The nature of acidic and basic (alkaline) oxides can be easily illustrated via a series of three straightforward classroom demonstrations for high school and general chemistry courses. Properties of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and magnesium oxide are revealed inexpensively and safely. Additionally, the very different kinetics of hydration of SO2 (rapid) and CO2 (slow) are evident. The pH changes observed by use of universal indicator provide striking visual evidence that makes the concepts of acidic and basic oxides less abstract and more concrete than verbal or written descriptions alone. By using the MgO solution for the SO2 hydration reaction, one can mimic environmental interactions that lead to the neutralization of alkaline and acidic species. Interestingly, the SO2 and CO2 demonstrations can easily be adapted to environmental chemistry courses and especially the very relevant realm of climate change science. The difference in hydration rates explains why CO2 is a greenhouse gas, but SO2 is not listed as one. Variations of the CO2 hydration demonstration reveal the sensitivity of oceans to acidification by dissolved CO2 and the relationship of fossil fuel combustion to ocean acidification.
Posts Tagged 'education'
Using demonstrations involving combustion and acid–base chemistry to show hydration of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and magnesium oxide and their relevance for environmental climate science
Published 26 January 2017 Science ClosedTags: chemistry, education, methods
Ocean acidification education: Educational resource analysis
Published 9 August 2016 Science ClosedTags: education
This article aims to establish synergies between Science Education, Environmental Education and Marine Science (Campus do Mar), which has already begun, in order to provide ocean acidification education resources for Primary School teachers in pre-service training Global reports, based on emerging ocean acidification science, indicate that this process can be of the same magnitude as climate change; hence its importance to humanity’s future. The existing on-line resources have been located, an initial revision of them has been carried out, and a set of analysis categories has been proposed in order to subsequently design educational interventions connecting scientific knowledge, values and attitudes. These will lead to acquiring scientific competence and to acting in favour of the environment as well as developing critical thinking. A collaboration with other institutions has begun to influence non-formal education.
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Crossing the Ecoline: a visual response to increasing levels of ocean acidification
Published 1 August 2016 Art , Science ClosedTags: education
This text is presented in conjunction with my exhibition Crossing the Ecoline and is a visual response to changing levels of ocean acidification. My art making is informed by the processes of dispersal and dissolution that occur at the point where the absorption of carbon dioxide takes place between the atmosphere and the ocean. This project is of an interdisciplinary nature and traverses art and science – both technically and through collaboration. By working in close consultation with marine scientists I hope to draw attention to the little-known issue of ocean acidification through creative means. Through the consideration of materials and processes I aim to bring attention to where billions of microorganisms called phytoplankton live. The project is concerned with the idea of the edge: boundary or border as a conceptual notion, as well as through my art making practice, its interdiscplinarity and subject matter.
How to document ocean acidification data (e-Lecture)
Published 8 July 2016 Science ClosedTags: education, methods
The number of ocean acidification (OA) studies has increased significantly over the last decade. Most of this was due to studies on biological responses of organisms to OA. The lack of a protocol to document biological response OA data prevents the research community from properly archiving, discovering, accessing, and utilizing this important body of OA data sets. In this e-Lecture, we present how to document an OA data set by explaining major components of a metadata template, which can be applied to a broad spectrum of OA studies, including those studying the biological responses to OA. The major metadata components include Investigators, Title, Abstract, Temporal coverage, Spatial coverage, Geographic names, Location of organism collection, Platforms, Variable metadata clusters, Publications describing the data set, and Supplementary information. Of these components, Variable metadata clusters (variables and their metadata sub-elements) are treated as the focal point of the template. In addition to variable name , other metadata elements include the observation type, whether it is an in-situ observation, manipulation condition, or response variable, biological subject, life stage of the biological subject, etc. Information about how to access the metadata template files is also stated.
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Awareness of climate change and sustainable development among undergraduates from two selected universities in Oyo State, Nigeria
Published 21 June 2016 Science ClosedTags: education
This study investigated awareness of climate change and sustainable development among undergraduates in two universities: University of Ibadan, Ibadan and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso in Oyo Stateof Nigeria. This was aimed at increasing the knowledge of undergraduates on climate change and sustainable development. The study adopted a survey design. The population for the study consisted of 300 hundred undergraduates in University of Ibadan, Ibadan and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso in Oyo State, Nigeria. The students were selected using purposively random sampling technique. A 45-item each with Likert type response format titled ‘’Awareness of Climate Change and Sustainable Development among Undergraduates Students’’tagged ACCSDUS were administered. Data obtained were analyzed using simple percentages and t-test.The results showed that undergraduates possessed high level of awareness on the concept of climate change, have access to the sources of information and factors of personal experience, public sources and education greatly influence their awareness. The results further showed that there was no significant difference in the level of climate change and sustainable development awareness in term of gender (t= 0.733 > 0.05). There is a significant difference in the level of awareness of undergraduates on the concept of climate change based on school ownership (t= 0.013 <0.05). The study concluded that climate change education should be structured and embedded in the curricula of schools at all levels and that training, re-training, empowerment or enlightenment of the public and stakeholders in climate change should be carried out without bias, discrimination or marginalization of any form.
