Temperature L3-4

The surface temperature of Antarctica is an important factor in global climate studies because Antarctica is so cold, relatively stable in temperature and holds a significant proportion of the Earth’s freshwater in the form of ice and snow. Changes in temperature at the surface of Antarctica are a key factor in climate change studies. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published the graph below of global average change in temperature. The different colours used, represent different data sets.

(Image source: IPCC5, 2014,)

Suggestions for Student Discussion and Further Investigation

  • What does the word anomaly mean? Use a thesaurus to find synonyms of anomaly.
  • What is meant by ‘globally averaged combined land and ocean surface temperature anomaly’? Is each word important in this label? Could you describe this any better?
  • What are the units °C measuring?
  • Find the points on the graph that relate to the year you were born and today.
  • How does the graph differ at those two points?
  • Describe the shape of the graph.
  • Describe the overall shape (or trend) of the graph. This is what it would look like if you could run a wide line through it, covering up all the little wiggles.
  • If the globally averaged land and ocean surface temperatures keep following this overall trend, what will the temperature anomaly be next year, and the next?
  • What can we do to reduce this predicted temperature anomaly?
  • If the globally averaged land and ocean surface temperatures keep following this overall trend, what will the difference in this year’s globally averaged temperature be between this year and your last year of high school?
  • Discuss the implications of a warmer climate and Antarctica currently having a large portion of the Earth’s fresh water stored as ice and snow.

Curriculum Mapping

Mathematics and Science in the New Zealand Curriculum.