Units / Unit D
Energy Flow in Global Systems
Social and Environmental ContextsTeachableSolar energy sustains life and drives the global climate systems on Earth. Without solar energy there would be no heat or precipitation and, therefore, no life on Earth. Students will gain an understanding that the absorption and transfer of thermal energy at and near Earth's surface results in a variety of climate zones with characteristic weather patterns and biomes.
Focusing questions
- Are there relationships between solar energy, global energy transfer processes, climate and biomes?
- What evidence suggests our climate may be changing more rapidly than living species can adapt?
- Is human activity causing climate change?
- How can we reduce our impact on the biosphere and on global climate, while still meeting human needs?
Key concepts (POS)
- social and environmental contexts for investigating climate change
- solar radiation budget
- climate zones, transfer of thermal energy by the hydrosphere and the atmosphere
- hydrologic cycle and phase change
- relationship between biomes, solar energy and climate
- human activity and climate change
Lessons
Lesson 1
Sun, Climate, and Life on Earth
Climate impacts on species; Sun as energy source (D-GO1-SO1, D-GO1-SO2).
D-GO175 min · 8 slides
Present →75 min · 8 slides
Present →Lesson 3
Earth Systems and the Greenhouse Effect
Atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere; greenhouse gases (D-GO1-SO4, D-GO1-SO5).
D-GO175 min · 8 slides
Present →Lesson 4
Global Energy Transfer and Climate Zones
Atmosphere and hydrosphere transfer; climate zones (D-GO2-SO1, D-GO2-SO3).
D-GO275 min · 8 slides
Present →Lesson 5
Factors Affecting Solar Input at the Surface
Season, angle, daylight, albedo, aerosols (D-GO2-SO2).
D-GO275 min · 8 slides
Present →Lesson 6
Uneven Heating and Phase Changes
Thermal properties and phase-change energy (D-GO2-SO4, D-GO2-SO5).
D-GO275 min · 8 slides
Present →Lesson 7
Hydrologic Cycle and Climate
Link phase changes to hydrologic cycle and climate (D-GO2-SO6).
D-GO275 min · 8 slides
Present →75 min · 8 slides
Present →Lesson 9
Climatographs and Biome Comparison
Biome characteristics and climatographs (D-GO3-SO2, D-GO3-SO3).
D-GO375 min · 8 slides
Present →Lesson 10
Human Actions and Climate Evidence
Human drivers of climate change and paleoclimate evidence (D-GO4-SO1, D-GO4-SO2).
D-GO475 min · 8 slides
Present →Lesson 11
Climate Science, Decisions, and Perspectives
International climate programs, limits of models, and evaluating human choices (D-GO3-SO4, D-GO4-SO3–SO6).
D-GO3D-GO485 min · 10 slides
Present →