FSU SMACS Focus Frostburg 2020
Climate change can be difficult to understand because climate is a complex, multi-competent system. Approach climate change from a chemistry perspective to understand the impact of human led changes to the environment by looking at how the ozone layer works, the role of carbon dioxide in ocean acidification, and a take-home activity to explore ocean acidification on your own.
Ocean Acidification
Explore the simulation on your own at https://acswebcontent.acs.org/ChemistryInContextSuite/applets/OceanAcidification/oceanAcid.html
The Ozone Layer
Check out the above simulation at https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/undergraduate/chemistryincontext/interactives/climate-change/ozone-em-spectrum.html and how CFCs interact with electromagnetic radiation in the upper atmosphere at https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/undergraduate/chemistryincontext/interactives/radiation-from-sun/cfcs-in-atmosphere.html.
The mentioned Stereo Chemistry episode is at https://cen.acs.org/environment/atmospheric-chemistry/Podcast-solve-problem-like-ozone/97/web/2019/12.
Other Resources
More educational resources (and all of the simulations linked above) can be found at The American Chemical Society’s Chemists Celebrate Earth Week page, https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/outreach/ccew/educational-resources.html. There’s even some coloring to relax with while you’re celebrating Earth Day. Just be sure to reuse or recycle your paper when you’re done!