Climate Change Organisms as Climate Indicators - Developed by EDC
Grades 6 and up.
There have been many recent news reports and scientific studies concerning climate change. Based on several lines of evidence, scientists have determined that in the past, average global temperatures have been significantly lower, as well as significantly higher, than today (e.g., Pleistocene ice ages with glaciers and woolly mammoths, as well as Paleozoic swamps with giant ferns and insects). As you might suspect, since organisms become adapted to survive in the climatic conditions of their habitats, fossils of past life have played an important role in determining past climates. In this activity, students examine simulated drill cores of recent and much older seafloor sediments that contain in.fossils in. of microscopic organisms called foraminifera (forams.) Students sort the different forams and determine the percentage of a certain species with right-coiling shells. Knowing the age of the sediments, and that the percentage of right-coiling shells correlates to the water temperature at the time, students create a graph showing how water temperature has changed over time. Contents: 16 in.sediment cores in. and plugs, 16 sets of in.Fossil Foraminifera, in. 16 sorting trays, visual aid (Sample Sediment Core Results), student worksheet and guide, and teacher’s guide. Kit is designed to be used with 32 students per class and contains no consumable materials.
WARNING: Choking Hazard. Small Parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.