This inquiry experience could raise many good questions and good debate within a classroom. I hypothesized that when the ice melted the water in the bowl would not overflow, and in my experimentation found that to be proven correct. I see a few problems with the experiment that would not make it possible to use in class without modifications. It took longer than 40 min. for the ice to melt and that would not work in the allotted class time. I also think that if student's were doing the research themselves they would encounter a lot of nonfactual information and be responsible for weeding these out. For younger students this could be a huge problem.
Not too many years ago people were worrying about global cooling, people panicked and jumped on the band wagon, companies profited, and scientists were wrong. As a person who tends to not jump on the band wagon, I have yet to see enough irrefutable evidence to support global warming or to support the theory that humans are a primary cause of global warming.
I do not live under the illusion that humans have no effect on the climate, I am just not yet convinced that human impact is the major contributor to climate change. Joel Hood a reporter from the Chicago Tribune reported on findings from Northern Illinois University that denser corn and soybean fields in the Midwest are causing cooler temperatures, thus proving the impact of humans(http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-05-11/health/ct-met-weather-crops-20100511_1_water-vapor-climate-scientists-midwest). To believe that humans can cause large change or control climate is almost laughable.
In looking at the geographic and climate history of Illinois alone, I feel that the Earth has cycles that it will go through throughout its life. At one point in Illinois' history, it was ocean front property, many years later it was covered by large amounts of tropical vegetation that scientists, through the fossil record have determined was much like a rain forest. This vegetation was then covered by a glacier that was around three miles thick. I would say that Illinois has experienced “global warming and cooling” before people even entered the fossil record. With more recent evidence, the University of Illinois and other institutions have reported that the Arctic Sea ice levels are dropping and the Antarctic Sea ice levels are rising. Researchers from NASA have also reported that ocean temperatures have actually been cooling since they began research in 2003 (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88520025). Al Gore and many scientists have provided evidence for global warming, but when looked at within a larger and longer time context it is so minimal that it does not seem out of the ordinary for Earth. Unfortunately for a lot of science today it is tainted by the media and by corporate and government influence. Until it is proven with unbiased research, I am not likely to jump on the bandwagon of global warming.
Great Post! I have been amazed that the media pushed the "panic button" about global warming, too. My husband gets so fired up about the whole thing. When Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for Global Warming I thought I was going to have to have him sedated for a while! Now that that hasn't panned out, he mocks the term "Climate Change". We both think Global Warming/Climate Change is nothing compared to what the media has made it to be. However, we do believe in renewing our natural resources through recycling whenever possible and reducing as many air pollutants as possible.
ReplyDeleteI loved your post as well! I think people get way too fired up about global warming and don't quite understand why--especially because it is a fairly new concept.
ReplyDeleteI also LOVED how you went back through the fossil record and detailed how Illinois changed over time! Thank you for looking at the facts. It seems like your views on the subject are very similar to mine. Unfortunately, that sometimes means that you're more likely to face ridicule.
Regardless, I think we need to be best friends!