AT Climate Science Assignments

This is where each week's assignments in AT Climate Science are posted. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 18: Monday, May 13th – Friday, May 17th

Welcome to the last week of high school for the Class of 2024! For this week, we will:

• share our Final Project

It was a pleasure having you in class this year! Seniors, good luck with all of your future endeavors, CONGRATULATIONS, and please keep in touch! Juniors, I hope you'll consider taking CP Physics, Intro to Computer Science or AP Computer Science A with me next year. If not, stop by to say hi any time. Have a great summer, everyone!

Week 17: Monday, May 6th – Friday, May 10th

Welcome to the first full week of May! For this week, we will:

• share our research on Topic 12: Climate Change Risk

• research Topic 13: Energy and the Future and share

• start the Final Project

Only two weeks left for seniors! Please let me know if you have any questions. I hope you have an excellent week!

Week 16: Monday, April 29th – Friday, May 3rd

We've finally made it to the last month of school! Only three weeks left for seniors. For this week, we will:

• share our research on Topic 11: Climate Models and the Future

• research Topic 12: Climate Change Risk

• share our findings and discuss

• start researching Topic 13: Energy and the Future

Don't forget that Friday, May 3rd is the #RHSE3 Celebration – seniors, wear your Employment, Enlistment or Enrollment gear! Have a great week, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 15: Monday, April 22nd – Friday, April 26th

Welcome to the last full week of April! We're almost done with state testing, so please make note of our last day of the late arrival schedule on Monday. For this week, we will:

• research Topic 11: Climate Models and the Future

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 12: Climate Change Risk

Have a great week! Hang in there – we're almost done.

Week 13: Tuesday, April 9th – Friday, April 12th

Hello again! I hope you survived the solar eclipse and enjoyed your bonus 3-day weekend. Here's what we're doing for this week:

• finish sharing Topic 9a: Observing the Change

• complete Topic 9b: Historical Glacier Imagery

• start researching Topic 10: Greenland, Antarctica, and Sea-Level Rise

Let me know if you have any questions!

Week 12: Tuesday, April 2nd – Friday, April 5th

Welcome back! I hope you had a fun and relaxing Spring Break and are fully recharged. Here's what we're doing for the first week of April:

• continue our research into Topic 9: Observing the Change

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 9b: Historical Glacier Imagery

• prepare for the Great American Eclipse! 🔭☀️🌚

Speaking of the eclipse, here's some useful information about the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8th:

• 1:59:28 pm: Partial eclipse begins - the moment the edge of the Moon touches the edge of the Sun is called "first contact"

• 3:14:30 pm: Totality begins 😱 - the moment the edge of the Moon covers all of the Sun is called "second contact"

• 3:15:54 pm: Maximum eclipse‼️ - this is the deepest point of the eclipse, with the Sun at its most hidden

• 3:17:17 pm: Totality ends 😭 - the moment the edge of the Moon exposes the Sun is called "third contact"

• 4:29:17 pm: Partial eclipse ends - the moment the edge of the Moon leaves the edge of the Sun is called "fourth contact"

There's also a really cool interactive map of the eclipse path, and you can find out all about the many, many eclipse-related events happening this weekend in Kent at the Kent Total Eclipse 2024 website. Make sure to build a pinhole projector out of cardboard and aluminum foil ahead of time – they're really cool and easy to make!

