EPISODE GUIDE EPISODE 4 Version 1.0
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EPISODE 4 OVERRIDING TECHNICAL TOPICS
Hurricanes. Climate change has resulted in stronger and more numerous hurricanes and storms.
Under Curriculum you can see suggestions for more specific goals that could be relevant to this episode
THE LEARNING PROGRESSION IN AN EPISODE OF THE CLIMATE MYSTERY TCM was developed to serve multiple purposes in the course of climate education, and to be easily adaptable to the teaching method, needs and circumstances of the individual educator. Teaching materials in TCM can be broken down into three parts: 1.
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Climate assignment for the Council a. Students receive a qualitative assignment from the Council that deals with the overriding technical topics. The purpose of the assignment is to make the students put a concrete climate phenomenon into the context of their own reality and geography. b. The forum on the web page can be used to exchange experiences and positions, and to gain information and inspiration from students the world over. c. The students can similarly find inspiration for their assignments in selected external links of a professional nature. d. In TCM, the students have the possibility of printing out their work. This can be used as a departure point in subsequent class work. COP15 game a. In the COP15 game, students are allowed to experiment with natural science phenomena that relate to the relevant climate topic. b. The goal is for the students to recreate the relevant climate change in a simulation. c. A subsequent technical elaboration of the phenomena, and discussion of the students’ simulation. Materials for the subsequent addressing of topics in class a. Suggestions for discussion. b. Written assignments. c. Practical assignments and experiments. d. Quiz work.
Read more about the use of The Climate Mystery in curriculum and teaching/didactic foundation Read more about The Climate Mystery history and COP15 game in the teacher’s guide
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CLIMATE ASSIGNMENT FOR THE COUNCIL Imagine that a hurricane hit the area where you live – how and where would you build a storm bunker for your family? What things would you take with you into the storm bunker? Hurricanes can create great destruction – but can they do any good?
EXTERNAL LINKS Students can use these links for inspiration. These links will also appear on the web page:
Adjust the strength of the tornado and see the effect on houses and nature: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/tornado/interactive/interactive.html Before and after pictures of tornado destruction: http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/jeanne/photos/index.html How is a hurricane formed?: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/hurricane1.htm http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/earth/hurricanes/ See pictures of tornado bunkers: http://www.storm-safe.com/ Before and after pictures: http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/dennis2005/photosetsseagrove.html Survival equipment: http://www.giftbargains4u.com/survival-kit.htm
If the students in your school do not have open access to the Internet, remember to submit these links for approval These are English language pages. In the links section you will find various online translation aids
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SUGGESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION The following topics can subsequently be brought up in class, as oral, group or written work. A number of the topics will demand supplemental instruction, as they are only treated superficially in TCM. You can find links to in-depth materials at the bottom of the page.
A good starting point for class work could be the students’ solution of the assignment for the Council. Get the students to elaborate on their work, and compare it to the work of others.
HURRICANES
How quickly can a hurricane move? http://hypertextbook.com/facts/StephanieStern.shtml Can you outrun a hurricane with a bicycle or car? Are there often hurricanes where you live? Why? Why not? What time of year is hurricane season and why? Do hurricane seasons vary depending on where you live in the world? (The Atlantic hurricane season is from June to the end of November. Most hurricanes are formed in the fall. The eastern part of the Pacific hurricane season is from the middle of May to the end of November.) Are hurricanes given names? http://www.weatherwizkids.com/atlanticnames.htm What types of damage can a hurricane cause? How can climate change influence the number of hurricanes?
HURRICANE PREVENTION
How is man trying to prevent hurricanes? Is it possible to predict when a hurricane will strike? What is a hurricane hunter? http://www.hurricanehunters.com/ What do you need after a hurricane? http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/3586504775_212e204949.jpg
HIGH PRESSURE AND LOW PRESSURE • •
What leads to high pressure and low pressure systems? How does ocean temperature influence air pressure?
GREENHOUSE EFFECT • • •
Which gasses are greenhouse gasses? How can steam be a greenhouse gas? How does the burning of fossil fuels create greenhouse gasses? http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/energy/site/EIZInfogr9.asp
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PRACTICAL EXPERIMENTS AND WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
Find a hurricane and pencil in its route on a map: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/atlanticnames.htm http://www.weatherwizkids.com/trackingcharts.htm http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/atlantic/2008/index.html Experiment: make a tornado in a bottle You will need: o two ½-liter bottles of soda o a screw o strong tape o water o food coloring It should look like this: http://www.wyp2005.dk/test-o-teket/images/tornado.jpg Instructions: o Use a screw to make a hole in the middle of the two plastic tops. Tape the tops together. Widen the hole with a scissors. The hole must be about 0.5 cm in diameter. o Now fill one of the soda bottles a third of the way up with water, and add a little food coloring. Screw on the ”double top” and place the empty bottle on top. o Turn over the bottles and set the water in a circular motion. Watch the tornado form. (source: formidling.dk) Find out if there are any active hurricanes in the world right now (click on map). If there is, what is its name?
