The scientific, educational, and public policy communities were invited to provide their suggestions for revisions to this third draft from June 6 - 30, 2008.
We anticipate a final round of feedback and revision in June, leading to a final document to be submitted to NSF in July 2008.
With thanks for your contributions and participation,
Dr. Roberta Johnson, ASL Framework PI, Director of Education and Outreach, UCAR
Prof. John Snow, ASL Framework Co-PI, Dean, College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, The University of Oklahoma
You may also view the Draft 2 comments that were submitted in May,
as well as the Draft 1 comments that were submitted in February.
Draft notes from the 2007 workshop are available here.
All humans live in the Earth’s atmosphere – we depend on it for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Humankind’s dependent relationship with the atmosphere is aptly summarized by
“Man - despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments - owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.” ~Author Unknown
The atmosphere is a complex system that has evolved over time with the other components of the Earth System. It is constantly changing. Changes from hour to hour and day to day to give us weather. It also changes over periods of months, years, and decades to give us climate. While the atmosphere provides many benefits, such as oxygen, rain, and power from the wind, it also brings hazards, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and drought.
We know, through our own experiences and scientific observations, as well as from nearly daily news reports, that Earth’s atmosphere is changing, along with the rest of the global environment. Some of these changes are outside of human control – determined in some cases by solar and geologic processes. We are also increasingly aware that human activities are changing the atmosphere. And, since there are no sharp boundaries in the atmosphere – pollutants resulting from industrial emissions in one place can travel across country and continental boundaries and negatively impact those that did not create the pollution.
We are challenged to live wisely with Earth’s atmosphere, utilizing it as a valuable resource while being good stewards. To understand what is happening in the atmosphere and make wise decisions about our vital (or life-sustaining) interactions with it (as well as protecting ourselves from hazardous conditions), it is important for us to have a base of the relevant scientific knowledge. That is, we must be literate with respect to the essential principles and fundamental concepts of atmospheric science.
Atmospheric Science Literacy
A person who is literate in atmospheric science will understand the “big ideas” of atmosphere science. Armed with this understanding, they will have the basis to communicate about the atmosphere in a meaningful way, and be equipped to make informed and responsible decisions about activities which may impact the atmosphere. This Framework for Atmospheric Science Literacy provides guidance to educators and the public on these big ideas. We have chosen to structure the framework with Essential Principles at the highest level, on which more detailed information depends. Subordinate and more specific Fundamental Concepts, offer foundational knowledge which is needed to fully understand the Essential Principles.
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EP1.1 - The atmosphere is a mixture of gases with small, but important quantities of liquid and solid particles. EP1.2 – The atmosphere has mass. It is bound to Earth by gravity, and exerts pressure. EP1.3 – Earth’s atmosphere, which is thin relative to Earth’s radius, varies vertically in layers – termed “spheres” -- which differ in composition, density and temperature. Between the layers, “pauses” are much thinner zones of transition. The lowest 10 – 15 km of the atmosphere, the troposphere, contains most Earth’s weather. It is capped by the tropopause, which is 1 – 2 km thick. EP1.4 – The atmosphere sustains and protects living things. Its composition has changed over time, as it has been influenced by life and other geologic and geochemical processes. |
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EP2.1 - The Earth receives energy in the form of short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation from the Sun. Some of this energy is absorbed by the atmosphere, some is scattered back to space, and some is transmitted through the atmosphere to be absorbed or reflected by the Earth’s surface. Similarly, the energy reflected by the Earth’s surface is absorbed, scattered, reflected, or transmitted by the atmosphere. EP2.2 – Energy from the Sun is transformed into other forms of energy in the Earth system. In the atmosphere these other forms include thermal energy of gas molecules, kinetic energy in the movement of mass by the winds, and latent heat of evaporation stored in water vapor. EP2.3 – On human time scales, the energy emitted by the Sun is nearly constant, varying only very slightly due to solar activity. Variations in solar energy received at a point on the Earth’s surface result from the Earth’s spherical shape, its daily rotation about its tilted axis, its annual revolution around the Sun, and the slight elliptical shape of Earth’s orbit, leading to important cycles such as day and night, and the seasons. EP2.4 – Solar energy drives many chemical, biological, and physical processes that affect the atmosphere. These processes include photosynthesis, condensation and evaporation of water vapor, formation of smog, and the formation and destruction of ozone. EP2.5 – The Earth emits energy in the form of terrestrial (long-wavelength) radiation. This terrestrial radiation is absorbed by atmospheric trace gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases in the atmosphere. It may be reemitted from the atmosphere, either to space, where it is lost to the Earth system, or back to Earth, where it is again absorbed, producing the Greenhouse effect. The natural Greenhouse effect is necessary for life to exist on Earth. |
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EP3 – Atmospheric circulations transport matter and energy. |
EP3.1 –Horizontal and vertical energy imbalances in the Earth system produced by unequal heating of the Earth’s surface create movement in the atmosphere and the ocean. EP3.2 – Energy is exchanged within the atmosphere, through processes operating at interfaces in the Earth system (such as the interface between the ocean and the atmosphere), and through Earth system cycles (such as the water cycle). These exchanges help drive atmospheric circulations. EP3.3 - Patterns of circulation in the atmosphere can be observed at many different spatial scales from global to local. Temperature differences, the rotation of the Earth on its axis, and the configuration of the continents and oceans establish the large-scale atmospheric circulation. EP3.4 – Atmospheric transport of water affects the formation and development of clouds, precipitation, and weather systems, which are all important components of the global water cycle. EP3.5 – Atmospheric circulations distribute matter and energy globally and establish weather and climate patterns that affect the health of individuals, society, and the environment. |