I hope you have a great week back from Spring Break! As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 11: Monday, March 18th – Friday, March 22nd

We made it!! Here's what we're doing for the first week of Spring 🌸:

• BEGIN 4th QUARTER

• continue our research into Topic 8b: Impacts of Climate on Human History

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 9a: Observing the Change

I hope you have an awesome Spring Break and get lots of rest and relaxation! I'll see you next month. 😎

Week 10: Monday, March 11th – Friday, March 15th

Welcome to the end of 3rd Quarter! I hope you survived the time change over the weekend and you're ready to finish strong. For this last week of Winter, we will:

• continue our research into Topic 8a: Climate of the Recent Past

• share our findings and discuss

• watch "VICE: When the Earth Melts" video

• start research into Topic 8b: Impacts of Climate on Human History

Seniors, you're 15/16ths done with high school. 😱 I hope you have a great week, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 9: Monday, March 4th – Friday, March 8th

Welcome to the first week of March! For this week, we will:

• share our findings and discuss Topic 7: Climate of the Distant Past

• watch "NOVA: Polar Extremes" documentary

• start research into Topic 8a: Climate of the Recent Past

Spring will be here soon! Please let me know if you have any questions. I hope you have a wonderful week!

Week 8: Monday, February 26th – Friday, March 1st

Welcome to the end of February! To wrap up Black History Month, I'd like to tell you about a rising young climate activist, Isra Hirsi (b. 2003). Ms. Hirsi was born and raised in Minneapolis and is the daughter of Somali-American U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. She became interested in climate activism after joining her high school's environmental club as a freshman. During her sophomore year, Ms. Hirsi co-founded the US Youth Climate Strike, which organized hundreds of student-led strikes across the United States on March 15 and May 3, 2019, and she gave a TED Talk on being "The Angry Black Girl". For her efforts, she received the Brower Youth Award, which recognizes youth who use their platform for the promotion of social justice and environmental causes, and she also received the Voice of the Future Award at WrapWomen's Power Women Summit. Ms. Hirsi currently attends Barnard College of Columbia University, and you can follow her on Instagram @israhirsi. I have a feeling we're going to be hearing a lot more about her in the future!

For this week, we will:

• finish sharing our presentations on Topic 6: Radiative Forcing & Feedbacks

• start research into Topic 7: Climate of the Distant Past

• share our findings and discuss

Good luck to the Juniors taking the ACT on Tuesday! Remember, no school for Sophomores and Seniors. As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Week 7: Tuesday, February 20th – Friday, February 23rd

Welcome back from your extended weekend! This week I'd like to tell you about Catherine Coleman Flowers (b. 1958), the founding director of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice. Ms. Flowers grew up in Lowndes County, Alabama, known as "Bloody Lowndes" because of its history of racial violence. She became an activist in high school when she learned that her principal had been involved in the death of a nine-year-old Black girl, so she exposed the misconduct and poor conditions at her school and was able to force both the principal and superintendent to resign. After high school, she served in the Air Force but left due to sexual harassment, instead earning her bachelor's degree from Cameron University and her master's degree from University of Nebraska at Kearney. In 2001, Ms. Flowers moved back to Alabama to address its extreme poverty and failing infrastructure, particularly the lack of proper sewage treatment and clean water, and worked with Columbia University Law School and the United Nations to help improve conditions in poor, rural communities. She also sits on the Board of Directors for the Climate Reality Project, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the American Geophysical Union, and she is the only Black member of the Joe Biden Task Force on Climate Change. What an impressive body of work!

For this week, we will:

• start research into Topic 6: Radiative Forcing & Feedbacks

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 7: Climate of the Distant Past

Enjoy your abbreviated week! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 6: Monday, February 12th – Thursday, February 15th

Hello again! This week, I'd like to tell you about Dr. Robert Bullard (b. 1946), the "father of environmental justice". Dr. Bullard was born and raised in Alabama and earned his degree in government from Alabama A&M University. He briefly served in the Marines before earning his MA at Clark Atlanta University and ultimately his Ph.D. in sociology at Iowa State University. In 1979, Dr. Bullard was drawn into environmental issues when his wife, who was a lawyer, represented a group of Houston residents who were trying to prevent a landfill from being built next to their homes. He conducted a study for the case which documented the location of municipal landfills in Houston, which was the first comprehensive account of ecoracism in the United States. Additional research by Dr. Bullard showed that the United States had much greater environmental hazards and health risks in Black areas as compared to white areas, which he described in his first book, "Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality". By defining the Environmental Justice Movement, he helped bring together marginalized people to fight for their own health and safety, and his work and advocacy led to the creation of the Office of Environmental Justice in the US EPA. Dr. Bullard has received many prestigious awards over his lifetime, including the Stephen Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication and Membership in the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Here's the plan for this week:

