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A CLIMATE TIMELINE INFORMATION TOOL TO ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING OF
CLIMATE CHANGE
March
6, 2003 — While climate scientists debate the details of climate
change, there is evidence that much of the general public is still confused
by the climate conundrum. For example, according to a recent National
Science Foundation survey (taken of adults in the United States regarding
their attitudes towards science and technology), there is still considerable
misunderstanding about the “dynamics” of climate change. While
88 percent of the public has heard of global warming and 86 percent feel
the issue should be treated as a serious or very serious problem, barely
half of those surveyed knew how long it takes the Earth to orbit the sun,
and 70 percent lack an understanding of basic scientific processes.
NOAA is helping to clarify the public’s general understanding of climate dynamics by putting global climate change into perspective through its “Climate TimeLine” information tool. The Climate TimeLine, which was developed by NOAA staff in Boulder, Colo., is scheduled for launch this year on March 27 during the National Science Teachers Association's National Convention. The Climate TimeLine was designed to provide background information and resources on weather and climate change at varying time scales to non-technical audiences.
All
About the Climate TimeLine
Developed
as an information resource covering the fundamentals of climate change
over varying times scales, the Climate TimeLine Information Tool uses
a "powers
of 10" exponential or logarithmic approach to looking at different
time scales. The primary goal of the site is to understand climate of
the recent past to provide a context and background for framing current
and future climate
change.
Beginning with diurnal cycles and climate and weather forecasts for the near-term, the Climate TimeLine uses the exponential "powers of 10" to frame time periods from annual to 100,000 year scales, with a brief overview of natural history and climate for all time frames. Each time scale is broken down into four themes:
- Overview, which includes a chart of climate-related events covering that time scale;
- Climate Science, looking at the climate phenomenon and research for the period;
- Climate History, which examines the human dimension to climate variability over the period; and
- Resources, that includes links to other resources and ideas for inquiry.
Other
features include:
- An Overview
of Climate Processes that offers background on Earth's climate system,
for those who are unfamiliar with the basics of climate change;
• “About Climate TimeLine” and “What is Variability?”;
• A glossary of climate terms;
• Supplemental pages provide an overview on abrupt climate change, detailed references and citations, and a summary of the challenges of forecasting weather and climate; and
• The "Search" function found in the left navigation bar of the Climate TimeLine.
Data
Access Interface
The heart of the Climate TimeLine is the Data
Access page, which allows the user to query for summaries of climatic
and related environmental data by zip code and access direct links to
a variety of other related federal databases. These data can be used in
a variety of ways, including individual research projects or group learning
activities. See the tutorial on using the Climate TimeLine to research
drought
for ideas on how the tool can be used for thematic inquiries. Specific
lesson plans for each time scale are also forthcoming.
Designing
the Climate TimeLine
The
Climate TimeLine was developed under a CIRES Innovative Research Grant
through the NOAA National
Climatic Data Center’s Paleoclimatology Program. Another NOAA
office – the National
Geophysical Data Center’s Solid Earth Group (located in Boulder,
Colo.) – also provided invaluable technical expertise throughout
the project.
The conceptual
design for the Climate TimeLine is based on the "powers of 10"
framework for temporal scaling and causal forcing put forth by J. Murray
Mitchell of NOAA's former Environmental Data Service in his 1976
article "An Overview of Climatic Variability and Its Causal Mechanisms"
in Quarternary Research. CIRES Associate Scientists Dan
Kowal (who developed the technical infrastructure for the site) and
Mark McCaffrey
(who created the concept and contributed most of the content), were assisted
by numerous NOAA scientists in developing and reviewing the site. "Our
focus is primarily on the range and processes of naturally occurring climate
variability, and we point to other online resources like our Paleo Perspective
on Global Warming for those who are specifically interested in human induced
climate change," McCaffrey notes.
The
Climate TimeLine has already been recognized by many individuals and organizations
as a premiere climate education and outreach Web site:
- The development site was highlighted by Science Magazine's NetWatch that wrote that it "introduces students and the public to the study of long-term patterns in temperature and precipitation, helping them understand issues such as the debate over global warming. Using a ‘powers-of-10' approach, the site explores variability on time scales ranging from daily to 100,000 years. Each unit describes scientific findings about climate variation at that scale and discusses how such changes might have influenced human history or evolution."
- NOAA’s Climate TimeLine information tool was recently selected by the NSTA's SciLinks program for excellence in science education, and the Web site will be listed as a supplemental resource in science textbooks that participate in the SciLinks program. It has also been entered in the Pirelli INTERNETional Award as an environmental education resource.
- In July of 2002, the prototype of the Climate TimeLine was evaluated by Elizabeth Grassi and Heather Smith from the University of Colorado's College of Education who interviewed, observed and surveyed undergraduate, high school and middle school students along with climate experts and science teachers. The assessment provided confirmation that the overall approach was valid for science students. Ongoing review of the content with experts in climate dynamics and its human dimension has resulted in additional enhancements of the site. Overall, the response to the Climate TimeLine has been favorable. "One of the most rewarding comments I received was from someone who came across our beta site and wrote: ‘I was helping my daughter do a climate project and I found and used your site and I not only wanted to thank you for the information, but I also wanted to praise the setup and ease of navigation of your site. Nicely done.' That's the kind of feedback that is very rewarding to hear," McCaffrey notes.
- Retired
Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph. D., undersecretary of commerce
for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, said, “The CTL
Web site appears to be an excellent learning tool and certainly provides
in-depth information on our climate. It is evident that a lot of thought
and work went into creating this Web site, and the effort to provide
this kind of tool to high school and undergraduate students, and the
public as well, is commendable.
References:
1.
National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics.
Science and Engineering Indicators- 2002. NSB -2-01.
2. Climate Time Line web
site
3. Mitchell, J. M. 1976. An Overview of Climatic Variability and Its Causal
Mechanisms. Quarternary Research 6, 481-493.
4. Science
Magazine Netwatch, June 14, 2002, Climate Through the Ages
Relevant
Web Sites
NOAA's “Climate TimeLine”
information tool
What is time and how is it measured? What is "powers of ten" temporal scaling?
Glossary
of climate terms
Climate
TimeLine Data Access page
Climate
TimeLine Tutorial: Focus on Drought
NOAA National Climatic
Data Center’s Paleoclimatology Program
National Geophysical Data Center’s Solid Earth Group
Climate TimeLine Evaluation Resources
National
Climate Data Center
National
Geogphysical Data Center
Media
Contact:
Glenda
Tyson, NOAA's Ocean Service,
(301) 713-3066