Climate Watch

Lesson Information

Age: Grades 4-12
Duration: Four or more hours over an extended period
Group Size: Any
Materials: Access to the Internet
Summary: Students participate in a national survey of biological indicators of climate change by gathering data on local plants and animals.

Learning Objectives:

Students will:

• deepen their knowledge of aquatic or terrestrial species;
• collect and organize data relating to wildlife and habitat;
• record observations of plants and animals that appear to be affected by climate change;
• understand the potential impacts of climate change on biological diversity; and
• gain deeper insight into the importance of climatic health.

Background

Involving your students in a biological survey is a great way to turn awareness gained in the classroom into concrete action. Bio-indicators, or biological indicators, serve as an "early warning system" for climate change. They help scientists identify impacts and trends resulting from global warming, rising sea levels, shifting vegetation zones, and other climatic phenomena. They provide a scientific basis for numerous conservation initiatives, such as curbing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting imperilled species and spaces. They allow biologists to compare historical and current ranges of plants and animals, forecast shifts in their distributions, update range maps of species monitored, identify changes in ecosystems, and anticipate impacts on biodiversity.

In this survey, your students will record observations of species whose ranges, breeding behaviour, migration dates, or blooming times appear to be affected by climate change. They will gather scientific data everywhere from schoolyards to wilderness areas, from southern Canada to the High Arctic.

Procedure

1. Discuss with your students the significance of a national survey of bio-indicators of climate change (see "Background" above). Explain that researchers working alone cannot keep track of indicator species, that they require "many eyes and ears," and that data collected by volunteers can deepen scientific knowledge and contribute to conservation efforts. Mention that taking part in biological surveys is fun and rewarding. It means spending time outdoors and learning how to identify wild plants and animals. Give examples of species that, collectively, can serve as "an early warning system" for climate change:
   
• Salmon and trout that inhabit lakes, rivers, estuaries, and coastal zones are highly vulnerable to fluctuations in temperatures and water levels.
• Trees indicate changes in summer temperatures through varying widths and densities of annual growth rings formed throughout their lives.
• American robins, red-winged blackbirds, and other migratory birds are harbingers of spring — and seasonal shifts — because their arrival times on breeding grounds are determined by climatic conditions.
• Dwarf birch, white spruce, green alder, and other shrubs spreading over the tundra suggest a northward shift in vegetative zones.
• Turtles are good bio-indicators because the sex of their offspring depends on incubation temperatures in the nest — warmth produces more females, cold produces more males — and so, global warming could eventually reduce the percentage of males.
• Perennial plants reflect longer or earlier growing seasons through variations in their blooming times.
  
  
2. Have your students investigate the Web site or contact CWF's resource centre for more information about our national survey of biological indicators of climate change.
   
   
3. Ask them to report on wild plants or animals they would like to monitor. Together, the class can agree on one or more species that are native, or new, to your area.
   
   
4. Use guidelines obtained through our Web site or resource centre to learn how your class can participate in the survey.
   
   
5. Submit your observations online or through a printed reporting form. Results will be entered in a database, then managed and analysed by scientists researching climate change.
   
   

Evaluation

Have your students do further research on plants or animals surveyed, including life history, ecological importance, and threats resulting from climate change, then report their findings to the rest of the class.