• start research into Topic 5: Radiation Balance

• share our findings and discuss

Enjoy your looong weekend, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 5: Monday, February 5th – Friday, February 9th

Happy Black History Month! I wanted to profile a Black climate scientist each week, so I thought that Dr. Washington would be a great person to start with. According to NEI: "Dr. Warren Washington was the second African American to earn a doctorate in atmospheric sciences and one of the first developers of atmospheric computer models, which are helping scientists understand climate change. His climate models have evolved to incorporate oceans and sea ice, and his research has been used in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, which provide policymakers with scientific assessments on climate change. Washington and his colleagues were awarded the 2007 Novel Peace Prize for these accomplishments." Pretty impressive work, to say the last!

Here's the plan for this week:

• research Topic 4: The Carbon Cycle & How It Influences Climate

• share our findings and discuss

• watch "Cosmos: The World Set Free"

• begin Unit II: Climate Change & Its Drivers and start research into Topic 5: Radiation Balance

This is our last full week of school for a while, because next week we'll only have three and a half school days before having a four-and-a-half day weekend, and then we'll have other interruptions like the ACT. I hope you have a great week, and as always, let me know if you have any questions!

Week 4: Monday, January 29th – Friday, February 2nd

Welcome to the end of January! This month has really flown by, although I'm sure that having Winter Break, MLK Jr. Day and three calamity days all helped with that. Here's the plan for this week:

• research Topic 3: Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions

• share our findings and discuss

• begin research into Topic 4: The Carbon Cycle & How It Influences Climate

With any luck, we'll be able to get through a full week without any interruptions as we move into February and one month closer to the end of the school year. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Week 3: Monday, January 22nd – Friday, January 26th

Hello again! Last week was certainly an interesting series of events. I hope you took advantage of your bonus three-day weekend and got some rest and relaxation! Here's the plan for this week:

• research Topic 2: The World Ocean

• share our findings and discuss

• begin research into Topic 3: Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions

The weather this week looks to be much warmer and rainy, so I'm hoping we'll be able to get through all five days without any interruptions. Have a great week, and let me know if you have any questions!

Week 2: Tuesday, January 16th – Friday, January 19th

I hope you enjoyed your three day weekend! Here's the plan our abbreviated week:

• share our findings and discuss Topic 1: The Atmosphere

• research Topic 2: The World Ocean

• maybe share our findings and discuss

Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Week 1: Monday, January 8th – Friday, January 12th

Hello, and welcome to AT Climate Science! Please review the important information in these Google Slides.

This week, we’ll complete the following tasks:

• watch "Climate Science: What You Need To Know" video

• research your group’s subtopic for Topic #1: The Atmosphere:

  • Group 1: Air – composition, compressibility and pressure

  • Group 2: Mechanisms of heat and mass transfer

  • Group 3: Layers of the atmosphere

  • Group 4: Global circulation of the atmosphere

Please let me know if you have any questions about anything at all. I hope you have a great first week of 2nd Semester!

Unfortunately, Roosevelt High School did not offer AT Climate Science for the 2022-2023 school year.

Congratulations to the Class of 2022! I wish you the best of luck in all that you do, and I hope you keep in touch and come back to visit.

Week 16: Monday, May 2nd – Friday, May 6th

Hello again! If you went to Prom, I hope you had fun. For this week, we will:

• #RHSE3 Celebration – Seniors, wear your Employment, Enlistment or Enrollment gear!

• finish sharing our findings and discuss Topic 13c: Energy and the Future – Renewable Energy

• start researching your Final Project!

