Virtual Field Labs

Free education resources

Virtual Field Labs are facilitated investigations that engage students in generating, analyzing, and interpreting data with U.S. Ice Drilling climate scientists.

Dr. Richard and Dr. Karen Alley take us to Antarctica to analyze the stability of Thwaites, the world’s most dangerous glacier.  Vital signs are taken using satellite imagery to see how much sea levels may rise in the future.  A quest to see if the “Doomsday Glacier” nickname is deserving.

Curriculum Connections

  • Glaciology: Fundamentals of ice sheets and ice shelves
  • Oceanography: Sea level rise-current and future causes
  • Remote Sensing: Satellite imagery and analysis
  • Climate Change: Warming oceans, abrupt climate disruptions, IPCC projections.

Student Engagement

  • Analyzing/interpreting satellite imagery
  • Making data tables
  • Constructing graphs
  • Drawing trendlines

Earth’s Energy Balance & Climate Feedback Loops

COMING SOON!

Comparing climate changes in the Earth’s past to the changes in climate we are experiencing today.

Curriculum Connections

  • Chemistry/Physics: Nuclear chemistry
  • Astronomy: Supernova-cosmic radiation
  • Math: Time calculations using rates.  Rate calculations using time.
  • Math: Graphing. Could extend to slope calculations.
  • Climate Change-Milankovitch Cycles, modern and historic CO2 and temperature changes

Student Engagement

  • Analyzing/interpreting graphs
  • Making data tables
  • Constructing Graphs
  • Analyzing trends in data
  • Converting units
  • Estimating data from graphs
  • Calculating rates

Comparing climate changes in the Earth’s past to the changes in climate we are experiencing today.

Curriculum Connections

  • Chemistry/Physics: Nuclear chemistry
  • Astronomy: Supernova-cosmic radiation
  • Math: Time calculations using rates.  Rate calculations using time.
  • Math: Graphing. Could extend to slope calculations.
  • Climate Change-Milankovitch Cycles, modern and historic CO2 and temperature changes

Student Engagement

  • Calculating averages
  • Analyzing ice cores
  • Making data tables
  • Constructing Graphs
  • Analyzing trends in data
  • Making predictions

Dr. Meredith Kelly looks at geologic clues from the end of the last ice age for insight into how our current ice sheets may respond to the rapid warming of our planet. These videos are part of the U.S. Ice Drilling Program’s School of Ice Virtual Field Lab series.

Curriculum Connections

  • Math: Calculating rates
  • Geology: Sediment and landform analysis
  • Geology: Analyzing glacial geologic landforms
  • Geography: Using topographic maps
  • Climate Change: Melting rates and stability of ice caps

Student Engagement

  • Sketching and measuring sediments
  • Analyzing/interpreting landforms and sediments
  • Making data tables
  • Calculating rates of glacier retreat
  • Analyzing trends in data
  • Reconstructing past climates

Dr. Erich Osterberg explores abrupt climate disruptions in the past as a way to predict the abrupt climate changes we can expect in the future. These videos are part of the U.S. Ice Drilling Program’s School of Ice Virtual Field Lab series.

Curriculum Connections

  • Math: Dimensional Analysis/Factor Label calculations
  • Math: Graphing. Could extend to slope calculations.
  • Chemistry-ion analysis in ice cores
  • Biology-tree ring analysis
  • Historic weather patterns
  • Climate Change-Melting rate of Greenland

Student Engagement

  • Graphing data sets
  • Analyzing/interpreting graphs
  • Making data tables
  • Constructing Graphs
  • Analyzing trends in data
  • Converting units
  • Estimating data from graphs