Actvity Summary: This suite of short activities opens a window to both the scientific motivation and impact of a coring expedition, using an Arctic Expedition as a case study.
There’s an updated version of this lesson! Check out Climate Data from Arctic Coring!
The question “Why Drill there?” is addressed at multiple levels, so students can experience the scientific rationale behind drilling the sea floor at a particular location. A subset of research results are also investigated and compared with the current scientific paradigm on Cenozoic climate evolution to demonstrate that science is an evolving process.
- Standard B: Science as inquiry
- Standard C: Physical science
- Standard E: Earth and space science
- Standard F: Science and technology
- System and system models
- Asking questions and defining problems
- Planning and carrying out investigations
- Analyzing and interpreting data
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
- ESS1. C The history of the planet Earth
- ESS2.B Plate tectonics and large-scale system interactions