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Impact of Climate Change on the Desert Pupfish Region: Desert Arid - Southwest Grade Level(s): 5-8 Time Required: * Activity 1: 1 to 2 class periods * Activity 2: 1 class period (depending on set-up) * Activity 3: 2 class periods * Activity 4: variable Focus Question(s): * If the climate changes in the Southwest deserts, what possible effects might that have on the wildlife of the region? How would the process of adaptation help? * In what ways can humans be seen as competitors with a region's endemic wildlife species for regional water resources? Explain how water in arid regions circulates between atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere. * How can data be used to show possible effects climate change might have on the wildlife populations in a region? * What do you think the role(s) of humans can be/should be in areas that are forecast to experience a shift in their climate? Learning Objectives: Content: * Students will make observations of a remotely sensed image and be able to interpret the terrain and construct a possible and reasonable climate profile of the area. * Students will be able to explain how an underground aquifer can be affected by actions on the surface that are miles away. * Students will draw conclusions from data (temperature) concerning possible consequences a region might face in the future if its climate changed, and they will back their ideas up using evidence. * Students will construct a testable hypothesis around the relationship of climate change and the effects it might have on wildlife in the Southwest deserts. In addition, they will design a research project that would allow them to test this hypothesis. Skills * The students will learn how to interpret and identify the surface features from remotely sensed images. * The students will learn how to locate specific areas on the earth using Google maps * The students will learn to graph sets of data using Excel and learn how to analyze data using the trend line feature. * The students will learn how to construct an interactive groundwater model and be able to demonstrate how water flows through the ground into the atmosphere and back.
