Our understanding of the climate system is improved through observations, theoretical studies, and modeling.

Science is a formal process, with built-in integrity

Many people do not know how science is actually conducted. A good starting place is to describe the iterative process of scientific research: from the collection of observations, review of prior research, analysis of data, modeling of various scenarios, and communication of findings, Because so few people know an active scientist (let alone a climate scientist), and many researchers do not communicate their research to non-technical audiences, it is important to help learners understand some of the basics of the work of climate scientists. These concepts are not unique to climate science; all areas of scientific research share common themes such as:

• Data is collected through a wide range of tools and techniques.
• Data is rigorously checked for quality and accuracy. When scientists use the term "uncertainty," they do not mean that they are unclear in their understanding. Uncertainty is a mathematical term that expresses a range of measured values, rather than one specific pinpoint.
• Models are a set of mathematical equations that are developed by measuring known processes that operate on Earth. Models are compared to actual observations in a process called calibration. Climate models can reproduce the same variations we see in today's climate, purely by using mathematics. Only once a model is well-calibrated is it used to project future changes in climate.
• The process of peer review allows for transparency in methods, results, analysis, and conclusions. Data is made available such that any analysis can be repeated by other researchers. Published work is scrutinized by others who are knowledgeable in the details of that topic. Scientists share data, methods, and results with other scientists.
• Peer reviewed publications are an important part of the scientific research process. Even though these articles are usually very technical and often hard to understand by a non-expert, they still serve as the primary way that climate science is communicated.
• Scientific agencies such as NOAA, NASA, and the US Geological Survey are public institutions that serve the citizens by studying the Earth.

Helping students understand these ideas

An area of common confusion that educators, students, and the public have is that climate scientists disagree as to whether or not climate change is happening, or if it is happening, whether or not humans are the primary cause. There are a variety of reasons for this, but the bottom line is the vast majority of scientists who study climate and publish in peer reviewed journals do agree that human activity is causing the planet to warm. A related area of confusion is that most people don't understand how climate scientists know what they know, which can make the findings harder to appreciate. This is partially because scientists aren't always good at communicating their research to non-technical audiences, and partially due to the way science is communicated in the media.

Another hurdle is the perception that understanding science is overly challenging. Here, educators can take active steps to engage students in science. Students will experience for themselves that science can be fun, intuitive to understand, and relevant to everyday life.

Bringing these ideas into your classroom

The best - and most fun - way to help students relate to the scientific process is to immerse them in it. The process of engaging in science can be accessible to all grade levels and can be brought into the classroom with a variety of approaches. There are countless relevant scientific questions to examine. Whether in teams or as individuals, learners can become immersed in the inquiry process of research, observations, data analysis, synthesis, and presentation that lies at the heart of all robust science.

Another tactic is for students to watch videos of engaging scientists at work. Climate scientists like Richard Alley (Earth: The Operators' Manual) and Katherine Hayhoe (Global Weirding) are masters of communicating climate science in an approachable, engaging style.

Teaching materials from the CLEAN collection

Middle school

• Using a Very, Very Simple Climate Model in the Classroom - Through a simple online model, students learn about the relationship between these and learn about climate modeling while predicting temperature change over the 21st century.
• In the Global Climate Change and Sea Level Rise activity, students will practice the steps involved in a scientific investigation as they learn why ice formations on land (and not those on water) will cause a rise in sea level upon melting.
• Evidence of Ice-Free Seas and Reading Antarctica's Rock Cores are fun, hands-on activities where students make sediment cores and learn about past climate history.
• GLOBE Observer is a citizen science project that helps scientists to look at the changes in clouds, water, plants, and other life. There is an app that allows anyone to report observations in five key areas.

High school

• Students take part in hands-on data collection as they learn about Arctic science in the Arctic Climate Curriculum. This is a three-part suite of activities.
• Students can examine data from a widespread area to see if national data matches up with their own observations of their local climate. See the US Historical Climate: Excel Statistical.
• The video How Do Ice Cores Allow Researchers to Look at Global Change? features a PhD student explaining some of the methods of her work.
• Another video, Fastest Glacier portrays scientists studying the rapid retreat of the the Jakobshavn glacier in western Greenland.
• Whither Arctic Sea Ice? - This case study has students working side-by-side with a scientist from the National Snow and Ice Data Center and an Inuit community in Manitoba.
• Students learn how to use aerial photographs to assess the impact of extreme weather events in Aerial Photography and Mapping Lesson Plan: Images of Katrina.

 
College

• Over 50 datasets of various Earth processes are stunningly displayed in NOAA's View Data Exploration Tool. This data viewing tool is highly engaging. Users select from atmosphere, ocean, land, cryosphere, and climate, and drill down from there into more detailed categories.
• Ice core data one of the foundations of our understanding of climate. Students can learn the basics from this visualization: Temperature from Ice Core Data
• Many activities from Earth Exploration Toolbook ADD LINK feature authentic data and analysis, such as Investigating Climate Change Using Observed Temperature Data.
• From Isotopes to Temperature: Working With A Temperature Equation - Oxygen isotopes of corals are a fundamentally important tool for reconstructing past climates. Students can try it themselves in this activity.
• Robert MacKay has written many excellent activities for learning about climate and climate models. This one, Mass Balance Model, offers a good way to jump into this topic. It could be followed up with Using a mass balance model to understand carbon dioxide and its connection to global warming.
• Working with large datasets is a key research skill. The Global Temperatures activity offers a way for students to look at global temperatures dating back to 1867.