I hope you have a wonderful first week of May! Please let me know if you have any questions or need help with anything. Take care and stay safe!

Week 15: Monday, April 25th – Friday, April 29th

I hope you enjoyed the warm weather this weekend! For this week, we will:

• finish researching Topic 13b: Energy and the Future – Natural Gas

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 13c: Energy and the Future – Renewable Energy

I hope you have a great week! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 14: Monday, April 18th – Friday, April 22nd

Welcome back from your 3-day weekend! For this week, we will:

• finish sharing Topic 12: Climate Change Risk

• research Topic 13a: Energy and the Future – Coal

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 13b: Energy and the Future – Natural Gas

I hope you have a wonderful week, and get outside this Friday for Earth Day!

Week 13: Monday, April 11th – Thursday, April 14th

Hello again! For this week, we will:

• finish sharing Topic 11: Climate Models and the Future

• research Topic 12: Climate Change Risk

• share our findings and discuss

I hope you have a good short week and find a way to enjoy your upcoming 3-day weekend!

Week 12: Monday, April 4th – Friday, April 8th

Welcome back! I hope you had a good Spring Break and were able to relax a bit. For this week, we will:

• finish sharing Topic 10: Greenland, Antarctica, and Sea-Level Rise

• research Topic 11: Climate Models and the Future

• share our findings and discuss

I hope you have a wonderful week – less than two months left!

Week 11: Monday, March 21st – Friday, March 25th

Spring is finally here, and along with it 4th Quarter, which means that we're in the home stretch for the school year! For this week, we will:

• finish research into Topic 9: Observing the Change

• research Topic 10: Greenland, Antarctica, and Sea-Level Rise

• share our findings for both topics and discuss

The weather is supposed to get much nicer as the week goes on, so open those windows and get some fresh air. I hope you have a wonderful week!

Week 10: Monday, March 14th – Thursday, March 17th

Welcome to the last week of 3rd Quarter! I hope you're not too cranky from all the snow and losing an hour of sleep to daylight saving time. For this abbreviated week, we will:

• research Topic 8b: Climate of the Recent Past

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 9: Observing the Change

The weather is supposed to get much nicer as the week goes on, so open those windows and get some fresh air. I hope you have a wonderful week!

Week 9: Monday, March 7th – Friday, March 11th

I hope you enjoyed the nice weather this weekend! It was amazing being outside and not having to bundle up. For this week, we will:

• research Topic 8a: Climate of the Recent Past

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 8b: Climate of the Recent Past

Remind me to teach you how to do APA references. :) Have a great week!

Week 8: Monday, February 28th – Friday, March 4th

It's finally March! We only have a few weeks left before Spring Break, so I hope the sunshine and warmer weather this week will help you power through. For this week, we will:

• finish researching Topic 7: Climate of the Distant Past

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 8a: Climate of the Recent Past

As always, please let me know if you have any questions. I hope you have a good week!

Week 7: Tuesday, February 22nd – Friday, February 25th

I hope you got some rest and enjoyed your looong weekend! For this week, we will:

• finish researching Topic 6: Radiative Forcing & Feedbacks

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 7: Climate of the Distant Past

Make sure you go see the musical this weekend – it's awesome! I hope you have a good final week of February.

Week 6: Monday, February 14th – Thursday, February 17th

It's time for another short week! For this week, we will:

• finish researching Topic 5: Radiation Balance

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 6: Radiative Forcing & Feedbacks

Enjoy your long weekend! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 5: Monday, February 7th – Friday, February 11th

I hope you enjoyed having another long weekend! For this week, we will:

• share our findings about Topic 4: The Carbon Cycle and its Influence on Climate

• experiment with the greenhouse effect

• start research into Topic 5: Radiation Balance

I'm looking forward to the greenhouse effect experiment, because I'd like to see what ideas you have for improving it. Have a good week!

