Climate Resources

Fact Sheets
Lesson Plans
Climate Change Educator Conference
Case Studies
Links

Fact Sheets

These Fact Sheets are the Frequently Asked Questions from the report accepted by Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M.Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

Historical Overview of Climate Change Science

What Factors Determine Earth's Climate? 363Kb
What is the Relationship between Climate Change and Weather? 473Kb
What is the Greenhouse Effect? 1.85Mb

Changes in Atmospheric Constituents and in Radiative Forcing

How do Human Activities Contribute to Climate Change and How do They Compare with Natural Influences? 260Kb

Observations: Surface and Atmospheric Climate Change

Observations: Changes in Snow, Ice and Frozen Ground

Is the Amount of Snow and Ice on the Earth Decreasing? 209Kb

Observations: Oceanic Climate Change and Sea Level

Is Sea Level Rising? 117Kb

Palaeoclimate

Couplings Between Changes in the Climate System and Biogeochemistry

Are the Increases in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Other Greenhouse Gases During the Industrial Era Caused by Human Activities? 354Kb

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Climate Models and their Evaluation

How Reliable Are the Models Used to Make Projections of Future Climate Change? 151Kb

Understanding and Attributing Climate Change

Global Climate Projections

Regional Climate Projections

Do Projected Changes in Climate Vary from Region to Region? 228Kb

Lesson Plans

Climate Change Educator Conference

On July 23, 24 2008, classroom educators attended an inter-agency conference on climate change to investigate the basic science behind our understanding of climate change and global impacts. The conference drew upon the latest science to present the story of our changing climate and included presentations by prominent scientists, hands-on activities, and current ideas for facing our climate challenge and creating a healthier planet. The conference presentation materials and videos are provided along with links to resources and programs about climate change education.

Archived Videos

Archived videos of the climate change educator conference general session speakers are now online at:

http://www.sallyridescience.com/for_educators/conferences/climate/live

Presentations and materials are posted at:

http://www.sallyridescience.com/conferences/occr

Case Studies

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency partnered with NOAA and six other federal agencies to develop the Climate Change, Wildlife and Wildlands Toolkit for Formal and Informal Educators. The purpose is for classroom teachers and informal educators in parks, refuges, forest lands, nature centers, zoos, aquariums, science centers, etc., to teach middle school students about how climate change is affecting our nation's wildlife and public lands and how everyone, even students, can become ìclimate stewardsî.

Topics in the case studies include regional impacts of climate change, ìSpotlight on Speciesî on public lands that are being affected by climate change, and strategies being employed by ìClimate Stewardsî in each region who are helping ecosystems adapt to a changing world.