This calculator allows users to calculate their ecological footprint in terms of trees required to sequester the carbon from carbon dioxide emissions produced by household use and transportation. Exact emissions figures or national averages can entered into the calculator, and the amount of carbon dioxide generated by burning of fossil fuels is calclulated, as well as the number of trees it will take ... Full description.

As part of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Paleoclimatology Program, information is collected from scientists across the globe to study past climate in hopes of achieving a better understanding of the Earth's past, present and future climate. This site was developed to help educate, inform and highlight the importance of paleoclimate research, as well as to show how paleoclimate ... Full description.

This Earth Observatory site contains detailed information on the carbon cycle of the Earth. It provides an explanation of the role of carbon in the geologic carbon cycle followed by a discussion of carbon in the life process, including photosynthesis and respiration. Carbon sinks on land and in the ocean are covered next, followed by the human role in the cycle. Lastly, the activity of the National ... Full description.

This organization was established to assess scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts, and options for adaptation and mitigation. Links at this site lead to pages entitled About IPCC, Activities, Calendar of Events, Publications, Presentations and Graphics, Press releases and Speeches, and Official documents. The main ... Full description.

This three part activity has students set up experiments to help them better understand the atmospheric portion of the carbon cycle. From this activity, they will be able to explain the concept of sources and sinks as they relate to carbon dioxide, the use of indicator solution bromothymol blue (BTB) to reveal the presence of carbon dioxide, and the qualitative differences between animal and fossil ... Full description.

This lab teaches students about the nature of carbon, the different types of compounds it exists in (e.g. charcoal, glucose, carbon dioxide), the biochemical reactions it takes part in (photosynthesis and respiration), the range of processes that carbon and carbon compounds are involved in on Earth, and how these link together form the carbon cycle. They will get a feel for how the whole carbon cycle ... Full description.

This site explains the global warming exhibit at the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences and provides information and activities for students in regard to global warming. It includes an introduction to global warming and sections about the greenhouse effect and carbon cycle, as well as causes, impacts, responses and predictions of climate change. Each section has from ... Full description.

This paper presents the results of a study that includes some basic concepts about the weather, how some children misunderstand these concepts, and possible reasons for the misunderstandings. Student misconceptions can provide an opening for instruction. When teachers know what their students are thinking about a topic they can tailor experiments and activities which challenge the students' thinking. ... Full description.

This collection of K-12 activities covers the following science content areas: bioscience, communications, computers, earth and physical sciences, energy, math, oceanography, space, and transportation. Specific activities that may be classified under Earth system science include: Bringing the Greenhouse Effect Down to Earth, The Greenhouse Effect in a Jar, Slick Sea Spills, Ocean in a Bottle, People ... Full description.

In this activity, students import mean temperature data from the U.S. Historical Climatic Network (USHCN) into a spreadsheet program and use it to prepare graphs and calculate statistical measures and trends. It can be used in a course with climate change content or as an introduction to basic statistics. A tutorial on using Excel for basic statistics and an answer document are provided. Full description.