ae.07 Climate change and the European Alps

Content

  • Statement of inquiry
    • Scientific and technical innovators need to understand how power affects the processes that occur within systems.
  • Factual questions [Remembering facts and topics]
    • What are the impacts of climate change upon alpine glaciers focused Switzerland.
  • Aims of this lesson
    • To develop your knowledge and understanding of climate change and its impact upon glacial systems in Switzerland.

Base knowledge and understanding

Video clip

[6 June 2020]
Link

Timelines

Visualization

The melt of Mer de Glace
[Source]
Context

Context

Write

Note making frame

Read

Resources

Command terms

Describe

Explain

Outline

Discuss

Monthly global mean temperature 1851 to 2020

Monthly global mean temperature
[Source]

Figure 1 [Questions 1 + 2]

[Source]

Figure 2 [Questions 2 +4]

The temperature series from Basel since 1755 demonstrates that the Swiss climate is subject to strong fluctuations. In the first 200 years of the measurement series, the fluctuations were primarily due to natural causes. In the last few decades, temperatures have broken through the bandwidth of long-term, natural fluctuations in an upward direction (climate change). The graph shows deviations in °C from the 1864-1900 mean.
[Source]

Figure 3 [Questions 5 + 6]

Link

swissinfo.ch - How climate change affects Switzerland [6 August 2019]

Figure 4 and 5 [Question 7]

Figure 6 [Question 8 + 9]

Figure 7 [Question 9]

Figure 8 [Question 9]

We are full of energy
[Source]

Figure 9 [Question 10]

Link

SwissGlacier.org - Before/after comparison photo of Great Aletsch Glacier (Swiss Alps)

Figure 10 [Question 11]

Link

SwissGlacier.org - Before/after comparison photo of Rhone glacier (Valais, Swiss Alps)

Question 12

Link

swissinfo.ch - Glaciers and the changing landscape in the Alps [26 August 2019]

Extension task