Energy in the home – home assignment -
Take a reading of your electric meter at 15:00 and 20:00 (3:00 pm and 8:00 pm) for two days. How many kWh of energy does your family use in a day on average? How many kWh do you use in a year? For every 1 kWh the electric company delivers to consumers, they use about 0.4 kg of coal. How much coal is used for your family in a year? When the electric company burns 1 kg of coal, about 2,000 liters of pure carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere. How many liters of carbon dioxide are produced in a year by your family’s use of electricity?
CO2 use
Try to calculate your CO2 usage here: http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html
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QUIZ 1.
Hurricanes are typically formed over: A. Cold sea water B. Mountains C. Warm sea water D. Land
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What are hurricanes named after? A. Animals B. Boys’ names C. Girls’ names D. The names of boys and girls
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What is the wind speed of a category 5 hurricane? A. 40 km/h B. 75 km/h C. 250 km/h D. 750 km/h
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How does a hurricane take the most lives? A. Strong winds B. Waves and flooding C. Falling houses and trees D. Heatstroke
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What does a hurricane hunter do? A. Follows hurricanes so everyone knows where they are B. Flies in a plane to look for hurricanes C. Shoots at hurricanes with a cannon D. Flies directly into hurricanes to learn more about them
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What is the eye of a hurricane? A. The middle of the hurricane, where there is almost no wind B. The edge of a hurricane C. What you can see of a hurricane from a distance of 10 km D. The bottom of a hurricane
ADDITIONAL TESTS http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/tornado/quiz/quiz.html
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PROPOSALS FOR CURRICULUM SUBJECTS IN THIS PERIOD
Science
Biology
Geography
Pressure Temperature Wind force and speed Units of measurement Humidity Hurricane levels CO2 KWh. Ocean circulation Human survival CO2 Use of energy
Ocean circulation The Gulf Stream Metrology Pressure Wind systems The atmosphere Earth rotation Hurricane levels Alternative energy
LINKS TO SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCTION MATERIALS HURRICANES: http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/earth/hurricanes/ http://hypertextbook.com/facts/StephanieStern.shtml http://www.weatherwizkids.com/hurricane1.htm http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/hurricane/eye.html http://learners.gsfc.nasa.gov/mediaviewer/27Storms/ http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003200/a003290/a003290_H264_640x480.mp4 http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003200/a003288/a003288.mpg http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/hurricane_multimedia.html 7
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003200/a003265/ritaMODIS_web.mpg http://www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/links/hurricanes.htm http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/hurricanes-and-climate-change.html http://hypertextbook.com/facts/StephanieStern.shtml http://www.sip.ucar.edu/sourcebook/hurricanes.jsp
GREENHOUSE EFFECT: http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/greenhouse/ http://www.planetguide.net/book/chapter_3/greenhouse1.html http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/greenhouse.html
GENERAL LINKS ON CLIMATE CHANGE http://climatechangeeducation.org/international/index.html http://managenergy.net/kidscorner/o11_select.html http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/Climate%20Change/Climate%20Cirriculum/item5944.html http://www.worldwildlife.org/climate/curriculum/WWFBinaryitem5961.pdf http://www.worldwildlife.org/climate/curriculum/WWFBinaryitem5962.pdf http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html http://ecoagents.eea.europa.eu/ http://honoloko.eea.europa.eu/Honoloko.html
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STORY SUMMARY – EPISODE 4 The two new films on www.climatemystery.com are: The four protagonists have fled to an area with dilapidated train cars. And now Liza suddenly feels very bad. It is clear that the illness has something to do with exhaust gases. They decide to get Liza to a hospital, but when they arrive at the emergency room, a car drives up in front of them and chases them away. They flee once again back to the same area. Axel has seen the video from the prior week with the man behind him and is spooked out. With help from users, Axel has discovered that Adam was the Professor’s student and that the Professor has been reported missing. The Professor was tied to a group that calls itself “Kane’s Ark”.
COP15 GAME EPISODE 4 (HURRICANES) PURPOSE OF THE STREAM The stream is the front of a hurricane forming in the Atlantic Ocean, and it has to hit Denmark. The player has to increase ocean surface temperatures and then guide the hurricane inland using wind.
Read more about the COP15 game in the teacher’s guide
PROBLEM FORMULATION IN THE GAME Denmark, September, 2009: A young man is trapped in a room when it is ravaged by a violent hurricane, and he is badly hurt.
START TEXT “Ah, Denmark … hurricanes are no strangers to Denmark, but there could very well be an increase in hurricanes in Denmark. How so? A clue: it has to do with surface temperature.”
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END TEXT AFTER END GAME Hurricanes can only be created when a number of conditions are met, such as high ocean temperatures, low vertical wind shear, and high humidity. Global warming is expected to increase both surface temperatures of oceans, as well as the humidity levels, which will likely lead to an increase in the intensity of hurricanes.
AVAILABLE CLIMATE CHANGES AND EFFECTS:
Warmer – Increases speed
Colder – Decreases speed
Low-pressure area – Attracts the stream
High-pressure area – Repulses the stream
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MAP SOLUTION
The stream moves up slowly towards the British Isles.
The warmer areas increase the speed of the stream so that it moves across the British Isles.
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The high-pressure area pushes the front into the European mainland.
The low-pressure area can then be used the fine-tune where the front will move.
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