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Written by Mark Chandler
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Tuesday, 25 October 2005 |
Most climate researchers believe that climate change will impact our planet's environment and the world's economy profoundly in the coming decades. Thus, everyone should have a basic knowledge of the Earth’s climate system so that informed judgments may be shaped with regard to critical issues. Teachers need to be provided with resources to engage students in the scientific and technological processes scientists use to forecast climate change.
Our goal is to improve the quality of teaching and learning of climate-change science through broader access to GCMs and to provide appropriate technology and materials to help teachers use these models effectively. With research-quality resources in place, linking classrooms to actual research projects is not only possible, it can be beneficial to both educators and scientists. To fulfill our goal we have created EdGCM, software that allows teachers and students to run a 4-D climate model on desktop computers. The GCM at the core of EdGCM was developed at NASA and is currently in use by researchers to study climates of the past, present and future. To operate the GCM in the classroom EdGCM has a user-friendly interface that simplifies management of simulations. Experiments are automatically archived in a searchable database and easy-to-use utilities for mapping, plotting, and data analysis are integrated with the software. Finally, the software allows teachers to produce their own instructional materials (text, charts, images) and allows teachers and students to easily export research reports to the web.
EdGCM permits teachers and students to explore the fundamentals of climate science utilizing tools identical to those used in major climate research programs. Many simple climate experiments are possible (e.g. How does the sun warm the planet?), but, it is also possible to conduct in-depth investigations of current events, in near real-time, as they are being studied by climate scientists. EdGCM comes with some pre-prepared scenarios for investigating a variety of interesting climate issues (global warming, ice ages), but teachers can, also, easily construct their own scenarios to satisfy curricular requirements. EdGCM easily scales for use at levels from middle school to graduate school, making it a unique tool for linking research to the classroom. Our future plans involve the creation of the EdGCM Cooperative, a network of researchers and educators actively collaborating on climate research projects. |
