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Test 1

This document is a test that asks the student to explain to their Uncle Bert why earlier springs due to climate change are concerning. It includes questions about the difference between weather and climate, how scientists know about past climates without direct observation, and how earlier springs could impact ecosystems and industries like orchards. The student is asked to discuss examples of how changes in environmental conditions can affect species and provide reasons they should care about the timing of seasons changing due to global warming.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
119 views4 pages

Test 1

This document is a test that asks the student to explain to their Uncle Bert why earlier springs due to climate change are concerning. It includes questions about the difference between weather and climate, how scientists know about past climates without direct observation, and how earlier springs could impact ecosystems and industries like orchards. The student is asked to discuss examples of how changes in environmental conditions can affect species and provide reasons they should care about the timing of seasons changing due to global warming.

Uploaded by

api-299993150
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name: _________________________________

Test: Who Cares About an Earlier Spring?

At dinner one night, you say to your family: Guess what I learned in school! Scientific studies
have documented the progressively earlier arrival of spring by about 2.3 to 5.2 days per decade in the
last 30 years (IPCC, 2007).
Who cares? Asks Old Uncle Bert, I think that sounds great! I love to go gallivanting around
the neighborhood in my shorts!

Fig. 1 Old Uncle Bert


In the next hour, through answering the questions on this test, can you explain to Uncle Bert why this is
in fact a troubling statistic, and tell him why you care?
Part 1: Describing climate to your uncle.
Uncle Bert says, I don't believe in global warming because this past winter was so cold!
1. Kindly explain to Uncle Bert the difference between weather and climate through generating a
list of at least three key differences.

2. Define climate for Old Uncle Bert.

3. Reading graphs: Rewrite the caption for the following graph in your own words to describe
what it is illustrating. Be sure you carefully read all labels and the caption.

This figure shows how annual average temperatures worldwide have changed since 1901. Surface
data come from a combined set of land-based weather stations and sea surface temperature
measurements. Satellite measurements cover the lower troposphere, which is the lowest level of the
Earths atmosphere. UAH and RSS represent two different methods of analyzing the original
satellite measurements. This graph uses the 19012000 average as a baseline for depicting change.
Choosing a different baseline period would not change the shape of the data over time.

Data source: NOAA, 2015 2

Well, how do scientists know all about this climate change stuff anyway? Uncle Bert grumbled.
We can't go back in time. How do we know the earth hasn't always been the way it is now?
4. Respond to Uncle Bert's question. Be sure to include:
a) What kind of data scientists use since we can't go back in time
b) Examples of this kind of data
c) How this data works by diving more in-depth into one of your examples

5. This is a table of our preliminary results from our seed experiment.


a) Sketch a graph of the data
b) What conclusions might you be able to draw from this?
c) Why is that significant?
Plant

Room Temp

+2 degrees C

Part 2: OK! OK! Exclaims Uncle Bert. You've convinced me! Human-induced climate
change is happening! But, so what if the climate is changing? So what if spring comes earlier?
Why does that matter to me? Like I said, I like my shorts!

Long-answer:
6. Discuss one way that changes in environmental conditions can affect a species or a species
relationship. Provide at least one specific example (extra points for more examples).

7. Imagine that you own a small orchard on a hilltop in New England. One year, after a
particularly mild winter you are hit with an early and warm spring. Should you be worried?
Why or why not?

8. Do you care about an earlier spring? Why or why not?

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