Eco Scientist: Americas & Antarctica (THU)
Description:
Become a world-traveling eco adventurer and earth scientist without leaving Compass! Study the world's most exciting and diverse ecosystems and learn about the incredible biologic and geologic phenomena that shape them. Venture into caves and coasts, tundra and taiga, and forests and fjords. Each week, student scientists will begin by locating the fascinating features on a map before learning about these incredible habitats from the ground-up, starting with the geology of a place, then working their way through the climate, biome, flora, and fauna. Hands-on labs and in-class activities will reinforce regional and ecological diversity by examining rock types, classifying plants, observing insects, or modeling weather phenomena.
First quarter, students will journey through the tundra, prairies, temperate rain forests, deciduous forests, and deserts of North and South America. The class will learn how global climate patterns form these different ecosystems, and learn about the amazing diversity of plants and animals that inhabit them. Students will investigate the rainshadow effect, and see why it forms deserts on the leeward side of coastal mountain ranges around the world. Then we will jump from the tip of Chile across the roaring 40s to explore one of our planet's most extreme ecosystems- Antarctica!
Topics in this Series: The Americas and Antarctica (Quarter 1); Northern Latitudes (Quarter 2); Africa & Asia (Quarter 3); and All About Islands (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $20.00 is due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class.