Ocean acidification – a paleo perspective
Published 18 May 2016 Science ClosedTags: education, paleo, review
Dissolution of atmospheric CO2 in seawater has lowered ocean pH and carbonate ion concentrations with impacts on marine organisms and ecosystems. The geological record contains long-term evidence for a variety of global environmental perturbations, including ocean acidification, and the biotic responses associated with them, and can provide insight into consequences of current anthropogenic acidification. This e-lecture focuses on the paleo-perspective of ocean acidification, proxy evidence for pH changes and several events exhibiting evidence for elevated atmospheric CO2, global warming, and ocean acidification over the past ˜300 million years are reviewed. Comparison between these events and the present suggests that the current and projected rate of acidification may be unprecedented in past events with unknown consequences for marine life and humans who depend on it.
The target audiences for this e-Lecture are upper division undergraduate students and graduate students with some previous background in oceanography and paleoceanography. This could be a lecture in an “introduction to paleoceanography” class that discusses archives and proxies or a lecture in a topical “ocean acidification” class covering paleo ocean acidification. Depending on audience background the lecture may take 50 minutes (students versed in paleoceanography) or 90 minutes (novice students).
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Public understanding in Great Britain of ocean acidification
Published 10 May 2016 Science ClosedTags: education
Public engagement with climate change is critical for maintaining the impetus for meaningful emissions cuts. Ocean acidification (OA) is increasingly recognized by marine scientists as an important, but often overlooked, consequence of anthropogenic emissions1, 2. Although substantial evidence now exists concerning people’s understanding of climate change more generally3, very little is known about public perceptions of OA. Here, for the first time, we characterize in detail people’s understanding of this topic using survey data obtained in Great Britain (n = 2,501) during 2013 and 2014. We draw on theories of risk perception and consider how personal values influence attitudes towards OA. We find that public awareness of OA is very low compared to that of climate change, and was unaffected by the publication of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report. Using an experimental approach, we show that providing basic information can heighten concern about OA, however, we find that attitude polarization along value-based lines may occur if the topic is explicitly associated with climate change. We discuss the implications of our findings for public engagement with OA, and the importance of learning lessons from communications research relating to climate change.
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Exploring the complexity of ocean acidification: an ecosystem comparison of coastal pH variability
Published 14 March 2016 Media coverage ClosedTags: education
Use authentic data to compare pH variability in three different coastal marine ecosystems.
Combined effects of ocean acidification, warming, and hypoxia on marine organisms
Published 1 February 2016 Science ClosedTags: education, review
A suite of parallel anthropogenic changes affects contemporary marine ecosystems. Excessive carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution results in warmer, more acidic oceans with lower dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, meanwhile the emission of reactive nitrogen/phosphorus results in eutrophication, excessive microbial degradation and thus metabolic hypoxia and acidification. Despite decades of empirical research how each individual stressor of the ‘climate-change syndrome’ (i.e., temperature, CO2, DO) affects the fitness of marine organisms, we still know little about the combined effects of these stressors. This lecture gives an overview over the nascent field of multi-stressor approaches evaluating the climate sensitivity of marine organisms across taxa. In most studied cases, combined effects of these stressors exceeded those observed individually. Effects of combined warming, acidification, and deoxygenation have mostly been additive (no stressor interaction) or synergistically negative (stressor interaction). The occurrence and strength of synergistic stressor interactions in some species, life history stages, and traits comprises a vexing challenge but hints at potentially greater sensitivities of organisms to marine climate change than previously recognized. This lecture is intended for post-secondary students, providing them with illustrated examples from the most resent literature, while aiding in communicating the urgent need for empirical data from multi-stressor approaches.
