. OBJECTIVE

  13. OBJECTIVE • Experience how different scientific disciplines (e.g., geology, biology, oceanography) are interconnected in conducting climate research

  14. A fossil indicator is a type of proxydata, a special indirect clue about climate conditions when direct measurements are not available

  15. And Earth’s prehistoric climate history, reconstructed from fossils and other proxy data, is called palaeoclimate

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