Geography and Climate

At your tables, create a poster to describe one of the following geographic effects on weather (each is a link to an article you can used to get started):

Rain Shadow

Lake Effect

Rainforest Transpiration

Marine Layer

Valley Inversion

Urban Heat Islands

Your poster should include a diagram and answer the following questions:

Where is your effect found?

How does the geography create this effect?

How does the weather change due to this effect?

Two ages of civilization followed by ores in Washington

A pair of videos to get us started on Ores

1. Go to this link and complete the Mineral Distribution in Washington exercise.  The image shows the location of ore deposits in Washington, and the questions require you to consider how the melting points and/or densities may affect the distribution here in Washington.

Energy

Questions

• What is energy?
• What does the phrase “children of the sun” mean?
• How does electricity differ from energy?
• How has energy use transformed civilization?

Other views of the changes

Nova Saving the Dead Sea

 Video for today .  We will talk sinkholes and applications on Monday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY3d3Onr3bo

Biodiversity Case Study

Biodiversity Case Study

Your task: create a google slide presentation by the end of Thursday that demonstrates your understanding of habitat characteristics, biodiversity values, threats, and solutions.

Go to https://www.cepf.net/our-work/biodiversity-hotspots/

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is an organization that gives grants to NGOs and individuals who are working towards conservation efforts around the world.

Step 1: Choose a biodiversity hotspot on the list on the website above.  

Step 2: Gather data. The data that you must gather is the following:

Microhabitat Analysis—What characteristics and interactions are present in this region? You might need to review your notes to remind yourself what qualifies as habitat, ecosystem, community, and environment. Gather information about each for your given region. Be sure to include what species are endemic to this region!

Biodiversity Values— Address each of the following in your presentation: ecosystem services, economic value, and cultural value. You may include other aspects of biodiversity as well. Be sure to include how this region qualifies as a biodiversity “hotspot”.

Threats to Biodiversity—Consider habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, (human) population growth, and overharvesting.  Identify threats to biodiversity in this region. Be specific about what is being lost/damaged and what has already been lost/damaged and why or how.

Solutions—For some of your regions, solutions might have already been tried. Talk about these and whether or not they have been successful. If nothing has been done to prevent biodiversity loss, come up with potential solutions. Be specific! Don’t just say “conservation efforts” or “awareness”. What kinds of conservation should be done? What species need protection? If resources can no longer be gathered here, where else should we gather them?

Step 3: Compile your information onto your google slide.

Keystone Species

After the video respond to the following in your notebook:

• What is a keystone species?
• What is an Endemic species?
• Identify two things you think you learned
• Write one question you now have.

On your biome worksheets, select one specific region with each biomes and identify a keystone species and endemic species for each.  Justify your response.

Where in the Biome am I?

         

• You will be researching two Biomes on-line using the sheet provided.  
• Using Biomes of the World website begin to research and learn where your biome is located in the world. (See http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/ or http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/)
• Color or Shade the world map for your biome. Identify on your map the major bodies of water and countries that border the biome.
• Questions to Answer
• Climate
• Does the biome have seasons? Has the climate been changing during the last decades? What is unique about the climate of the biome?
• How much precipitation does the biome receive? Is it in the form of rain or snow?
• What is the temperature range of the biome?
• List three physical features of your biome, such as terrain and how it looks in general.
• Plants and Animals:  Identify at least  five plants and five animals to your biome.  This must include at least one KEYSTONE species. 
•  Has the biome experienced any of the changes you saw in the survey  (My Initial Thoughts) such as urban development, air pollution, or soil erosion?
• Based on what you have been able to learn, do you believe the biome is being conserved, preserved, or exploited?
  
  

The Anthropocene

• Define Anthropocene
• Identify two things you think you learned
• Write one question you now have.

Agricultural Revolution

Questions:

• Identify two advantages and two disadvantages of the agricultural revolution
• Write one additional thing you think you learned
• Write one question you now have

Discussion Wrap-Up  submit a ClEvR statement for the question:

Did the agricultural revolution benefit humanity?

History of Life on Earth

What was the primary cause in changes to animals over time?

Identify two things you think you learned

Write one question you now have.

• Identify three big ideas presented in the video. 

Other concepts to understand

• Hypothesis:  A prediction you can test.
• Scientific Theory:  An explanation supported by experiment. (Explains WHY something happens) 
• Scientific Law:  A 'Rule of Nature' (states what will happen.)

Land as a Gift of Nature

Read this article.  Land: 10 main Characteristics of Land in Economics

• Define Land
• What does the article mean by "Land is a Gift of Nature"
• What does the article mean by land use?
• Are there any factors identified that you disagree with?  Explain.

Welcome to Natural Resources

Welcome to Natural Resources for the 2021-22 school year.  This year will be significantly different from previous years as the requirements for distance learning preclude us from doing the two most important things in the course:

1. Go outside as much as possible to conduct labs and field studies.
2. Maintain the focus on using those labs and field studies to focus our analysis and conversations in the classroom. 

That said we will do our best to maintain the spirit of the course whether we are online,
Natural Resources will focus on the study of the environment and our interaction with it.  Units will focus on:

Science Basics - Reviewing the underlying scientific principles of Biology, Chemistry and Physics that affect all areas of study.

• Measurement
• Problem Solving
• Graphic Analysis
• Understanding Significance
• Basic Mechanics -Describing Motion
• Physical and Chemical Properties
• Thermal Energy

The Land 

• Soil Formation and Properties
• Soil Maps and Surveys
• Map Reading and Land Navigation
• Mining and Resource Extraction
• Land Management and Use

The Water

• Properties of Water
• Water Cycles
• Water quality
• Water management and use

The Air

• Climate and Weather
• Air Quality

Ecology

• Plant life and Function
• Animal life and Function
• Forest Management

Human Influence on the Environment

• Conserve, Preserve and Exploit - The fate of all resources
• Energy Production
• Oil economy and the Future of energy production
• Fisheries Management
• Policing the Environment
• Collapse - nine environmental pressures beyond simple climate change

High School Space Science

• Space Weather - protecting our modern civilization
• Exploring other worlds - Resources beyond our earth.