This unit applies a flipped classroom model. Students complete a self-study tutorial prior to attending class. Students are then asked work independently or in pairs to generate a time-aware climate change Web map application using ArcGIS Online. Returning to the theme of cocoa production introduced in Unit 1, students identify climatic conditions conducive for cacao production around the world, especially West Africa where the majority of cacao is grown. Students then use a web application in ArcGIS Online to create a time aware map showing biomes in the KÃppen Climate Classification System and determine how projected climate changes will impact the suitable production regions for cacao in West Africa. Using a jigsaw model, students collect into groups of 4, with a representative from each of the IPCC scenarios, and they compare the the impact of the 4 scenarios in specified cocoa production regions. At the end of the class they will be assigned to one of three regional areas for group work in Units 4-6.

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This unit presents an applied Case Study example and the associated concepts related to designing a seismic survey and analyzing the data. Parts of the instrument are discussed and practical experience simulating travel time arrivals on a travel time-offset plot are presented. A real dataset from the Case Study site at Codorus Creek, York, PA is presented and analysis strategies are discussed.

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Over the course of one week, students will apply and evaluate concepts in the context of their local community, culminating in the formulation and evaluation of Hazard Mitigation Plan recommendations presented in stakeholder position papers. These position papers, which will also serve as the summative assessment of the Major Storms and Community Resilience Module, will be presented and assessed during a Town Hall Meeting. In this role-playing activity, students apply and evaluate concepts in the context of assigned stakeholder positions from their local community. Over the course of the week, students formulate and evaluate Hazard Mitigation Plan recommendations for major storms, and then present those recommendations in a town hall-style meeting. These assignments demonstrate students' ability to develop strategies and recommendations to mitigate local community vulnerabilities to storms with specific emphasis on different sectors and/or stakeholders in that community. Instructors will assess student achievement of the learning goals through a formal oral presentation and a team policy position paper. As such, the culmination of Unit 3 in the Town Hall Meeting serves as the summative assessment for the Major Storms module.

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Near surface geophysical measurements are performed by moving sensors across the Earth's surface. Active geophysical sensors transmit a signal into the Earth and record a returned signal that contains information on the physical and chemical properties of the Earth (see Unit 2). This unit introduces the student to the basics of geophysical data acquisition using two techniques that record variations in the electrical conductivity (see Unit 2) of the Earth: [1] electrical imaging (EI), and [2] electromagnetic (EM) conductivity mapping.











Basic concept of electrical imaging measurements

Provenance: Lee Slater, Rutgers University-Newark
Reuse: This item is in the public domain and maybe reused freely without restriction.
Electrical imaging is a galvanic geophysical approach whereby electrical contact with the Earth is made directly via electrodes (typically metal stakes) that are inserted into the ground. Electromagnetic conductivity mapping is a non-contact approach whereby the physics of EM induction is used to sense changes in electrical conductivity. The advantages and disadvantages of using galvanic (EI) and non-contact (EM) techniques for measuring electrical conductivity are described. Ohm's Law is introduced and students investigate how electrical resistance measurements are related to the electrical conductivity of soils. Field implementation of both EI and EM techniques is demonstrated using surveys performed in Harrier Meadow as an example. Students investigate how variations in survey configuration parameters (e.g. electrode configuration and electrode spacing in EI, frequency and coil spacing in EM) control investigation depth (how far into the ground the signals sense) and spatial resolution (what size objects can be detected). The concept of pre-modeling a geophysical survey (i.e. running some simulations of likely effectiveness of the methods before going to the field) to evaluate expected investigation depth and sensitivity is introduced. The Excel-based Scenario Evaluator for Electrical Resistivity (SEER) tool provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) is used to demonstrate some key concepts.

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In the capstone, Unit 3, students are provided a real-world example of local community action to address the challenge of "healthy food access." The 2015 Leon County (Florida) Sustainable Communities Summit highlights the results of communities working together to promote environmental and food justice. By the end of Unit 3, instructors can deliver a call to action to empower students to be participatory citizens in their communities. The summative assessment will evaluate the students' ability to synthesize the module learning objectives and demonstrate the use of science practices.

