HR: 1340h
AN: ED13A-0714    [Abstracts]
TI: Rates, Fluxes, and Cycling in the Earth System: What Do We Know, What Are We Teaching?
AU: * Mogk, D W
EM: mogk@montana.edu
AF: Dept. of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 United States
AU: Manduca, C A
EM: cmanduca@carleton.edu
AF: Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College, Northfield, MN 55057 United States
AB: Earth system science provides exciting new insights into the dynamics of the Earth. This approach emphasizes a special focus on the processes, pathways, and interfaces across different subsystems; the transfer of mass and energy throughout the Earth system; and the influence of biota and humanity on Earth processes (AGU, 1997). Consequently, rates, fluxes and global cycling are all concepts that are essential to understanding the dynamic Earth system. Topics of interest range from mantle dynamics, rates of uplift and denudation, surficial processes, contaminant transport in water and air media, nutrient cycling, atmospheric chemistry, and the near space environment. New advances in research have provided an array of new "speedometers" that provide exciting new insights into the duration, frequency, and magnitude of processes that operate across the Earth system. As important as these concepts are for the geoscience curriculum, they are often difficult for students to comprehend. Dynamic processes typically occur on temporal and spatial scales that are beyond the human experience, complex interactions must be reconciled between competing processes, and both negative and positive feedback mechanisms need to be considered. It is also important to demonstrate to students not only what we know, but also how we observe, measure and interpret Earth phenomena. As Earth system science advances, there is a growing need to also develop effective instructional practices that support learning about rates, fluxes, and cycling (e.g. 3- and 4-dimensional thinking) by students at all levels. Collections and services at the Science Education Resource Center (http://serc.carleton.edu) begin to address these needs in areas such as research on learning in the geosciences, using data in the classroom, teaching with visualizations, and teaching biocomplexity in the geosciences.
UR: http://serc.carleton.edu
DE: 1030 Geochemical cycles (0330)
DE: 1600 GLOBAL CHANGE (New category)
DE: 0330 Geochemical cycles
DE: 0800 EDUCATION
SC: Education and Human Resourcese [ED]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting