Alyssa B's- Blog on Science Methods

  The big question addressed in the lab: Data on CO2 A description of what you did in the lab:  In the lab on Monday we looked at CO2 data. We first went to a website, messed around with it, and made notes of what we noticed. Then we discussed as a class and looked at different graphs that were posted on the lecture slides. A big trend among the graphs is an increase over time. Another thing I noticed is that the line goes up and down like a zig-zag each year. We found that this is due to seasons, the CO2 level is lower in summer and higher in winter. This is because of plants!  A description of what you learned in Thursday's lecture. In Thursday's lecture, we learned more about CO2 and climate change. The planet has been way hotter and way colder than it is today. We have been frozen and covered in magma before. A reason some people may not care about climate change is because the temperatures are not that bad currently. The trend line for solar radiation and volcanic ac...

The big question addressed in the lab:  What type of data do we have that supports that climate change is happening? A description of what you did in the lab:  In the provided data, we have graphs showing that temperature, precipitation, snowfall, habitat, and frost are changing drastically. Our question is why is the fall average precipitation decreasing when the precipitation in the rest of the seasons is increasing? From the data, we were able to find out more about what we can expect from climate change. Over the past century, Iowa’s average number of hot days has increased and is projected to be 85 days between 2070-2099. According to Osaka Prefecture University, the heat is causing the cherry blossom peak bloom day to be about a month earlier. The annual state-wide average number of frost-free days is also something that is increasing. Between 1950 and 2005, it increased from about 158 days to about 172 days. As far as precipitation goes, the total annual state-wide aver...

The big question: How do we know the Goldfinch is in danger in Iowa?  A description of what you did in the lab.  At first in the lab, we discussed climate change and its main effects. We did a jambord and discussed it with our classmates. Then we moved on to researching different websites about precipitation and temperature. While we were researching these things we thought about the big question. Some ideas we came up with are that they are in danger because their food supply would go down, their habitat would be affected, and their ability to fly would decrease due to the rain.  A description of what you learned in Thursday's lecture. N/A Test  Answer questions about the weekly textbook reading: -What did you learn? I learned the acronym LOWER Near water which stands for Latitude, Ocean currents, Wind and air masses, Elevation, Relief (aka topography), Near water.  -What was most helpful? I think the most helpful in this article was the reminder of what Iowa's...

The big question addressed in the lab:  Observations of sand and what they came from What we did in the lab:  In the lab, we looked at 11 different sands. As we looked at each sample of sand we took observations of them. We noticed if they were smooth or jagged, the color of them, the size, etc. After we observed all of them we then tried to determine where the sand came from water, wind, glacier, or volcanic. Something else we did was discuss the law of superposition. This is a principle that geologists go by to determine the age of the rock layers. The oldest layer is the bottom and the youngest is the top.  A description of what you learned in Thursday's lecture:  In Thursday's lecture, we did a lab on buoyancy. We learned that an IPA and a Diet Coke floated. Our initial reasoning is that it does not have sugar and sugar is heavy. We learned about Archimedes and his principle. We looked at the displacement of water. First, we looked at how much the water rose with...