Week 3: Climate Change Impact on Ecosystems

Grade 7 Science | Rosche | Kairos Academies

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Year-End Vocabulary Review

Review key terms: climate change, greenhouse gas, trophic cascade, biodiversity, and more!

Practice These Vocabulary Terms

Year-End Integration Week

This is your final week of Grade 7 Science! You'll demonstrate mastery of the 7 Cross-Cutting Concepts, present your independent investigations, and reflect on your growth as a scientist this year.

Day 1
CCC Synthesis
Day 2
Investigation Presentations
Day 3
Assessment & Reflection

Learning Targets

What you'll demonstrate this week
Common Mistake
  1. Apply all 7 cross-cutting concepts to ecosystem analysis
  2. Present independent investigation findings with evidence
  3. Demonstrate integrated understanding of year content
  4. Reflect on scientific thinking development
Common Mistake Alert
Misconception Reality Why It Matters
"Climate change only affects polar regions and ice caps" Climate change impacts EVERY ecosystem—including Missouri's rivers, forests, and prairies (see extensive local impacts above!) Dismissing local impacts prevents communities from preparing and adapting
"Organisms can always adapt quickly to climate change" Evolution takes thousands of generations; current climate change is happening 100-1000x faster than historical rates—most species cannot adapt in time Overestimating adaptation leads to underestimating extinction risk
"Climate impacts are far in the future" Climate change is happening NOW—you've studied current Missouri impacts: increasing floods, heat waves, pollinator declines, ecosystem shifts Thinking "future problem" delays action when we need immediate solutions
"Individual actions don't matter for climate" While systemic change is essential, individual choices DO matter—conservation behaviors, voting, advocacy, and collective action drive policy change Learned helplessness prevents the citizen engagement necessary for climate solutions

Scientist Spotlight: Dr. Katharine Hayhoe

Climate Scientist & Science Communicator

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is one of the world's leading climate scientists. As Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a professor at Texas Tech University, she combines rigorous climate science with exceptional communication skills, helping people understand climate change impacts on their own communities nationwide—including the Midwest.

Background & Unique Perspective

Born in Canada in 1972, Hayhoe earned her PhD in atmospheric science from the University of Illinois in 2005. What makes her unique? She's an evangelical Christian who sees climate action as a moral imperative—bridging the gap between science and faith communities often skeptical of climate science. Her husband is a pastor, and she frequently speaks at churches about climate stewardship.

Groundbreaking Work: Climate Modeling & Regional Impacts

Hayhoe doesn't just study global climate trends—she uses sophisticated computer models to predict climate impacts at the LOCAL level. This matters because people care more about "How will climate change affect MY community?" than abstract global averages.

  • Regional Research: Hayhoe's team has modeled how climate change will specifically impact different U.S. regions, including the Midwest: more extreme heat waves (35+ days per year over 100°F in Missouri by 2050), increased flooding events like 1993 and 2019, and threatened water supplies.
  • Regional Downscaling: She developed methods to "downscale" global climate models to county and city levels, allowing mayors and city planners to prepare for specific local risks (heat, flooding, drought, etc.).
  • Ecosystem Impacts: Her work predicts how regional ecosystems (like those you studied this cycle!) will change—monarch butterfly migration disrupted, river floodplains degraded by extreme floods, and heat stress on pollinators.
Connection to Your Learning

CCCs in Climate Science: Hayhoe's work perfectly demonstrates the Cross-Cutting Concepts you're synthesizing this week!

  • Patterns: She identifies patterns in temperature and precipitation data over decades
  • Cause & Effect: Links greenhouse gas emissions to specific regional climate changes
  • Scale: Connects global atmospheric processes to local weather extremes in communities across the U.S.
  • Systems: Models Earth's climate as an integrated system (atmosphere, ocean, ice, biosphere)
  • Energy & Matter: Tracks heat energy distribution and carbon cycling
  • Stability & Change: Studies how climate stability is being disrupted by human activities

Science Communication Excellence

Hayhoe is famous not just for her research, but for explaining climate science in accessible, non-partisan ways:

  • "Global Weirding" Video Series: Short, engaging videos explaining climate science concepts—named "Global Weirding" because climate change makes weather more extreme and unpredictable
  • Book: "Saving Us" (2021): Focuses on how to talk about climate change with people who disagree—using empathy, shared values, and local relevance rather than fear or blame
  • Social Media Presence: 500,000+ followers on Twitter/X where she answers science questions, debunks misinformation, and shares climate solutions
  • Awards: Named UN Champion of the Earth (2019), one of Time's 100 Most Influential People (2014), and received the Stephen Schneider Award for Climate Communication (2018)

Why Her Work Matters for YOU

  • Local Relevance: Hayhoe proves that climate science isn't just about polar bears—it's about YOUR city, YOUR ecosystems, YOUR future
  • Communication Matters: Even brilliant science is useless if people don't understand it. Hayhoe shows that scientists must be effective communicators!
  • Bridging Divides: She demonstrates that science and values (faith, family, community) aren't opposed—they can work together for solutions
  • Women in STEM: As a woman leading climate science in a male-dominated field (and conservative state!), she's a role model for aspiring scientists
  • Courage: Hayhoe faces online harassment and threats for her climate work but continues advocating for science-based policy. Scientists sometimes need bravery!
Key Quote:

"The most important thing we can do about climate change is talk about it. And the key to talking about it is not more science—it's connecting it to what people already care about." - Dr. Katharine Hayhoe

Challenge: How would YOU explain climate change's impact on Missouri ecosystems to someone skeptical of climate science? Hayhoe teaches us to start with shared values, not data dumps!

Climate Impacts on Missouri Ecosystems

How climate change affects the biodiversity you studied this cycle

You've studied trophic cascades (Week 1) and biodiversity-resilience connections (Week 2). Now consider how climate change threatens the Missouri ecosystems in your backyard—and how these changes cascade through food webs and ecosystem services.

St. Louis Climate Snapshot: What's Changing?

Climate Factor Historical (1950-2000) Current (2020s) Projected (2050)
100°F+ Days ~5 days/year ~12 days/year ~35 days/year
Heavy Rainfall Events 3-4 inches in 24 hrs (once/5 years) 5-7 inches in 24 hrs (once/2 years) 8+ inches in 24 hrs (more frequent - 1993/2019-scale floods)
Flood Frequency Major Mississippi floods every 20-30 years Major floods every 10-15 years Major floods every 5-10 years
Growing Season 185 frost-free days 200 frost-free days 220+ frost-free days

Ecosystem Impact #1: Mississippi River Floodplain Under Stress

Increased Flooding + Habitat Degradation = Biodiversity Loss

The Mississippi River floodplain (ecosystem services worth billions—see Week 2!) faces compounding climate threats:

  • Increased flooding: More intense rainfall events overwhelm levees and natural floodplains. The 1993 flood ($15 billion damage) was a "500-year event"—but 2019's flood matched it. Climate models predict such floods every 10-20 years by 2050.
  • Trophic cascade effect: Prolonged flooding drowns bottomland forest trees → loss of acorn production → decline in deer, turkey, and wood duck populations → reduced predator populations (bobcats, foxes) → mesopredator release
  • Freshwater mussels at risk: Missouri has world's highest mussel diversity (70+ species), but increased sedimentation from floods smothers mussel beds. Mussels are ecosystem engineers providing water filtration—their loss degrades water quality.
  • Biodiversity hotspot threatened: 3 million migratory birds depend on Mississippi River wetlands as stopover habitat. Wetland degradation = population declines cascading through food webs across continents.

Ecosystem Impact #2: Urban Heat & Biodiversity

Remember St. Louis's heat inequality from Week 2 environmental justice section? Climate change amplifies these disparities:

St. Louis Neighborhood Tree Canopy Current Summer Heat (avg high) Projected 2050 Heat Ecosystem Impact
Clayton/Central West End (wealthy) 40-45% 89°F 94°F Some bird/pollinator stress but manageable
North City (low-income) 8-12% 99°F 108°F+ Pollinators cannot forage (>105°F shuts down bee activity), birds abandon nests, heat-sensitive species disappear
Climate Justice Connection

Low-income St. Louis neighborhoods lose biodiversity FIRST due to:

  • Less tree canopy = higher temperatures = pollinators die sooner
  • Concrete heat islands = fewer plants survive = less food for herbivores = trophic cascade
  • Loss of urban biodiversity = no ecosystem services (pollination, pest control, mental health benefits)
  • Meanwhile, wealthy neighborhoods maintain trees and irrigation—biodiversity inequality widens

Ecosystem Impact #3: Monarch Butterfly Migration Disruption

Missouri is on the critical Central migration route for eastern monarch butterflies (mentioned Week 2). Climate change threatens this phenomenon:

  • Temperature mismatch: Monarchs evolved to migrate when milkweed plants emerge. Warmer springs cause milkweed to bloom 2-3 weeks earlier than monarchs arrive—caterpillars starve.
  • Extreme weather: Late spring freezes (increasingly unpredictable due to climate instability) kill migrating monarchs. More intense spring storms disrupt migration timing.
  • Drought stress: Missouri droughts (increasing in frequency) kill milkweed plants during critical summer breeding season. Prairies lose milkweed to invasive species stress.
  • Cascade effect: Monarch population declined 80% since 1990s. This affects pollination services for wildflowers, reduces food for insect-eating birds, and eliminates a cultural/educational resource (monarch migration brings ecotourism to Missouri).

Ecosystem Impact #4: Ozark Forest Composition Shifts

Remember the Ozark National Scenic Riverways from Week 1? It's a biodiversity hotspot where forests, glades, and springs converge. Climate change is unraveling this biodiversity:

Species at Risk
  • Shortleaf pine: Fire-adapted species dominant in Missouri Ozarks. Climate change increases catastrophic wildfire risk and extended droughts stress pine forests—oak species replacing pine.
  • Amphibians: Ozarks have 75+ amphibian species (salamander diversity capital of North America). Increased drought frequency dries up cave streams and spring pools—population crashes cascade through food webs (fewer salamanders = more insects, altered cave ecosystems).
  • Endemic cave species: Missouri has more caves than any U.S. state (6,000+). Many cave-dwelling species found nowhere else. Altered groundwater flows from climate-driven precipitation changes threaten extinction of dozens of endemic invertebrates.
  • Tree species migration: As temperatures warm, southern species (like shortleaf pine) decline while heat-tolerant oaks expand. Cool-adapted species like sugar maple retreat northward. Ozark forest character could transform within 50 years.

What Can Missouri Do? Adaptation & Resilience

St. Louis & Missouri Climate Adaptation: Ecosystem-Based Strategies

Recognizing that ecosystems provide climate resilience, St. Louis and Missouri are investing in nature-based solutions:

  • Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative: Regional collaboration on "living levees"—combining engineered flood protection with wetland restoration. Wetlands absorb flood water, filter pollution, and provide wildlife habitat.
  • Forest ReLeaf Tree Equity Program: Planting 50,000+ trees in historically redlined neighborhoods across St. Louis metro—reducing heat inequality AND creating wildlife corridors
  • Missouri River Floodplain Restoration: Missouri Department of Conservation purchasing former agricultural land to restore 30,000+ acres of floodplain forest and wetlands—natural flood control + biodiversity habitat
  • Native Prairie Restoration: Missouri Prairie Foundation and partners planting milkweed and native prairie plants—restoring pollinator habitat AND climate resilience (native plants drought-tolerant, deep roots prevent erosion)

Connection to CCCs You're Synthesizing This Week

Apply Your CCC Thinking to Missouri Climate Impacts:
  • Patterns: What patterns do you see in how climate change affects different St. Louis neighborhoods? Different ecosystems?
  • Cause & Effect: How does greenhouse gas emission (cause) lead to specific Missouri ecosystem changes (effect)?
  • Scale: How do global climate processes scale down to local St. Louis impacts on your neighborhood's trees and birds?
  • Systems: How are Missouri ecosystems (Ozark forests, Mississippi River, urban St. Louis) interconnected systems responding to climate stress?
  • Energy & Matter: How does trapped heat energy in the atmosphere cascade through Missouri food webs and ecosystem services?
  • Stability & Change: Which Missouri ecosystems are most resilient to climate change, and which are collapsing?

Climate Justice & Cross-Cutting Concepts

Contextual framing for year-end synthesis
Essential Question: How do the Cross-Cutting Concepts help us understand not just what climate change is, but who it affects most severely?

As you synthesize your understanding of the 7 Cross-Cutting Concepts this week, consider an essential dimension of scientific thinking: climate justice. Climate change impacts are not distributed equally—communities with the least responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions often face the most severe consequences. This reality connects to every CCC you've studied.

Climate Justice Through the Cross-Cutting Concepts

CCC-1: Patterns. Urban heat island effects reveal stark patterns of environmental inequality. In many U.S. cities, neighborhoods that were historically "redlined" (denied mortgages and investment based on race) now experience temperatures 5-15°F higher than wealthier areas. These patterns emerged from discriminatory housing policies that concentrated poverty, reduced tree cover, and increased asphalt coverage. The Climate Vulnerability Index shows these patterns repeating across income and racial lines nationwide—low-income communities of color consistently rank highest in heat exposure vulnerability.

CCC-2: Cause & Effect. Climate change reveals a fundamental disconnect between causes and effects across geography and time. The United States and Europe produced 60% of historical CO₂ emissions but represent only 15% of the global population. Meanwhile, nations like Bangladesh, Pacific Island states, and sub-Saharan African countries—which contributed less than 5% of emissions—face devastating impacts from sea level rise, droughts, and extreme weather. Within the U.S., wealthy suburban communities with high per-capita emissions often have resources to adapt (air conditioning, flood barriers), while low-income urban and rural communities bear disproportionate health and economic costs.

CCC-3: Scale, Proportion, & Quantity. Climate justice operates across multiple scales. At the global scale, the richest 10% of humanity produces 50% of emissions while the poorest 50% produces only 10%. At the national scale, low-income households spend 3-4 times more of their income on energy than wealthy households. At the local scale, communities within a single city can experience dramatically different flood risks, air quality, and heat exposure. Understanding these proportional relationships is essential for designing equitable climate solutions.

CCC-4: Systems & System Models. Climate justice is fundamentally a systems problem, linking historical inequities, current resource distribution, political power, and environmental vulnerability. Food web models helped you understand ecosystem connections; similar systems thinking reveals how zoning laws, infrastructure investment, public transit access, and green space distribution create interconnected patterns of climate vulnerability. Just as removing wolves cascaded through Yellowstone's ecosystem, discriminatory policies cascade through communities for generations.

CCC-5: Energy & Matter. Energy use inequality drives climate injustice. The average American uses 80,000 kWh of primary energy annually—10 times more than the average person in India, 20 times more than in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet energy poverty exists within the U.S.: 25 million households face energy insecurity, unable to afford adequate heating and cooling. As you studied energy flow through trophic levels (10% efficiency), consider energy justice: who has access to energy, who bears the pollution burden from energy production, and who benefits from the energy transition to renewables?

CCC-6: Structure & Function. Infrastructure determines climate resilience. Well-designed structures protect communities from climate impacts—seawalls prevent flooding, green roofs reduce heat, stormwater systems manage rainfall. But infrastructure investment follows patterns of inequality. Wealthier neighborhoods have updated water systems, maintained levees, and robust electrical grids. Low-income communities often have aging infrastructure vulnerable to climate stresses: combined sewer overflows during heavy rain, unreliable power during heat waves, deteriorating roads that flood. Structure determines function—and inequitable structures create inequitable climate outcomes.

CCC-7: Stability & Change. Climate change destabilizes systems, but the burden of instability falls unequally. When Hurricane Katrina disrupted New Orleans, wealthy residents evacuated and returned quickly; low-income residents—disproportionately Black—faced displacement that lasted years or became permanent. When heat waves strike, people with air conditioning maintain comfort and health; those without face hospitalization and death at rates 2-3 times higher. Climate instability threatens everyone, but adaptation resources are distributed by wealth and power, determining who can maintain stability through change.

Connection to Your CCC Synthesis: As you analyze how the 7 CCCs apply to ecosystems this week, consider how they also apply to understanding climate justice. Science helps us not only understand natural systems, but also recognize and address human inequities in our relationship with those systems.

