Jan. 23. 2011

Discussion from Edmodo on Jan.23.2011
What happens if the polar ice caps melt?
This is such a broad question. Are we talking about the coastal influence, effect on ocean currents, influence on weather patterns, wildlife effects, atmospheric changes, etc? What are the effects in different parts of the world? What are the long range effects?
With all that in mind, one can start with the following points for student discussion. Given that you have time to depart the background knowledge needed for the students to understand the magnitude of the problem.
Coastal influence: destruction of habitat
– mainly estuary (marine nursery) destruction which leads to imbalance of
marine populations. Flooding and backwashing of saline into freshwater
environs.
Ocean currents – Gulf Stream is fed by cold freshwater influence off of
Greenland. The cold water mass dropping below the warm Gulf Stream
creates an “engine” driving the Gulf Stream. Without this influence, the major
Atlantic current will cease to flow. This influence will stop the moderating
affect on the weather in Northern and Central Europe. This will create an ice
age in Europe. http://www.blogger.com/link?url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FThermohaline_circulation
Weather – notwithstanding the dropping of temps in Europe, the warm water
will stagnate at the equator creating higher temperatures. Rise in water temps
are a major contributor to the severity of tropical storms.
http://www.blogger.com/link?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.civilboard.org%2Ffiles%2Fpdf%2Fhurricane%2FModels_and_Simulation%2FModel_for_Severity_of_Hurricanes_in_Gulf_of_Mexico.pdf

What other questions do you have about this Science Inquiry Experience?

Some of the questions seem too wide open to present to an elementary classroom. It is so much more than coastal flooding - even that would entail enough information to take several days of discussion. How does one decide what direction to go with the discussion – we as teachers sometimes have to make decisions as to how in-depth and board we want to go on a particular subject. I think I would narrow it down into the different components and have different groups do research to find out and report back to the group – if there is time in our curriculum to do so and if the computers are available in the lab. State testing uses several months of our tech resources and the library material is outdated (lacks $ for keeping printed resources up to date) so using that resource is unlikely. Time is usually the determining factor.
---another thing, in a middle school classroom, watching ice melt? Seriously? that would be “BORING!!” no matter what you were demonstrating with it.
Also, allowing time for a chunk of ice to melt in a glass introduces several variables.
How warm is the classroom?
How much time do you have to monitor the melting process?
In a middle school classroom you have about 45-55 minutes – not nearly enough
time to notice any real volume of melting that would show a large rise in fluids –
Is the water free of impurities?
Is the ice at the poles free of impurities?
Does that have an effect on melt rate?
Can the students extrapolate melt time to ice cap melting?
If a single cube chunk takes x amount of time and considering how much ice is at the
poles, the students may get an unrealistic view of the melt time for the polar caps?
Does the rate of melt at the poles actually accelerates with time or is it a regular metered
rate?
The younger the students, the more you have to compensate for variables – as a teacher, it
is important for us to represent Good Science. Not just Science.