Brenna Hunt

What did we do in lab this week? In lab we started off by talking about the interviews we did with our elders. Then we took a look at some CO2 data which showed that the amount of CO2 has been increasing over time. We watched a video about the science of climate change which discussed 3 factors that drive climate change: solar radiation, albedo, and the atmosphere. Mainly, the greenhouse gases are impacting the atmosphere which affects our climate the most.  What was the big question? How does climate change happen? What factors affect climate change?  What did we learn in Thursday's discussion? We continued our conversation about the impacts of climate change. This included the current high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, effects on albedo and albedo's effects on climate change, and some of the things we can do to lower our carbon footprint including solar panels.  This week's reading: Chapters 22 and 23 - I learned: I didn't know that water vapor was a gre...

1. Common themes/preconceptions about climate change from "Before the Flood": Preconceptions: Climate change is not affecting us now Average citizens cannot influence change, only policymakers and famous people Themes: Many people are experiencing effects of climate change in different ways across the world  The US is an extreme contributor to over-use of electricity and fossil fuels Citizens can influence policymakers to make changes that can slow climate change 2. What are the major issues?  Wider range/fluctuation of weather patterns More flooding/heavy rainfall Increased temperature of the earth will harm plants/animals Influence on agriculture from changes in climate with ability to grow certain crops or raise certain animals 3. What questions do you want to address? How can we switch from using fossil fuels? How can we discourage use of fossil fuels?  4. How should we address those questions?  We can investigate renewable resources like solar power, wind turbin...

What did we do in lab this week? This week we started our discussion on climate change. We talked about some preconceptions we have and that are commonly thought among people, including that it is not human-caused and that climate is the same as weather. We talked about how we can measure if Goldfinches are in danger based on rainfall. We did an activity where we looked at the difference in rainfall in a region of Iowa (Des Moines area). We found out that the rainfall increased by 63%.  What was the big question? What is climate change and how is it caused?  What did we learn in Thursday's discussion? In our Thursday lecture, we took our Earth exam.  This week's reading: Chapter 21: Climate vs Weather - I learned: Iowa will have more periods of drought and extreme precipitation/flooding due to climate change. Also, I didn't know that UIowa got flooded and buildings had to be rebuilt.  - I found helpful: The acronym "LOWER near water" tells me what kinds of factors...

What did we do in lab this week? We started by talking about the law of superposition, that the rocks further down in the earth are older than the ones above it. We also talked about how rocks are changed, through weathering/erosion (chemical or physical). We looked at different samples of sand and tried to determine if it was eroded by water, wind, or glaciers.  What was the big question? The big question was, how is sand made/what do different kinds of erosion cause?  What did we learn in Thursday's discussion? In our lecture, we did some investigations about what would float or sink in water and read a book about Archimedes' rule. We talked about how we could determine if the two objects were the same, using water displacement and buoyancy. Then we used this method to figure out how we can determine how many crystals/empty space are in a geode. We can decide how hollow a geode is using Specific Gravity. If it is less than 2.7, then it is at least somewhat hollow. If it is 2...