Day 1: Cross-Cutting Concept Synthesis

40 points | Apply all 7 CCCs to Yellowstone ecosystem
Today's Challenge: Work in groups to analyze how each of the 7 Cross-Cutting Concepts applies to the Yellowstone ecosystem. Show how the "big ideas" of science connect everything we've learned!

The 7 Cross-Cutting Concepts Applied to Ecosystems

1. Patterns
Population cycles (elk, wolves), migration patterns, seasonal changes in Yellowstone
5 pts
2. Cause & Effect
Wolf removal → elk increase → vegetation loss → river change (trophic cascade!)
6 pts
3. Scale, Proportion, Quantity
Energy transfer (10% rule), population sizes, trophic level ratios
6 pts
4. Systems & System Models
Food web diagrams, nutrient cycling models, ecosystem boundaries
5 pts
5. Energy & Matter
Energy flow through trophic levels (sun → producers → consumers), matter cycling
6 pts
6. Structure & Function
Wolf teeth designed for hunting, elk hooves for grazing, beaver dams for habitat
6 pts
7. Stability & Change
Ecosystem before/after wolves, succession after disturbance, equilibrium
6 pts

Group Presentation Requirements

  • Each group presents 1-2 CCCs (assigned by teacher)
  • Must include specific Yellowstone examples
  • Connect to at least one other cycle's content
  • 5-7 minutes per group presentation
Connection Tip: Think about how these CCCs appeared in other cycles! Patterns in climate (C3), cause & effect in human impact (C4), systems in weather (C5), etc.

Day 1 Form - CCC Analysis

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Day 2: Student Investigation Presentations

40 points | Present your independent research
Showcase Day! Today you present your independent investigation to the class. This is your chance to share what you discovered and how you used the scientific process!

Presentation Format

  • Time: 3-5 minutes per student
  • Must include: Question, Methods, Evidence, Conclusions
  • Required: Connection to at least 2 cycles
  • Q&A: 1-2 questions from peers

Investigation Rubric

Clear research question 5 pts
Evidence-based methods 10 pts
Accurate conclusions supported by data 10 pts
Connection to at least 2 cycles 10 pts
Presentation quality and clarity 5 pts

Peer Feedback

For each presentation you watch, provide written feedback:

  • Strengths: What did they do well?
  • Questions: What do you want to know more about?
  • Connections: How does this connect to your learning?

Day 2 Form - Peer Feedback

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Day 3: Cycle 8 Assessment & Year Reflection

20 points | Demonstrate mastery and reflect on growth

Cycle 8 Content Assessment (15 pts)

Section Points Focus
Section A: Ecosystem Dynamics 5 pts Trophic cascades, food webs, keystone species
Section B: Biodiversity & Services 5 pts Resilience, ecosystem services, conservation
Section C: Integration 5 pts Connect to previous cycles, apply CCCs

Year-End Reflection (5 pts)

Reflect on Your Scientific Growth

  1. What was the most surprising thing you learned this year?
  2. Which Science & Engineering Practice (SEP) did you improve the most? Provide evidence.
  3. How has your thinking about science changed?
  4. What questions do you still have about Earth and life science?
Congratulations! You've completed Grade 7 Science! You've explored climate change, biogeochemical cycles, weather systems, plate tectonics, rock cycles, and ecosystems. You're ready for Grade 8!

Day 3 Form - Assessment & Reflection

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Tier 2 Supports

  • CCC reference sheet with definitions - Quick lookup guide
  • Presentation template with prompts - Structured outline
  • Sentence starters for reflection - Guided writing support

Presentation Sentence Starters

  • "My research question was..."
  • "I collected evidence by..."
  • "My data shows that..."
  • "This connects to [cycle] because..."

Tier 3 Supports

  • Extended presentation time
  • Reduced CCC analysis - Focus on 3-4 concepts
  • One-on-one presentation option
  • Oral reflection alternative
Enrichment & Extension
Optional deep dives for early finishers.

Optional content if you finish early or want to go deeper.

Scientist Spotlight

Research a scientist who contributed to this week's topic area and describe their key findings.

Environmental Justice Connection

Explore how this week's science concepts connect to environmental justice issues in our community.

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Week 3 Complete!

Great work exploring Climate Change Impact on Ecosystems this week!