Download - Palmer Station LTER: Education & Outreach - pal.lternet.edupal.lternet.edu/docs/05Apr_DLESEDataServPoster.pdf · 1 CORE AREA RESEARCH IN LTER Table 1: Palmer LTER Research Matrix:

Beth Simmons ([email protected]) Karen Baker([email protected] ), Dawn Rawls ([email protected] )Palmer Station LTER: Education & Outreach

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego

An education framework has beendeveloped to align lessons and scientificresearch with educational pedagogy. Theflexibility in the design of these modulethemes and lessons is to encourageteachers to interchange the activities to fittheir student’s ability levels and to assessperformance competency of state andnational standards.

17 April 2005 B.Simmons “DLESE Data Services Workshop”

Curriculum Development

Palmer Station,Antarctica

PartnershipsNSF Artists/Writers, LTER,SLTER, TIEE, DLESE, SERC,SIO, EET, NSDL, CCE LTER, The Preuss School, COSEE

Formal Learning Centers:Classrooms, Institutions

Informal Learning Centers: Museums, Laboratories,

Science Centers,Libraries Aquaria

Education forScientific Literacy

ResearchScience Researchers, ScienceTechnicians, Information Managers,Education Coordinators,Science Instructors, Educators

Palmer Station Long-Term Ecological Research Matrix

√PhysicalOceanography/Modeling

√√MicrobialEcology/Biogeochemistry

√√Seabirds

√√Zooplankton

√√√√Phytoplankton

√√√Optics, Ice &Atmosphere

PalmerDisturbance

5

InorganicMatter

4

OrganicMatter

3

PopulationDynamics

2

PrimaryProduction

1

CORE AREARESEARCH IN

LTER

Table 1: Palmer LTER Research Matrix: This matrix demonstrates the alignment between the core areas of research in the LTER network and the researchthemes that guide the work of the Palmer LTER scientists; facilitating the synthesis of an education framework that integrates classroom activities with scientificresearch.

Books are a long-term collaborative process thatprovide a unique avenue for LTER to share

elements of ecological research with childrenand young adults at UCSD’s Preuss School

Facilitating opportunities for students to work with data providesa basis to understand the methods tools that scientists to use.

Figure 2: “Sea” Ice Exercise Palmer Station LTER Ice Adventure Module These time series exercises are sequences of measurements that may ormay not follow patterns. Allowing students to experience time series data helps to reinforce one of the authentic practices of scientists.

Palmer Station Long-TermEcological Research

MODULE: Ice Adventure “Journey on theAntarctic Peninsula”

LESSON: Looking at Data: “Sea” IceEXERCISE: “Time-Series Exercise”

PROCEDURE :1. Create working lab groups of 3 to 4 students.2. Explain to the students that they will be analyzing monthly averages of Antarctic temperatures. Ask the students to predict trends they might expect to see in the 1998 climatic observations.3. Have the students brainstorm within their working lab groups about the following:a. Discuss the advantages/disadvantages of collecting data for a year.b. What trend(s) is revealed in the 1-year

graph?c. How might a natural phenomenon affect

the climate in Antarctica?d. Predict what the climate might have been in the previous years (1989 - 1997).

“Sea” Ice Exercise: Palmer Station LTER Ice Adventure Module

Palmer Station: Long-Term Ecological Research addresses the gap between short-term process-orientedstudies versus time scales that extend months to decades. What is revealed in a one year (short-term) timeframe does not reveal enough for scientists to draw conclusions.

Data that reveals a cause and effect can only be detected on longer time scales. In many such cases, long-term studies can be linked to ecological phenomena and reveal interdisciplinary relationships.

Average Monthly Temperature at Palmer Station, Antarctica

1978 -1998

0

51015

2025

303540

45

0 36 72 108 144 180 216 252 288 324Ave

rag

e M

on

thly

Tem

per

atu

re

(Fah

ren

hei

t)

1978-1980 1981-1983 1984-1986 1987-1989 1990-1992 1993-1995 1996-1998

Average Monthly Temperature at Palmer Station, Antarctica

1978 -1998

0

51015

2025

303540

45

0 36 72 108 144 180 216 252 288 324Ave

rag

e M

on

thly

Tem

per

atu

re

(Fah

ren

hei

t)

1978-1980 1981-1983 1984-1986 1987-1989 1990-1992 1993-1995 1996-1998

California Current Ecosystem LTER“Pier Project”

Assessment