Experiment Reveals Future Cost of Climate Change
Articles/Websites
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology
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Provided by Connecticut Sea Grant
What it is
- This article details an experiment performed at UConn Avery Point using Long Island Sound copepods to determine how increasing temperatures and carbon levels will impact the copepods as the climate changes.
- Students will learn what this experiment implies for the ecosystem that depends on copepods and how increased carbon and temperatures affect the zooplankton singularly and in conjunction.
Teaching tips
Positives
- Full-color images and diagrams of copepods will keep students interested and engaged.
- Overall, the article has a hopeful tone, keeping students from becoming anxious over the changing climate.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should understand climate change and how human activity has accelerated it.
- It may benefit students to know the basics of ocean acidification.
- Some students may need the terms oceanographer, acidification, adaptation, and others defined before they read the article.
Differentiation
- Teachers can make math connections by having students analyze the graph on page 2.
- If possible, students can look at plankton under a microscope or watch a video to better visualize the organisms studied in the experiment.
- Students can create food webs and discuss the potential impacts on the ecosystem if copepods become extinct.
- This article can introduce the broader topic of the impacts of rising temperatures or ocean acidification on the marine ecosystem.
From the scientist review
This resource provides insights into the impact of climate change on copepod populations and how the current level of ocean acidification and warming could stress these vital zooplankton. We reviewed the resource thoroughly, and it has passed our science credibility process.
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