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Experiment Reveals Future Cost of Climate Change

Provided by: Connecticut Sea Grant |Published on: May 24, 2024

Articles/Websites

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Synopsis

This article details an experiment performed at UConn Avery Point using Long Island Sound copepods to determine how increasing temperatures and carbon levels will impact the copepods as the climate changes.
Students will learn what this experiment implies for the ecosystem that depends on copepods and how increased carbon and temperatures affect the zooplankton singularly and in conjunction.

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Subjects: Biology

Authors: Judy Benson

Region: North America, USA - Northeast, United States, Connecticut, Coastal CT

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

Full-color images and diagrams of copepods will keep students interested and engaged.
Overall, the article has a hopeful tone, keeping students from becoming anxious over the changing climate.

Additional Prerequisites

Students should understand climate change and how human activity has accelerated it.
It may benefit students to know the basics of ocean acidification.
Some students may need the terms oceanographer, acidification, adaptation, and others defined before they read the article.

Differentiation

Teachers can make math connections by having students analyze the graph on page 2.
If possible, students can look at plankton under a microscope or watch a video to better visualize the organisms studied in the experiment.
Students can create food webs and discuss the potential impacts on the ecosystem if copepods become extinct.
This article can introduce the broader topic of the impacts of rising temperatures or ocean acidification on the marine ecosystem.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format

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