Warming Up to Adaptation: Big Bend National Park
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology
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Provided by National Park Service
What it is
- This video explains how ecologists, climate change scientists, and park rangers used future climate projections to redesign Big Bend National Park's water infrastructure to accommodate warmer temperatures and more frequent droughts.
- Students will learn that water is a limiting factor in the Chisos Basin in Big Bend National Park and that planning for future droughts instead of looking at historic rain patterns is essential to provide adequate water in the future.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This video shows the decision-making process for a complex climate change problem.
- A link to the audio-described version of the video is available in the video description section.
Additional Prerequisites
- This video is part of a series from the National Park Service. Teachers can find a link to the video "Warming Up to Adaptation Series Introduction" in the video description section.
Differentiation
- While watching the video, social studies or career studies classes could identify the speakers' professions. Students could research the type of education and experience needed for each profession.
- Before viewing the video, science classes could research Big Bend's ecosystem, climate, and changing environmental conditions on the Big Bend National Park website.
- Science or language arts classes could have students write an abstract or summary paragraph about the video and connect it to lessons about the water cycle, global warming, and changing weather patterns.
- Other resources on this topic include this ClimateScience course on climate adaptation, this lesson and activity on droughts, and this activity on temperature and precipitation as limiting factors.
From the scientist review
This video reflects on the adaptation management strategies in Big Bend National park. Climate change has influenced the hydrological basins and eco-tourists are at risk of water shortages. The video highlights the need to model multiple climate outcomes to mitigate future climate risks in the park. This is recommended for teaching.
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