2000: Global Inventory of Methane

A Research Project Guide will be developed to involve junior high students in school-based interdisciplinary science investigations concerning the sources and sinks of methane and contributions to climate change. Lessons included in the Guide will develop students' skills and understanding to participate in the update of the GISS Global Methane Inventory Project. These include: identifying seasonal, interannual and decadal change and relating historical changes in methane emissions to climate change. Lessons will be designed for students to study the human and natural sources of methane in regions around the globe, learn about the methane cycle, identify trends over various time and spatial scales, calculate per capita emissions from different sources, and learn the science concepts relevant to examining the radiative forcing of methane, such as Earth's Energy Budget

Objectives

Understand the major concept of the methane cycle

1. Identify sources and sinks
2. Describe the role of different sources and sinks in the methane cycle

Understand the major concept that changes in methane sources and sinks contribute to climate change

1. Gain a historical perspective on methane's contribution to climate change
   • inter glacial period when only natural sources of methane existed
   • Industrial period when human activities contributed
   • Last 20 years (1980-2000)
2. Compare historical changes of methane in comparison to greenhouse gases and global temperature
3. Identify historical changes (include growth rates) in methane sources (rice, animals, rice, wetland, fossil fuel burning)
4. Calculate the annual share of each methane source and relate to how methane has changed over time and explain connections to sinks, e.g. growth rate is a balance between sources and sinks

Understand the major concept of uncertainty as it relates to scientists' efforts to quantify the climate forcing of methane and predict future climate change

1. Describe what is known about the methane cycle and methane sources/sinks, as well as what is unknown, e.g. important science questions

Understand how statistics are used to calculate the climate forcing of methane and recognize errors in data

Tasks

Prep three lessons that address the above objectives. Each lesson is designed to provide students with the technical and mathematical skills (Internet, data collection and organization, calculating methane emissions, graphical analsyis) and science background (methane cycle, sources/sinks and historical trends) needed to participate in methane research. The context for the lessons is three case studies, covering the following time periods:

1. Inter Glacial Period: What is the role CO₂ and methane in long-term climate change? What were the major sources of methane before human contributions?
2. Industrial Period (1850-2000): How do anthropogenic and natural sources contribute to methane emissions during this time period? What is the trend in methane concentrations?
3. Last Twenty Years (1980-2000): What are the seasonal, interannual and decadal changes in methane concentrations? What are the single global estimates for methane by source? What is the calculated rate of growth for each methane source during this period as it varies from the mean? How do the growth rates in the 1980s compare to the 1990s?

Write descriptions for 2-3 short-term and 1 long-term research projects for students to contribute to the Global Methane Inventory team research via school-base activities. These descriptions should cover information to appreciate major science questions and past results, access and understand project data, implement research methodology and present results.

Prep background and reference materials for teachers and students. For example:

1. Invitation from a NASA scientist to join the team and expectations for student contributions
2. Annotated viewgraphs from methane project presentations with background for teachers
3. Summaries of past methane team research results

Product

The Global Methane Inventory Research Project Guide, including: (1) Instructional lessons that serve as student training for research and address NYS Science Standards; (2) a description of short- and long-term research projects that students can conduct at school and (3) background and reference materials.