Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in StarLogo TNG

Original author

Resource type

• GUTS Curriculum Modules

Content area

• Science- Earth Sciences
• Science- Life Sciences

Use type

• Middle School

Tools

• StarLogo TNG

Tags

• ice albedo

Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in SLTNG

The primary goal of this unit is to engage students in simple interactive activities to explore the global climate system as a complex system, and in the use, modification, and creation of agent-based models to conduct experiments on simple virtual systems.  This unit uses StarLogo TNG to create models of the polar ice caps and the albedo effect, of a mountain stream runoff system, and a water spring.

Overview of Weeks 5-10 (.docx file)

Week 5: Introduction to Climate Change

• Introduction to Climate Change (.doc file)
• Ice Albedo feedback loop (.doc file)
• Ice Albedo model (.sltng file)
• Ice Albedo model with ice thickness (.sltng file)

Week 6: Data Analysis and The Greenhouse Effect

• Data Analysis (global temp and co2 levels) (.doc file)
• Greenhouse Effect (.doc file)
• Greenhouse Effect model (.nlogo file)

Week 7: Mountain Snowmelt

• Mountain Snowmelt (.doc file)
• Mountain Snowmelt model (.sltng file)
• Collecting and Analyzing local data (.ppt file)
• New Mexico Climate Data - Links to local Data files if you do not want to import the data to Excel from the NM Climate Database yourself.
  • Temperature data from Albuquerque International Airport Jan 2008-Jan 2011 (.xls file)
  • Temperature data from Artesia ASC Jan 2008-Jan 2011 (.xls file)
  • Temperature data from Las Cruces International Airport Jan 2008-Jan 2011 (.xls file)
  • Temperature data from Las Vegas Municipal Airport Jan 2008-Jan 2011 (.xls file)
  • Temperature data from Santa Fe Municipal Airport Jan 2008-Jan 2011 (.xls file)

Week 8: Spring Runoff

• Streamflow and Runoff (.docx file)
• Runoff FAST model (.sltng file)
• Runoff SLOW model (.sltng file)
• Collecting and Analyzing local data (.ppt file)

Week 9-10: Customize a model or build your own.

Climate Change Resources

• Introduction to Climate Change (.doc file)
• Climate Change presentation (.ppt file)
• Climate Change Model Video (For use with .PPT, Medium Resolution, Mp4 (Mac, iTunes, VLC, Quicktime)
• NASA Goddard Supercomputing The Climate video (Medium Resolution, MPG (Mac, VLC, Windows Media Player)
• Link to High Quality downloads page (External link to NASA Goddard Multimedia Page)
• Climate Change Literacy - Essential Principles (.ppt file)

Partners and Sponsors: National Science Foundation, NM EPSCoR.

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