Tree Rings, Climate Change and the Rainy Season
http://vimeo.com/6872454
http://vimeo.com/6872454
Earth Institute Columbia University
Video length: 8:26 min.
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Regional Focus
Climate Literacy
About Teaching Climate Literacy
4e 
4eBased on evidence from tree rings, other natural records, and scientific observations made around the world, Earth’s average temperature is now warmer than it has been for at least the past 1,300 years. Average temperatures have increased markedly in the past 50 years, especially in the North Polar Region.
Other materials addressing 4e
Environmental observations are the foundation for understanding the climate system. From the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the Sun, instruments on weather stations, buoys, satellites, and other platforms collect climate data. To learn about past climates, scientists use natural records, such as tree rings, ice cores, and sedimentary layers. Historical observations, such as native knowledge and personal journals, also document past climate change.
Other materials addressing 5b
Benchmarks for Science Literacy
Learn more about the Benchmarks
Scientific investigations usually involve the collection of relevant data, the use of logical reasoning, and the application of imagination in devising hypotheses and explanations to make sense of the collected data.
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Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy |
Technical Details
Teaching Tips
- The video can be used in a variety of ways and contexts, such as Geography, Asian History, Asian Culture, or Environmental Studies, or in a class where research methods for the reconstruction of past climates are taught.
- CLEAN collection offers good hands-on activities to learn more about the study of tree rings (dendroclimatology/dendrochronology) to examine past climates.
- The video is somewhat long - 8.5 minutes - so instructors may want to provide questions to follow along with the video to ensure students view the entire segment.
About the Science
- In order to understand the past history of monsoons, scientists take tree cores to determine when monsoons and dry periods have occurred in Asia from 1300 to present.
- The process of sampling trees for dendrochronology is shown very well.
- The explanations of the monsoon and its impact on local weather conditions are summarized in the spoken text.
- Supporting diagrams shown in the video are not always directly connected to the context of the narration.
- Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
About the Pedagogy
- The video is easy to understand and important science concepts are illustrated in a variety of ways (i.e. pictures, diagrams, and graphs).
- The video shows how the tree rings suggest that droughts appearing in early Asian history lasted 30 to 50 years.
- These findings coincide with the decline of some Asian societies. The cause of these declines may now be attributed to these drought conditions, which illustrates how dendrochronology can be used to help us understand the past.
- Other tree readings indicating climate change were corroborated by local written records.
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