Meredith: Hi Sunn

Meredith: How are you Sunn?

Sunnkist: Hello

Meredith: good job on your midterm btw

Sunnkist: I'm good!

Meredith: and congrats on being done with that

Sunnkist: Thanks, did everyone do that well

Meredith: just 2 have tested so far

Sunnkist: Thank you it feels GREAT

Meredith: did you really think people would take it earlier in the week? ;)

Meredith: lol

Sunnkist: haha I didn't have a choice

Meredith: just you and one other so far

Sunnkist: haha

Meredith: well, you are like 75% done now I think or 70%

Meredith: somewhere in there

Meredith: pretty good

Sunnkist: By the way I asked the guy proctoring if I could take the Final at 2:30 even though I signed up online to take it at 4 and he said it was fine

Meredith: ok - good

Meredith: I'm going to be afk a sec

Sunnkist: ok

Meredith: thanks - sorry about that

Meredith: Hopefully the others will show up

Sunnkist: it's okay

Sunnkist: yeah

Meredith: Hi Kurt

Meredith: Have a seat

Meredith: let me grade one more quiz while we wait on Smac ... if she isn't here in 2 min we'll get going

Sunnkist: ok

Meredith: Hi Kurt - I'll grade your test after our session tonight

Meredith: congrats on having that out of the way

Meredith: I just saw it

Meredith: everything went smoothly?

Kurt: yea most of it, I feel I did well on .... the only thing I really didn't know is Light-dependent reactions ... question 24 or something ... but yea it was better than I thought ... science just really isn't my thing ... not a fan ... it's interesting, but just me ... lol

Meredith: lol - understood

Meredith: you are doing well though

Meredith: so it must be a little bit your thing :)

Meredith: You two have good conversations in your group also

Kurt: nah ... just a hard worker for the most part ... lol ...

Kurt: oh good

Kurt: glad to hear it

Meredith: I say we get going

Meredith: ok - so a little qualification

Meredith: the reason I use this topic for a lab is not to promote the purchase or destruction of SUVs

Meredith: it really came out of irritation at the news as the intro says

Sunnkist: haha

Meredith: as a science-minded person, it gets a little disconcerting to hear statements made that simply aren't logical - even if done with good intensions

Kurt: I hear ya

Meredith: so, if it gets a little hot one day, folks say global warming. .. anyhow ... it’s a complicated topic and an important one

Kurt: so glad u said that

Meredith: so it seemed like a good idea to have students look into it

Meredith: and in the past, people from "both sides" always come to agreement in the end

Meredith: so we have to be doing something right when talking about this

Meredith: anyhow, my hope is just to have people look into data, see where it comes from and where statements are generated from and use that to develop firmer opinions

Meredith: whatever those opinions might be

Sunnkist: sounds good

Kurt: k

Meredith: ok - so this week the goal was just to see what kinds of statements are even out there. . . and you probably read a lot of different ideas on causes

Meredith: we'll step through the guiding questions you were given in the order they appear on the sheet

Meredith: at least more or less

Meredith: and we'll just brainstorm ideas

Meredith: ok?

Meredith: speak anytime you think of something - no turns this time

Meredith: and feel free to interrupt

Sunnkist: ok

Meredith: so first question - what data do you think is crucial to have in-hand to determine if global warming is happening?

Meredith: and simple answers are fine :)

Kurt: temperature records

Sunnkist: Data on Temp and Amounts of Greenhouse gases

Meredith: seems logical :)

Meredith: ok

Meredith: so how far back would you want those data do you think?

Sunnkist: pretty far

Kurt: has to be long periods of time

Meredith: ok

Sunnkist: I mean as far back as we can accurately go...I agree with Kurt

Meredith: so what order of magnitude (years, decades, centuries, millennia) do you think?

Meredith: ok

Kurt: millenia

Meredith: so as far back as accurate data exist

Kurt: as far as we can

Meredith: can do

Meredith: seems reasonable

Meredith: ok - what data would you want to have on hand - if anything additional - to pin down if humans are the cause of any observed warming?

Meredith: so far you've asked for temp and greenhouse gases over as large a time span as possible

Sunnkist: data on how much GHG humans produce (co2, etc)

Meredith: ok

Meredith: so not just green house gases as a whole, but how much are human produced

Meredith: ok

Sunnkist: well both

Meredith: anything else to add to that one?

Sunnkist: I think, maybe

Kurt: just the rise in CO2 since the industrial revolution

Sunnkist: yea that's good!

Meredith: ok

Meredith: so the next set of questions ... and these we can spend a little more time on

Meredith: all the hypotheses that are out there

Meredith: and there are a lot!

Meredith: that pin observed changes on something other than green house gases ... and by looking into them we aren't agreeing ... just making sure

Meredith: what are some other ideas you read about suggested as possible causes of global warming

Meredith: ?

Sunnkist: something about the Sun Irradiance because Mars has had an increase in Temp as well

Meredith: ok

Kurt: yes

Meredith: so there was something about the sun emitting more energy or something?

Sunnkist: yeah

Meredith: what data would you want related to that to determine if it is a factor or not?

Sunnkist: Data on how much energy the sun has been emitting in the past as opposed to now

Sunnkist: again as much data as possible

Kurt: and if that is correlated to its burning out

Meredith: ok

Meredith: and I think those data do go back a fair bit

Sunnkist: it would be helpful to understand or know why this is happeneing but not 100% necessary

Meredith: anything else on the solar energy you might want on hand?

Meredith: why the sun changes its emitting properties you mean?

Sunnkist: yes

Meredith: ok

Meredith: what were some other hypotheses you read about?

Meredith: do you remember any others ... even if just a little?

Meredith: uh oh ... you all got quiet

Meredith: ;)

Kurt: nah sorry, my connection's like timing out, having trouble typing and what not

Meredith: ok

Kurt: I’ve read about just the fact of there being the hole in the atmosphere, that more of the sun's power is let in

Meredith: ok - so the ozone layer depletion letting in more solar energy

Meredith: what data would you want to see to determine if that is a factor?

Kurt: whether the temp progressed as the hole increased ... so maps, and data, pics,

Meredith: ok - data on ozone ... no one has asked for that before as an aside

Kurt: because even an increase in temp in one area can affect the rest of the globe

Meredith: I'll have to get that data . . . good job on being a first!

Meredith: and there were a few other hypotheses I can think of in that list

Meredith: do any others come to mind?

Sunnkist: I also read about the ice age and "warm days" that occurred earlier many, many years ago

Meredith: good point

Kurt: yea that's the theory I believe and go by

Meredith: what was the little ice age, if you have an idea?

Sunnkist: and that this is potentially just one of those and that it will cool down, some predict within the next few years things will start to cool off

Meredith: ok

Meredith: what data would you need related to that do you think?

Kurt: if we can measure the temp differences within certain periods of time ... like how rapidly it changed in so many years

Sunnkist: I guess data on the changes in temp over history such as the "warm days" and the Little Ice Age

Meredith: ok

Sunnkist: yeah how much temp increased, how long they lasted

Meredith: any other hypotheses you can recall?

Meredith: one had to do with cities ... do either of you recall that one?

Sunnkist: just something about how it takes longer for cities to cool down due to dense population

Sunnkist: I think

Kurt: yea that ... and like they give off so much CO2 on their own

Meredith: ok - and I think the term is urban heat island

Meredith: so the idea is that cities are warmer than surrounding areas?

Sunnkist: haha that would make more sense huh ... a lil out of it today sorry

Meredith: what would that mean in terms of global warming?

Meredith: np

Kurt: that if we were to eliminate city composition, then it would reduce the effects of global warming

Meredith: ok

Meredith: what data would help us tell whether or not this one is the case?

Kurt: temps and data prior to large city construction, as well as temps in highly suburban areas

Meredith: ok

Meredith: anything else needed in that set of data?

Meredith: and how do you mean highly suburban?

Kurt: like a state that is made up of mostly suburban and rural communities, with maybe only one or no highly built cities

Meredith: ok

Sunnkist: GO Kurt, you're tearing this up

Meredith: so comparing cities and warming to non-cities and warming

Meredith: lol

Kurt: pretty much, I just wanted to be more specific

Meredith: ok

Meredith: and there was an idea ... maybe not a cause ... related to ocean currents

Meredith: what was that about?

Kurt: not sure about that one

Meredith: do you remember anything Sunn?

Sunnkist: I can't recall details sorry

Meredith: ok

Meredith: well I may add that to the data sets. It is interesting and discussed with some frequency in the media

Sunnkist: Something about currents being responsible for moving warm air in an out but that land can't cool down as fast as water (or maybe that’s the opposite)

Meredith: I think you are on the right track

Meredith: water influencing land temp basically?

Sunnkist: Yes

Meredith: ok

Meredith: any other ideas you can think of from what you looked at on the web?

Meredith: or just other ideas?

Meredith: if not that's totally fine

Sunnkist: I can’t think of anything

Meredith: ok - pretty exhaustive list

Meredith: so, I'll post data to the discussion board again

Kurt: yea

Meredith: don't worry if member #3 does or doesn't take 1/3 of the data

Sunnkist: yea

Meredith: I'll make up for any missing members next week

Sunnkist: ok

Sunnkist: what are the 3 topics to choose from?

Meredith: and like last time, just come prepped to explain what you looked at

Meredith: and whether or not it is a viable hypotheses based on data

Meredith: have a good week

Meredith: and rest up now that you are well past the 1/2 mark in class :)

Sunnkist: haha

Sunnkist: Do you know the 3 topics

Sunnkist: or should we discuss it once you post it?

Meredith: well, I'm going to see if I can find data that Kurt asked for

Sunnkist: Okay

Kurt: k

Meredith: if I can, they'll be a little different

Meredith: just let Kurt know which you took and vice versa

Sunnkist: ok so once you post it we can just fig out who's taking what

Sunnkist: Sounds good!

Meredith: ok

Kurt: k

Meredith: have a good week you two

Sunnkist: You too!

Kurt: thanks u too

Meredith: bye!

Meredith: next time I'll be talking to you from Vegas

Meredith: night!

Kurt: later