Project Ashfall
Middle school curriculum brought to you by the Desert Research Institute
What is # Project Ashfall?
Project Ashfall is a series of middle school science lessons revolving around fire science, culminating in a citizen science project. Each lesson takes 1-3 class periods. Lessons include a student-facing Google Site and can be assigned as a self-directed task through the use of technology. Lessons can also be adapted to be teacher-directed. Lessons can be accessed via the links below.
NGSS Connections
MS-ESS3-2 Earth and Human Activity: Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
Lesson 1: Wildfire Dynamics
Students are considering the phenomenon of the Caldor fire and comparing it to prescribed fires. Students investigate how fuel density affects wildfire risk using an online simulation through NetLogo. Students practice creating basic line graphs based on the data from the simulation. They then use their data as evidence to answer the question: How does fuel density affect wildfire severity?
Lesson 2: Wildfires and Weather
Students are considering the phenomenon of the fire season to determine how weather impacts wildfires. Students make qualitative and quantitative observations about fire-related weather. Students practice reading and creating double y-axis graphs to compare climate data from various regions. They use these graphs to make a claim about how weather impacts wildfires. They also consider how climate change might affect wildfires, based on what they've learned.
Lesson 3: Radar and Lidar (Piloting Spring 2024)
Students are considering the phenomenon of fire-whirls to determine how fires can impact weather. Students learn about the role of radar and lidar in predicting fire-whirls, and connect this to the #Ashfall Citizen Science project.
If you are interested in piloting this lesson in your classroom, please email ileahk@dri.edu for access.
#Ashfall Citizen Science
Scientists depend on technology, like radar and lidar, to predict weather phenomena. However, at times, falling ash can interfere with radar and lidar. By sending in photos of falling ash, citizens can help scientists to understand this interference and read radar and lidar more accurately. Watch the video to the right for a demonstration of how to submit photos to Ashfall and an explanation of how your observations will help scientists predict fires.
Next time you see falling ash, take a picture of the ash next to an everyday item (for scale) and click the "Citizen Science Tahoe" button below to submit it to #Ashfall Citizen Science.
Contact Us:
ileahk@dri.edu