HS - ESS2.D (A) - Foundations of Earth's Global Climate - ASSIGNED (RC)

Module: Foundations of Earth’s Global Climate

DCI: ESS2.D (A) The foundation for Earth’s global climate systems is the electromagnetic radiation from the sun, as well as its reflection, absorption, storage, and redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and land systems, and this energy’s re-radiation into space.

PE: HS-ESS2-2 Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.

PE: HS-ESS2-4 Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.

[Clarification Statement: Examples should include climate feedbacks, such as how an increase in greenhouse gases causes a rise in global temperatures that melts glacial ice, which reduces the amount of sunlight reflected from Earth's surface, increasing surface temperatures and further reducing the amount of ice. Examples could also be taken from other system interactions, such as how the loss of ground vegetation causes an increase in water runoff and soil erosion; how dammed rivers increase groundwater recharge, decrease sediment transport, and increase coastal erosion; or how the loss of wetlands causes a decrease in local humidity that further reduces the wetland extent.]

[Clarification Statement: Examples of the causes of climate change differ by timescale, over 1-10 years: large volcanic eruption, ocean circulation; 10-100s of years: changes in human activity, ocean circulation, solar output; 10-100s of thousands of years: changes to Earth's orbit and the orientation of its axis; and 10-100s of millions of years: long-term changes in atmospheric composition.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of the results of changes in climate is limited to changes in surface temperatures, precipitation patterns, glacial ice volumes, sea levels, and biosphere distribution.]

The ideas here are: 

- Electromagnetic radiation from the sun serves as the foundation for the Earth's global climate systems

- EM radiation from the sun can be reflected, absorbed, stored and redistributed among the atmosphere, land, and oceans. 

- EM radiation can also be re-radiated back into space

We will have to be looking at data and using it to support the idea that a change in one of the Earth's surface can affect other Earth's systems. We can also explain changes in climate by looking at the relationships between the different systems, and specifically how that relates to the properties of water.  

There are tons of examples to pull from in the clarification statements, we can lean heavily on those for question starters.  

Possible Question Starters: 

"Greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere can lead to a warmer climate.  Which of the following best explains the mechanisms by which this occurs?"