Changing Planet: Melting Mountain Glaciers

Changing Planet: Melting Mountain Glaciers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RzBn3KIctU

NBC Learn video - Changing Planet, Windows to the Universe

This NBC Learn video features climate scientists doing their research on Mt. Kilimanjaro to study the climate of the past. The scientists put the recently observed changes on the glacier into perspective by comparing past climate fluctuations, stressing that the current observed rate of change is unprecedented.
Note: you will need to scroll down the Changing Planet video page to get to this video.

Video length: 6:44 min.

Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»

See how this Video supports the Next Generation Science Standards»

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Middle School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 3

MS-ESS2.C1: Water continually cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere via transpiration, evaporation, condensation and crystallization, and precipitation, as well as downhill flows on land.

MS-ESS2.D1: Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things. These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns.

MS-ESS3.D1: Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming). Reducing the level of climate change and reducing human vulnerability to whatever climate changes do occur depend on the understanding of climate science, engineering capabilities, and other kinds of knowledge, such as understanding of human behavior and on applying that knowledge wisely in decisions and activities.

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High School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 3

HS-ESS2.A1: Earth’s systems, being dynamic and interacting, cause feedback effects that can increase or decrease the original changes.

HS-ESS2.A3: The geological record shows that changes to global and regional climate can be caused by interactions among changes in the sun’s energy output or Earth’s orbit, tectonic events, ocean circulation, volcanic activity, glaciers, vegetation, and human activities. These changes can occur on a variety of time scales from sudden (e.g., volcanic ash clouds) to intermediate (ice ages) to very long-term tectonic cycles.

HS-ESS2.D1: The foundation for Earth’s global climate systems is the electromagnetic radiation from the sun, as well as its reflection, absorption, storage, and redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and land systems, and this energy’s re-radiation into space.

Climate Literacy

This Video builds on the following concepts of Climate Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

Video can be used as a hook to the accompanying learning activity http://www.windows2universe.org/teacher_resources/melting_glaciers.html or for any class on climate change.
Important to bring the topic of effects of global warming to the local level and not only point out how global warming will affect cultures far away.
One of the only videos about Mt. Kilimanjaro specifically.

About the Content

Video addresses impact of melting glaciers, in particular atop Mt. Kilimanjaro, on fresh water supply and the economy of populations at its base.
The video also addresses the shrinking of the glacier on Mt. Kilimanjaro via melting and sublimation attributed in part to decrease in precipitation in East Africa and Indian Ocean as surface temperatures rise.
Comment from expert scientist: The included video is good and presents good introductory level information about glaciers and how they are changing.

About the Pedagogy

Lesson Plan Changing Planet: Melting Glaciers accompanies video on UCAR site- http://www.windows2universe.org/teacher_resources/melting_glaciers.html
Like other NBC Learn videos in the Changing Planet series, there is a nice mix of footage in the field and interviews with practicing, well-respected scientists.

Technical Details/Ease of Use

High-quality and well-designed video
Video can be downloaded and embedded.

Entered the Collection: May 2012 Last Reviewed: June 2016

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Middle School (see details)

Middle School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 3

High School (see details)

High School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 3

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Regional Focus

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Climate Literacy

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About the Content

About the Pedagogy

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