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Climate and Weather

Start with the short videos, explore the educational resources, and expand your knowledge with the scientist interviews and lectures.

Explore model lessons, classroom tools, and professional development opportunities available from CU-Boulder. Use the search function above to find even more climate resources and information.

  • Model Lessons

    Evidence of Climate Change

    A team of Colorado teachers and CU-Boulder scientists and science educators collaborated to develop "Modeling Heating of the Earth - What Makes You Hot?" - a model lesson for high school students that has them manipulate different variables in the lesson's model and use this to make inferences about the temperature of Earth. This lesson has been taught and tested in classrooms and is based on content from the "Colorado and a Warming Planet" video featured on this website.
    Learn More

  • What Makes You Hot?

    A team of Colorado teachers and CU-Boulder scientists and science educators collaborated to develop "Hitting Home: Climate Change in Colorado" - a model lesson for middle school students about evidence of climate change in Colorado. This lesson has been taught and tested in classrooms and is based on content from the "Colorado and a Warming Planet" video featured on this website. Learn More

  • The Climate Change Compendium

    Developed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), offers activities and lessons for grades 3-12 that includes background readings, scope and sequences, image banks, and evaluation tools to help teachers bring climate science into the classroom. Learn More

  • Cool Tools

    Glaciers Simulation

    Created by the PhET project at the University of Colorado at Boulder to demonstrate how environmental conditions impact glaciers. Users can adjust precipitation, temperature, and more to watch their effects on a glacier. Learn More

  • The Greenhouse Effect Simulation

    Created by the PhET project at the University of Colorado at Boulder to demonstrate how environmental factors such as temperature, sunlight, and infrared photons are affected by the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Learn More

  • Scientists Watch Antarctica, Arctic Sea Ice Levels
    This NPR news story examines why there was record ice loss in the Arctic while the amount of the ocean around Antarctica covered by sea ice hit a record high. NSIDC scientist and CU-Boulder researcher Ted Scambos featured. Learn More

  • On Niwot Ridge west of Boulder, contrasting climates 5 miles apart
  • Snow hydrologist Mark Williams is featured in this article as he investigates climate and snowpack in high elevation areas.  Learn More

  • Professional Development

    Inspiring Climate Education Excellence (ICEE)

    The Teacher Professional Development for Effective Instruction in Climate Science Literacy Project addresses important climate science content along with the pedagogical skills necessary for effective instruction, and aims to showcase NASA data and platforms, especially those associated with Arctic climate systems and global sea level change. Learn More

Colorado Science Standards
for Climate and Energy
INSTAAR

The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) develops scientific knowledge of physical and biochemical environmental processes at local, regional and global scales, and applies this knowledge to improve society's awareness and understanding of natural and anthropogenic (human caused) environmental change. The world's high-altitude and high-latitude regions are the Institute's traditional focus due to their sensitivity to environmental change.

http://instaar.colorado.edu/index.html 		CIRES

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) educates people about Earth and environmental science issues that are relevant to our everyday lives, through outreach to the public and to the K-12 education community.

http://cires.colorado.edu/ 		CLEAN

The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) is a National Science Digital Library Pathways Project that features a peer-reviewed, broad collection of educational resources that facilitate students, teachers, and citizens becoming climate literate.

http://cleanet.org/
NSIDC

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) supports research into our world's frozen realms: the snow, ice, glaciers, frozen ground, and climate interactions that make up Earth's cryosphere. NSIDC manages and distributes scientific data, creates tools for data access, supports data users, performs scientific research, and educates the public about the cryosphere.

http://nsidc.org 		LASP

The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is a full-cycle space institute, combining all aspects of space exploration through our expertise in science, engineering, mission operations, and scientific data analysis. LASP addresses key questions in solar influences, atmospheric science, planetary physics, space physics and focuses on the study of Earth's atmosphere, the sun, and the solar system.

http://lasp.colorado.edu 		ATOC

The Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC) is an interdisciplinary program that provides an educational and research environment to examine the dynamical, physical, and chemical processes that occur in the atmosphere and the ocean. A major theme is the establishment of a physical basis for understanding, observing, and modeling climate and global change.

http://paos.colorado.edu

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