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Ocean acidification: investigation and presentation of the effects of elevated carbon dioxide levels on seawater chemistry and calcareous organisms
Published 29 January 2016 Science ClosedTags: education
Ocean acidification refers to the process by which seawater absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, producing aqueous carbonic acid. Acidic conditions increase the solubility of calcium carbonate, threatening corals and other calcareous organisms that depend on it for protective structures. The global nature of ocean acidification and the magnitude of its potential impact on marine ecosystems and the industries they support make it an important and engaging topic to explore in the undergraduate laboratory. In this multiweek experiment, designed for second year analytical and environmental chemistry courses, artificial seawater samples containing pieces of seashell or coral were prepared. One sample was pressurized with carbon dioxide and stirred for 1 week, while the other was stirred without carbonation. Mass and pH measurements and carbonate, bicarbonate, calcium(II), and magnesium(II) titrations were performed on samples before and after treatment. Through data analysis and a rigorous consideration of the acid–base and solubility equilibria involved, students concluded that carbonation significantly decreased seawater pH and caused appreciable seashell and coral dissolution, which raised the bicarbonate and calcium(II) concentrations. Minimal change in the seawater chemistry or carbonaceous material was observed for the noncarbonated sample. Overall, the experience provided a meaningful experimental context for titration analyses and a practical application of the conceptual treatment of a multiequilibrium system. In addition to the experiment, a corresponding oral presentation assignment is presented, in which students produced a video designed to educate a general audience on the topic of ocean acidification by using their experimental results as support. Through this assignment, students reflected on the broader ecological and societal ramifications of ocean acidification and developed the ability to communicate scientific knowledge to a nonscientific audience, a critical collaborative skill for addressing such multifaceted issues.
When, not if: the inescapability of an uncertain climate future
Published 21 January 2016 Science ClosedTags: education
Climate change projections necessarily involve uncertainty. Analysis of the physics and mathematics of the climate system reveals that greater uncertainty about future temperature increases is nearly always associated with greater expected damages from climate change. In contrast to those normative constraints, uncertainty is frequently cited in public discourse as a reason to delay mitigative action. This failure to understand the actual implications of uncertainty may incur notable future costs. It is therefore important to communicate uncertainty in a way that improves people’s understanding of climate change risks. We examined whether responses to projections were influenced by whether the projection emphasized uncertainty in the outcome or in its time of arrival. We presented participants with statements and graphs indicating projected increases in temperature, sea levels, ocean acidification and a decrease in arctic sea ice. In the uncertain-outcome condition, statements reported the upper and lower confidence bounds of the projected outcome at a fixed time point. In the uncertain time-of-arrival condition, statements reported the upper and lower confidence bounds of the projected time of arrival for a fixed outcome. Results suggested that people perceived the threat as more serious and were more likely to encourage mitigative action in the time-uncertain condition than in the outcome-uncertain condition. This finding has implications for effectively communicating the climate change risks to policy-makers and the general public.
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Understanding audiences: Making public perceptions research matter to marine conservation
Published 8 December 2015 Science ClosedTags: education, methods
There is increasing awareness of the need to meaningfully engage society in efforts to tackle marine conservation challenges. Public perceptions research (PPR) in a marine conservation context provides tools to see the sea through the multiple lenses with which society interprets both the marine environment and marine conservation efforts. Traditionally, PPR is predominantly a social science which has considerable interdisciplinarity, owing to the variety of disciplines which contribute to its delivery and benefit from its outputs. Similarly, the subjects of a marine application of PPR are diverse, and relate to public perceptions of any marine component or activity. Evidence shows this is a growing area of science, and the paper presents a qualitative approach to addressing key questions to inform the continuing development of this field through a workshop held at the Third International Marine Conservation Congress 2014. Key findings are discussed under the themes of 1) the benefits of PPR to marine conservation; 2) priorities for PPR to support marine conservation; 3) making PPR accessible to marine practitioners and policy makers; and 4) interdisciplinary research collaboration to deliver PPR. The workshop supported the development of a framework which illustrates: the key conditions which can support PPR to take place; the types of research which PPR can be used to address; the applications of PPR findings for marine conservation; and the types of marine conservation benefits which can be delivered. As PPR gains an increasing presence in marine conservation, it is hoped that this discussion and framework will support researchers and practitioners to identify opportunities for PPR to deliver benefits, and to work together to achieve these.
Investigating undergraduate science students’ conceptions and misconceptions of ocean acidification
Published 20 July 2015 Science ClosedTags: education
Scientific research exploring ocean acidification has grown significantly in past decades. However, little science education research has investigated the extent to which undergraduate science students understand this topic. Of all undergraduate students, one might predict science students to be best able to understand ocean acidification. What conceptions and misconceptions of ocean acidification do these students hold? How does their awareness and knowledge compare across disciplines? Undergraduate biology, chemistry/biochemistry, and environmental studies students, and science faculty for comparison, were assessed on their awareness and understanding. Results revealed low awareness and understanding of ocean acidification among students compared with faculty. Compared with biology or chemistry/biochemistry students, more environmental studies students demonstrated awareness of ocean acidification and identified the key role of carbon dioxide. Novel misconceptions were also identified. These findings raise the question of whether undergraduate science students are prepared to navigate socioenvironmental issues such as ocean acidification. Continue reading ‘Investigating undergraduate science students’ conceptions and misconceptions of ocean acidification’
Demonstrating the effects of ocean acidification on marine organisms to support climate change understanding
Published 14 April 2015 Media coverage ClosedTags: education
Ocean acidification, a product of CO2 absorption by the world’s oceans, is largely driven by the anthropogenic combustion of fossil fuels and has already lowered the pH of marine ecosystems. Organisms with calcium carbonate shells and skeletons are especially susceptible to increasing environmental acidity due to reduction in the saturation state of CaCO3 that accompanies ocean acidification. Creating a connection between human-mediated changes to our environment and the effect it will have on biota is crucial to establishing an understanding of the potential effects of global climate change. We outline two low-cost laboratory experiments that eloquently mimic the biochemical process of ocean acidification on two timescales, providing educators with hands-on, hypothesis-driven experiments that can easily be conducted in middle and high school biology or environmental science courses.