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Students use Google Earth to observe two river systems and characterize changes in gradient from the headwaters to the mouth, and relate changes in those gradients to different rock types. At one location, they observe historical changes in the river and infer how sediment erosion and deposition can alter a stream channel. Students also observe some ways in which humans attempt to prevent bank erosion.

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This unit introduces systems modeling, which allows students to quantify and manipulate system components to create system responses. Students use a simple systems model of a bathtub to explore the effect of flow rates on system equilibrium. To complete the unit, students will need a method for creating and sharing diagrams (whiteboards, posters, etc.), and will ideally have access to free systems modeling software.

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Students will be able to identify the functional roles that organisms play in ocean ecosystems. How do human-induced changes in ocean conditions affect biodiversity, and thereby the health and resilience of a coral reef? Students explore and discuss the direct and indirect impacts that ocean acidification can have on species, food web dynamics, ecosystem function, and commercial resources. At the end of this unit the students should be able to articulate how changes in ocean chemistry can create negative outcomes for humans who depend on living ocean resources.

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In this unit students will explore surface water and its relationship to the water cycle via watersheds and drainage divides. These topics will inform their analysis of the social and environmental impacts of the planned increase of hydroelectric dams in the Amazon. Case studies include the Ene River and the MaraÃÃn River in Peru.

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In this unit, students will develop protocols for the collection of sensory data (scents and/or sounds), plan and execute the field collection of sensory data using developed protocols, analyze collected data, and create a map that communicates findings and impacts on the local population.
The advantage of using sensory data is that students are equipped with the analytical equipment (ears and nose) and are familiar with its use. However, students may not have taken the time to consider the variety of perceptions that occur within a group of people who are sharing a sensory experience and the impact that variation can have when collecting and analyzing data and subsequently communicating the results.
In this unit, as in the entire module, sensory data is considered in two contexts: First, as an indicator of environmental conditions, and, in some instances, environmental disruption. Second, as a proxy for data that is not as easily collected or as readily analyzed such as air or water samples. One of the challenges of developing these protocols will be discerning individual components from a complex system and developing an approach for systematically recording these data. This, though, gives students important exposure to the challenges of understanding and characterizing today's societal problems, which tend to include many interrelated dynamic causes.

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Using a systems dynamics approach, students will work in groups to conceptualize and construct a model of the global carbon cycle considering five major Earth systems: atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere. The models will draw on information from the pre-class activity and invoke system features such as boundaries, stocks, flows, and control variables. Using a scenario describing a global, catastrophic event, the students will consider how new conditions change the behavior of carbon cycling in their model world. Students will use the model to explain changes in environmental variables such as permafrost cover, atmospheric gases, and global temperature, as well as feedbacks within the system.

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Students will identify potential stakeholders and assess the importance of communication and interaction among these groups to make recommendations on how to define and develop prepared communities.

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The purpose of this unit is to explore, compare, contrast, and interpret carbon fluxes from the Ameriflux network to better appreciate the critical factors that account for the different timing and magnitudes of fluxes among these sites. This module will help students complete their semester-long project by introducing them to critical baseline data collection and databases related to carbon budgets.
The primary data set for this activity is the Amerflux network database, which spans over 150 sites throughout the Americas. Each data set is uniformly formatted and can contain up to 45 fields of meteorological and flux data collected from various eddy correlation tower instruments. The lesson is divided up between the following engaging activities:

Background lecture: Introduction to carbon fluxes and balances
Discovery Activity: Students in small groups will compare various annual flux records from four different sites to address questions regarding driving variables, correlation among variables, and causative factors responsible for the overall trend in annual CO2 flux. Group results will be shared and discussed by the whole class as time allows.
Database Access Activity: Students will learn what data exists in the Ameriflux data base and how to load it into an Excel spreadsheet for display using an Amerflux site that also is part of the CZO network.
Carbon Flux Hypothesis Activity: Students will develop a simple hypothesis regarding the timing and/or magnitude of CO2 fluxes and use data from the Ameriflux database to support their ideas.

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In this two-day activity spanning Units 4 and 5, students analyze spatial variation in climate through a map-based jigsaw exploration of NASA's Earth's Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) data. By the end of the activity, students will have created maps and graphs illustrating the global radiation balance and used their knowledge to develop and refine hypotheses regarding impacts of global climate change.

