Climate Change

In this resource students are required to use moving averages to investigate evidence for trends in local temperature change. There are links to the very real political and scientific debates regarding the question of climate change.

Climate Change Overview This brief overview makes suggestions about the way this topic can be introduced to students and possible extensions. It points out that students need to have some familiarity with data analysis and the use of spreadsheets.

Teacher Notes give a brief outline of how the resources could be. It suggests that local data (rather than the link to Plymouth temperatures) could be used to make the task more relevant to students.

The Presentation begins with a map of Northern Europe showing the areas likely to be lost to rising sea level. There are two links to YouTube talks; ten minutes about the need to prepare for the effects of climate change and a short clip of President Obama refuting claims of climate change sceptics. There is a link to some data about high and low temperatures in Plymouth and students are asked to use moving averages to make a case for or against increase in temperature based on that data.

Climate Change Handout shows maximum and minimum temperatures at Plymouth. It is the same data as shown in the excel file. It could be useful for those students who do not have access to computers.

The Data Sheet shows eighteen years of maximum temperatures at Plymouth with five point moving averages. The second sheet shows the minimum temperatures for those years without the moving averages.