Laboratory experiment investigating the impact of ocean acidification on calcareous organisms
Published 20 July 2014 Science ClosedTags: chemistry, education
The increase in ocean acidity since preindustrial times may have deleterious consequences for marine organisms, particularly those with calcareous structures. We present a laboratory experiment to investigate this impact with general, introductory, environmental, and nonmajors chemistry students. For simplicity and homogeneity, calcite was substituted for calcareous organisms and placed in buffer solutions of variable acidity. After 30 min, students quantified the percent mass loss of calcite in their buffer. Individual student data was then pooled into a class spreadsheet for further analysis. This experiment could enable a class discussion on ocean acidification supplemented with primary and secondary literature.
Ocean acidification effects on the oceanic ecosystem around Dutch Harbor
Published 16 May 2014 Science ClosedTags: education
In the waters we rely on for sea food: such as King Crab (Lithodidae), Pollock (Pollachius), and pteropods (Limacina), there are many things seeking to harm, or kill these animals. What if I told you there was a silent killer on the loose, that’s getting away with doing just that. This killer’s name is carbon dioxide, also known as CO2. Carbon dioxide is slipping into the water, and lowering the pH levels. Animals that rely on the pH levels in the ocean are not able to properly form their shells. This is their protection from predators, as well as chemicals. If these animals don’t have their shells it will make it harder for them to survive in their natural habitat. In the near future the CO2 levels are expected to rise, and if this happens the crab will be affected greatly, and our fisheries and ports will become an up-and-coming past-time. This will result in many fishermen losing their jobs, and sea food industry will crash. It’s apparent that we need to implement solutions to this problem so that we can have healthier bodies of water, and plentiful sea food today and in the future.
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Ocean-acidification.net is a new website launched by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and its collaborating partners. For the science community, the website offers immediate access to current information on the topic of ocean acidification in a variety of print formats and visual media. The up-to-date content published online about changes in ocean acidification worldwide is designed to help those working in various areas of science, education and decision-making. (…)
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Opportunities for communicating ocean acidification to visitors at informal Science Education Institutions
Published 25 April 2014 Science ClosedTags: education
The broader public is largely unaware of ocean acidification; yet, when provided with basic information about the issue they quickly become concerned.
This finding has its foundation in the national survey results, as supported by the on-site visitor intercepts. The national survey confirmed our sense that unaided awareness of ocean acidification is extremely low. On the aforementioned agreement scale (which runs from 1 [total disagreement] to 100 [total agreement]), the unaided score for “I have heard of the issue of ocean acidification” was a 14 for the public as a whole, rising only slightly to 19 when looking at recent visitors to a zoo, aquarium or museum, and to 31 when looking only at those who already claimed concern about climate change. (…)
Virtual labs as context for learning – continuities and contingencies in student activities
Published 28 February 2014 Science ClosedTags: education
While sceptics have been little convinced about the beneficial consequences that would follow from the introduction of IT in school, technophiles have continued to make claims about how such resources will contribute to solving pedagogical problems of various kinds, including changing the role of the teacher (cf., e, g., Postman, 1979; Selwyn, 1999). (…)
The aim of the present study is to explore virtual labs as a context for learning about ocean acidification. In particular, we are interested in the activities that evolve when students engage in virtual lab work. Our question concerns what the consequences are for interaction and knowledge-sharing between students in such contexts. (…)
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HANDS-ON OCEANOGRAPHY | Corals on acid: an inquiry-based activity leading students to a better understanding of ocean acidification impacts
Published 21 February 2014 Science ClosedTags: education
Purpose of Activity
The objective of this inquiry-based lesson is for students to gain an understanding of how increasing ocean acidity can affect the calcification of marine organisms. During this activity, students: (1) design an experiment to quantify the CaCO3 concentration of two invertebrate skeletal samples, one that has been soaked in normal seawater and another in a low pH solution, and (2) use critical thinking and discussion to evaluate possible explanations for the difference in the skeletal CaCO3 compositions. Our lesson focuses on exploring the activity before ocean acidification is introduced to provide a common conceptual framework to engage students.