Unit 4 (day 1 of activity) begins with a brief student exploration of the global impacts of climate change and how maps can be used to effectively communicate these patterns. Students are then broken into small groups to analyze a map of one of three ERBE datasets. Students are asked to interpret geographic patterns in these data, infer the underlying causes of patterns they observe using knowledge they have accumulated in the previous units, and create an annotated map that clearly illustrates their observations and inferences. During the following class period (Unit 5), they will share their findings with a new group of classmates and work to synthesize the data to estimate the radiation balance.

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In this unit, student groups will evaluate different environmental case studies to critically investigate qualitative and quantitative data analysis, collection, and inquiry. Students will begin to consider different forms of sensory-related data collection and how experiential knowledge informs the ways in which one forms analytical, evaluative questions. Student expert groups are provided one case study (different expert groups will examine at least two different cases) that has a number of different kinds of resources that students will examine (e.g. journalistic, scientific, narrative, visual, auditory). Students will use cooperative learning methods to engage with problem-based inquiry rather than have the case study information delivered via instructor-based lecture. Given that students across disciplinary contexts may not have been exposed to scientific methods of investigation, this unit encourages systems thinking alongside other methods of investigation. As students consider the variety of perceptions that occur within a group of people sharing an environmental experience, students are able to consider the impact that different types of data have on one's perception of data collection and its analysis. This exercise also demonstrates the utility of interdisciplinary thinking -- by examining data sets from multiple academic disciplines, students gain a more complete understanding of the case study compared to what they would have understood by examining data from a single research approach. The activity also provides students with an opportunity to practice interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration skills. The cases address several key environmental challenges: soil contamination, water resources, and the impacts of industrial agriculture.
A collaborative learning method is used in conjunction with guided class and group discussion to critically examine different types of data and encourage consistency of data analysis between student groups. This unit uses a group exploration and presentation activity to ensure equal distribution of materials and accountability among class participants. In essence, the students teach each other about the case studies with the instructor providing questions to elicit depth and synthesis between groups as well as to ensure that critical data analysis is undertaken.

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Units 4, 5, and 6 provide the opportunity for students to delve into a greater examination of food security at a regional level in small teams selecting one of the following locations (Caribbean, New York City, or Nebraska) OR a new location of their choice (provided that information and datasets are easily available and students will work with the instructor prior to the start of the unit) to apply skills and concepts taught in Units 1-3. Unit 4 materials are designed to provide a place-based overview for students to prepare them for the summative assessment, to be submitted in Unit 6, a community-based action plan of how the selected community can increase food security and lessen vulnerability.

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Feedbacks are a critical part of many systems. In this unit, students use a systems model to explore the effect of positive (reinforcing) and negative (balancing) feedbacks on system behavior. Model results are then used as a basis for interpreting Arctic sea ice data. To complete the unit, students will ideally have access to free systems modeling software.

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In this unit, students will gain a deep-time perspective on how life evolves on a dynamic planet. They will use the Equidae (horse family) as a case study to examine the relationship among climate, biomes, and fossils to determine how changing environmental conditions influenced horse morphology and diversity through time. After a brief introduction, students will work in groups to examine data and formulate ideas about why changing climatic conditions and an increase in grasslands led to changes in horse morphology and diversity. This example of adaptive radiation and extinction within one well-known group of organisms in response to changes in Earth's interrelated systems demonstrates how the geologic record provides an important context for understanding modern patterns of biodiversity. Students will also use the data to evaluate earlier and more recent ideas about Equidae evolution to appreciate how scientific ideas can change over time based on new evidence.

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Students will read and summarize an article that details scientific studies on behavioral changes of gray whales. Discussed are their feeding behavior, migratory behavior, and breeding patterns in the Pacific. Students will examine the whales' responses and discuss in small groups how the responses relate to climate change. By interpreting potential links between gray whale behavior and changed ocean conditions, students will be able to infer the ecological role that gray whales play within a community and an ecosystem. Students will summarize the main concepts, scientific evidence, data and observations cited, and justify why gray whales can be considered "ecosystem sentinels."

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Building on the work they did in Unit 3, students will perform an "ecocritical" rhetorical reading (the theoretical lens for examining the way that literary texts engage with climate and climate issues) in order to analyze a short story chosen from several provided by the instructor. They will utilize literary terminology in discussing this text and generating a rhetorical analysis of it.

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