Keeping Tabs on Crater Lake
Provided by: Jefferson Public Radio|Published on: May 2, 2023
Grades: 10, 11, 12, AP
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: Juliet Grable
Region: North America, USA - West, United States, Oregon, Southern Oregon
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This article explores the changes in water clarity in Crater Lake, why that matters, and other ways the lake's ecosystem is negatively affected by climate change.
- Students will learn how the clarity of Crater Lake is measured, how that clarity correlates to the lake's ecosystem, and how climate change is connected to harmful algal blooms and a population increase of invasive crayfish within the lake.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The article gives students an opportunity to read the insights of multiple aquatic biologists.
- The article is concise and full of intriguing pictures.
Additional Prerequisites
- The word "hell" is quoted by one of the scientists interviewed in the article.
- Students should understand the importance of maintaining the health of Earth's ecosystems.
- Students should understand how climate change has lead to the endangerment of species around the world.
Differentiation
- This article allows students to evaluate the Secchi disk's usefulness in gauging human impacts on the Earth's climate.
- This article provides an example of how changing climate conditions can lead to a completely new ecosystem.
- For ELLs, it may be useful to define some words before these students dive into the reading.
- In a language arts class, this reading is an opportunity to determine the central ideas or conclusions of a scientific text.
- Environmental science classes can use this as an example of field measurements and data gathering for assessing water quality.
This article discusses changes that have been observed in Crater Lake recently, why they are important and concerning, and how these changes are related to climate change. The article frequently quotes and references two aquatic biologists, Scott Girdner and Josh Sprague, who study the lake. They discuss a variety of characteristics that they monitor in the lake and some of the changes they’ve seen. This includes monitoring the chemistry, oxygen levels, temperature, etc. of the lake. Additionally, algae and some animals (particularly newts and crayfish) are discussed. The article also covers some brief information about how Crater Lake was formed and why it is unique. The information presented is accurate and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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