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ERIC Number: EJ758494
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Mar
Pages: 5
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0887-2376
EISSN: N/A
Fires, Floods, and Hurricanes: Is ENSO to Blame?
Mjelde, James W.; Litzenberg, Kerry K.; Hoyle, Julie E.; Holochwost, Sharon R.; Funkhouser, Sarah
Science Scope, v30 n7 p38-42 Mar 2007
Scientists have associated the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon with extreme climate events such as flooding in California, droughts in Australia, fires in Indonesia, and increased hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean. The popular media is constantly attributing individual storms to the ENSO phenomenon. The reality is that a single storm cannot be attributed to ENSO. ENSO is, however, related to changes in the probability of precipitation and temperature levels. Because ENSO is the most highly global climate variability, it is important that students learn about it. This article focuses on the ENSO-related material located on the DECIDE website, a resource developed by teachers at Texas A&M University and College Station Independent School District with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The learning modules available on the DECIDE website provide a fairly complete overview of the ENSO phenomenon, and can be described as augmenting the typical science curriculum. The modules are based on standards at the national and state levels. Although the ENSO modules can be used as stand alone material, the material is integrated with decision-making activities within DECIDE-Climate Unit. DECIDE, which contains both Weather and Climate Units, is a comprehensive approach to integrating weather and science principles with math, statistics, and decision theory. As some school districts shift toward a science/math combination of specialties for teachers, DECIDE provides an innovative integrated learning module. (Contains 3 figures and 2 online resources.)
National Science Teachers Association. 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782; Fax: 703-243-3924; e-mail: membership@nsta.org; Web site: http://www.nsta.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Middle Schools
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A