In this curriculum module, students in high school life science, marine science, and/or chemistry courses act as interdisciplinary scientists and delegates to investigate how the changing carbon cycle will affect the oceans along with their integral populations.

The oceans cover 70 percent of the planet and play a critical role in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide through the interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes. As a result of anthropogenic activity, a doubling of the atmospheric CO2 concentration (to 760 ppm) is expected to occur by the end of this century. A quarter of the total CO2 emitted has already been absorbed by the surface oceans, changing the marine carbonate system, resulting in a decrease in pH, a change in carbonate-ion concentrations, and a change in the speciation of macro and micronutrients. The shift in the carbonate system is already drastically affecting biological processes in the oceans and is predicted to have major consequences on carbon export to the deep ocean with reverberating effects on atmospheric CO2. Put in simple terms, ocean acidification is a complex phenomenon with complex consequences. Understanding complexity and the impact of ocean acidification requires systems thinking – both in research and in education. Scientific advancement will help us better understand the problem and devise more effective solutions, but executing these solutions will require widespread public participation to mitigate this global problem.

Through these lessons, students closely model what is occurring in laboratories worldwide and at Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) through Monica Orellana’s research to analyze the effect CO2 has on ocean chemistry, ecosystems and human societies. Students experiment, analyze public data, and prepare for a mock summit to address concerns. Student groups represent key “interest groups” and design two experiments to observe the effects of CO2 on seawater pH, diatom growth, algal blooms, nutrient availability, and/or shell dissolution.

The “Systems Are Everywhere” module was originally written for high school science teachers or counselors to use in any setting (in class or in extracurricular programs). However, during field-testing, we found that many elementary and middle school teachers were able to use these lessons successfully with their students. The module is made up of three lessons that serve to foster students’ understanding of systems, systems models, and systems thinking at every level of learning and across many content areas. Blended throughout the lessons are career connections that will introduce students to diverse systems thinkers in STEM, and provide context for how systems approaches are used in real life to address complex problems. The lessons and module can be used as a stand-alone set of activities or can be integrated into any course as an extension or enrichment.

The module begins with students modeling a complex system. Students will brainstorm and sketch the parts and connections of the system, then use an online tool (Loopy) to model the interactions of those parts and connections. Next, students will develop their understanding of systems thinking skills and their application for addressing problems and solutions. Then, students will apply their knowledge and skills to model a system of their choosing. Lastly, they will showcase their skills by creating a student profile and integrating their systems thinking skills into a resume.

Target Audience
This is our introductory module that we recommend teaching before each of our other modules to give students a background in systems and to help them understand the many careers available in STEM. This module can be applied easily to any content area and works best as written for students between 6th and 12th grades but can be adapted for other ages. It works very well when teaching virtually and in-person. If you are looking for an introduction to systems that can be delivered in-person with more kinesthetic activities, please see our Introduction to Systems module. The Intro to Systems module works best with 8-12 grade students, though can be used with some modifications for 6-7th graders. This Systems are Everywhere module can work well for elementary through secondary grades.