Week 4: Monday, January 31st – Friday, February 4th

Welcome to the last week of January! For this week, we will:

• finish sharing our findings about Topic 3: Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions

• research Topic 4: The Carbon Cycle and its Influence on Climate

• share our findings and discuss

The winter storm that will hit us on Wednesday may alter our plans if we have a snow/ice day later in the week, but if that's the case, we'll just get caught up later. I hope you have a great week! As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 3: Monday, January 24th – Friday, January 28th

I hope you had a great weekend! For this week, we will:

• share our findings and discuss Topic 2: The World Ocean

• research Topic 3: Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions

• maybe share our findings and discuss

As always, let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy your first full week of 2nd Semester!

Week 2: Wednesday, January 19th – Friday, January 21st

Wow, a *five day weekend*! That's absolutely amazing. I hope you took advantage of it and relaxed as much as possible! Here's the plan for our very abbreviated week:

• share our findings and discuss Topic 1: The Atmosphere

• start research into Topic 2: The World Ocean

Before you know it, another weekend will be here. I hope you have a wonderful week and don't get stuck in the snow!

Week 1: Monday, January 10th – Friday, January 14th

Hello, and welcome to AT Climate Science! Please review the important information in these Google Slides.

This week, we’ll complete the following tasks:

• watch "Climate Science: What You Need To Know" video

• research your group’s subtopic for Topic #1: The Atmosphere:

  • Group 1: Air – composition, compressibility and pressure

  • Group 2: Mechanisms of heat and mass transfer

  • Group 3: Layers of the atmosphere

  • Group 4: Global circulation of the atmosphere

Please let me know if you have any questions about anything at all. I hope you have a great first week of 2nd Semester!

Week 18: Monday, January 3rd – Friday, January 7th

Welcome to the first week of 2022! I hope you were able to relax and stay safe over Winter Break. Here's the plan for our last week of class:

• research your Final Project

• share our projects and discuss

Thanks for being such an awesome group! I hope you enjoyed the class and that you feel empowered with the knowledge necessary to confront climate change in your adult lives. Take care, stay safe and keep in touch!

Week 17: Monday, December 13th – Friday, December 17th

We finally made it to the end of 2021! I think we can all agree that this year didn't turn out quite like anyone hoped or expected, so it'll be nice to have two weeks off for Winter Break. For this week, we will:

• finish researching Topic 13: Energy and the Future

• share our findings and discuss

• start researching your Final Project!

I hope you get some time to relax over Winter Break, and I'll see you in 2022! Take care and stay safe.

Week 16: Monday, December 6th – Friday, December 10th

Hello, everybody! For this week, we will:

• start researching Topic 12: Climate Change Risk

• share our findings and discuss

• start researching Topic 13: Energy and the Future

We only have three weeks left in the class - WOW! I hope you have a wonderful week, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Week 15: Monday, November 29th – Friday, December 3rd

Welcome back from Thanksgiving Break! I hope you were able to rest and recharge. For this week, we will:

• start researching Topic 11: Climate Models and the Future

• share our findings and discuss

• start researching Topic 12: Climate Change Risk

We only have a few topics left before we start our final project! I hope you have a great last week of November as we begin to wrap up this semester. Take care and stay safe!

Week 13: Monday, November 15th – Friday, November 19th & Week 14: Monday, November 22nd

Hello again! For this week, we will:

• finish sharing and discussing Topic 9: Observing the Change

• start researching Topic 10: Greenland, Antarctica, and Sea-Level Rise and share our findings and discuss

• watch "VICE: Greenland is Melting" & "VICE: Our Rising Oceans"

I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving! Be smart and stay safe over break, and I'll see you at the end of November.

Week 12: Monday, November 8th – Friday, November 12th

Hi everybody! For this week, we will:

• finish our latest task on the Syrian cropland study in Google Earth Pro

• finish researching Topic 9: Observing the Change

• share our findings and discuss

I hope you get a chance to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather this week!