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EP4.1 – Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time. The climate of a particular place is the long term average of weather conditions in the area. Earth’s global climate is determined by the energy received from the Sun and is regulated by atmospheric composition and by atmospheric and oceanic circulations. EP4.2 - Weather changes over time periods ranging from seconds to weeks. Climate changes over intervals ranging from years to millennia. Earth’s history has been marked by variations in global temperature caused by gradual cyclic variations in the Earth’s orbit, changes in the distribution of continents, volcanism, and sudden redistributions of mass and energy in the Earth system resulting in abrupt climatic shifts. EP4.3 – Both weather and climate vary by region based on latitude, altitude, land use, and proximity to physical features such as oceans and mountains. EP4.4 – Weather phenomena are important to human society. Some phenomena are beautiful, inspiring the human spirit. Severe weather, such as thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes, can have major impact on humans, ecosystems, and society. |
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EP5.1 – The atmosphere exchanges energy and matter with other components of the Earth system through processes such as the water cycle, biogeochemical cycles, the rock cycle, and ocean currents. EP5.2 – Interactions and feedbacks among the components of the Earth system can produce oscillations (such as El Niño to La Niña), long-term changes in the state of the system (such as global warming), and abrupt, unexpected events (such as sudden release of methane from permafrost). EP5.3 – The atmosphere plays an important role in biogeochemical cycles in the Earth system. For example, the atmosphere is a reservoir of carbon in the Earth system, storing carbon released from natural processes and fossil fuel burning, and transferring carbon to the plants through photosynthesis. EP5.4 – The long time scales inherent in some Earth system processes can cause past and present conditions to impact the Earth system long after those conditions have changed. |
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EP6.1 – Our understanding of the atmosphere comes from analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of accurate and purposeful observations of the atmosphere, ocean, biosphere, land surface, and Polar Regions. EP6.2 – Data about the atmosphere are gathered by direct (in situ) measurement of temperature, precipitation, wind, pressure, and other variables, as well as by indirect (remote sensing) measurements taken at a distance using ground-based, satellite, and airborne instruments. EP6.3 –Our understanding of the atmosphere allows scientists to develop numerical models that can be used to simulate Earth’s weather and climate. Such models are the basis for much of modern weather forecasting and are also used to understand past climates and to predict Earth’s future climate. EP6.4 –To generate predictions, numerical models must begin with observations of the atmosphere and Earth’s land and ocean surfaces. These data are used to provide starting conditions for the model that are as complete as possible. EP6.5 – Inaccuracies and the imprecision inherent in instruments, mathematical calculations, and models limit the accuracy of the resulting simulations and predictions. Models improve with technological and theoretical advances. |
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EP7.1 –Most living organisms on Earth, including ourselves, are dependent on Earth’s atmosphere and its processes for survival. We require oxygen for breathing, rely on ozone in the stratosphere to protect us from harmful radiation from the Sun, and need rain for drinking water and agriculture. EP7.2 – Living organisms can and do change the composition of the atmosphere and its processes. Many human activities, such as our land use practices and burning of fossil fuels, alter the atmosphere and thereby impact human health, the functioning of ecosystems, and change climate on regional and global scales. EP7.3 – Human cultures around the world have adapted differently over hundreds to thousands of years to their unique local and regional weather and climate. Societies have different levels of vulnerability to rapidly changing weather and climate conditions. Severe weather can have major impact on individuals as well as society. Global and regional climate change may bring major changes to vulnerable cultures. EP7.4 –Weather forecasts and predictions of future climate assist us in implementing mitigation strategies and adaptation to new climatic conditions. EP7.5 – We all have a responsibility to become educated about the atmosphere and to use our knowledge to make informed decisions on issues at local, regional, and global scales. |
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This Framework for Atmospheric Science Literacy was developed in a collaborative effort with over 100 experts including atmospheric and climate scientists, K-12 and informal science educators, university faculty, and science policy specialists. Through the efforts of the organizing committee, a workshop was convened to draft the framework at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, in November 2007. The workshop included ~60 in-person participants, as well as ~40 online and video-conferencing participants. This final version of the framework represents the work of this community and additional experts after three revisions of the original draft arising from the workshop. Further information about the process, as well as access to earlier versions and comments provided by the community, are available at http://www.eo.ucar.edu/asl/. Development of the Framework for Atmospheric Science Literacy was supported by the National Science Foundation’s Geoscience Education Program.
This document is a component of a larger effort to develop a comprehensive literacy framework for the entire Earth System. Several other related frameworks have already been completed, including frameworks for Ocean Literacy and for Climate Literacy. Other framework development efforts are underway at this time. We expect that the products of preceding, concurrent, and future activities will be incorporated into the larger Earth system literacy framework.
Mapping to Educational Standards
By completing this framework, a first step has been taken toward relating the Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts of atmospheric literacy to educational standards, a requirement for its utilization by the nation’s schools. In order to facilitate use of this information by classroom teachers, it would be helpful to have these big ideas cross-referenced with educational standards (such as the National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Science Literacy). In collaboration with leading educators, we will develop an additional document providing this cross-linkage, and anticipate completion of this effort by July 2009.
