Ground Truth Studies Teacher Handbook - Aspen Global Change ...

DRAFT VER / 1.1
How to Use This Book
There are many approaches to learning about global
change and any attempt to categorize global change is
difficult because Earth systems are so interrelated. The
air we breathe is intricately affected by processes
occurring simultaneously in the atmosphere, water,
land and life on Earth. This handbook is the first in a
series that will examine the issue of global change from
the perspective of four familiar, important and interrelated
Earth systems: air, water, land and living things.
It is important to develop the flexibility to step back
and view complex Earth systems as one immense
whole, as well as to delve into its parts. This notion of
viewpoint, or perspective, is essential to the study of
global change. For example, Earth, observed from the
surface of the moon, provides a global perspective
while the Earth observed from the edge of a pond,
provides a local view which is equally necessary to our
understanding of Earth systems. The activities in this
handbook address both of these perspectives through
the use of remotely sensed images that give a synoptic,
or bird’s eye view, and through ground truthing field
trips and activities to obtain a detailed view of our
planet.
Many issues, such as global warming, the ozone hole
and the loss of biological diversity, will be familiar to
you and your students, but the details of the role of
humans in causing global scale change will not be so
clear. As educators, we need to engage students in an
exploration of changing Earth systems and the role
humans play in some of those changes. Your students
will be keenly interested because it is their future which
is at stake. Global Change Studies are exciting because
of the linkages they forge between a multitude of
disciplines, and this Handbook is designed to provide
you with relevant activities to supplement your courses.
Background Information —
The Primers
To aid you in teaching about global change, we have
provided a Global Change Primer which answers many
frequently asked questions about a number of major global
change topics. This will give you a head start on many
global change issues, enable you to interpret the discussions
and events covered by the media, and provide you with
answers for many of the questions of your students.
This handbook uses remotely sensed images and ground
truthing activities to provide both large scale perspectives
and tools for the study of global change in the area where
you and your students live. The Remote Sensing Primer
provides an overview of the theory and application of
remote sensing technology. The bibliography lists a number
of excellent references on remote sensing that also include
striking images and case studies in the application of remote
sensing.
Remote sensing and ground truthing make use of the
knowledge and skills students acquire from many traditional
school subjects. These activities also remove the physical
walls between students and their environment. Their
improved ability to “see” and experience their world can
bring them closer to understanding the interdependence of
all life and the fragile systems of this complex planet, Earth.
© ASPEN GLOBAL CHANGE INSTITUTE 1995 GROUND TRUTH STUDIES
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