Week 11: Monday, November 1st – Friday, November 5th

Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed your Halloween weekend and you've recovered from eating all that candy! For this week, we will:

• finish researching Topic 8b: Climate Impacts on Human History

• share our findings and discuss

• start researching Topic 9: Observing the Change

Welcome to November and real fall weather! As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Week 10: Monday, October 25th – Friday, October 29th

Welcome back from your second three-day weekend so far! For this week, we will:

• finish our work on the Syrian cropland study in Google Earth Pro

• start researching Topic 8b: Climate Impacts on Human History

I hope you have a great last week of October and first week of 2nd Quarter! We're halfway through the class. :)

Week 9: Monday, October 18th – Thursday, October 21st

Welcome back from your three-day weekend! For this short week, we will continue working on the Syrian cropland study in Google Earth Pro. Have a great week – no school Friday!

Week 8: Monday, October 11th – Friday, October 15th

Welcome back from your three-day weekend! For this week, we will either:

• work on the Syrian cropland study in Google Earth Pro, OR

• research Topic 8a: Climate of the Recent Past and share our findings and discuss

We'll play it by ear as we figure out how to use Google Earth Pro and learn to make good measurements for Dr. Yin's study. Have a great week!

Week 7: Monday, October 4th – Thursday, October 7th

Hi everybody! For this short week, we will:

• finish watching "NOVA: Polar Extremes" documentary

• start research into Topic 8a: Climate of the Recent Past

• (maybe) share our findings and discuss

We won't have class on Friday, so we'll see if we're all ready to present on Thursday or if we'll need to wait until the following Monday. I hope you enjoy your short week! Keep wearing your mask and stay safe.

Week 6: Monday, September 27th – Friday, October 1st

Hello! I hope you all had a great Homecoming weekend and are ready to say goodbye to September! For this week, we will:

• share our findings on Topic 6: Radiative Forcing & Feedbacks and discuss

• start research into Topic 7: The Climate of the Distant Past

• share our findings and discuss

• start watching "NOVA: Polar Extremes" documentary

I think you'll really enjoy the movie. Let me know if you have any questions!

Week 5: Monday, September 20th – Friday, September 24th

Welcome to the first week of Fall! For this week, we will:

• start research into Topic 5: Radiation Balance

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 6: Radiative Forcing & Feedbacks

As always, please let me know if you have any questions at all. Have a wonderful Homecoming week – please be safe this weekend!

Week 4: Monday, September 13th – Friday, September 17th

Excellent job on your presentations last week! For this week, we will:

• start research into Topic 4: The Carbon Cycle and its Influence on Climate

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 5: Radiation Balance

Please let me know if you have any questions. I hope you have a great week!

Week 3: Tuesday, September 7th – Friday, September 10th

I hope you enjoyed your 3-day weekend! For this week, we will:

• share our findings and discuss Topic 2: The World Ocean

• research Topic 3: Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions

• maybe share our findings and discuss

As always, let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy your abbreviated week!

Week 2: Monday, August 30th – Friday, September 3rd

Good morning, future climate scientists! For this week, we will:

• finish our expert group research on Topic 1: The Atmosphere

• share our findings and discuss

• start research into Topic 2: The World Ocean

I hope you have a great last week of August! Please let me know if you have any questions at all.

Week 1: Wednesday, August 25th – Friday, August 27th

Hello, and welcome to AT Climate Science! Please review the important information in these Google Slides.

This week, we’ll complete the following tasks:

• watch “Climate Science: What You Need To Know” video

• research your group’s subtopic for Topic #1: The Atmosphere:

  • Group 1: Air – composition, compressibility and pressure

  • Group 2: Mechanisms of heat and mass transfer

  • Group 3: Layers of the atmosphere

  • Group 4: Global circulation of the atmosphere

Please let me know if you have any questions about anything at all! I hope you have a great first week back.