Independent investigation opportunities in the topic of carbon - PowerPoint Presentation

1. Independent investigation opportunities in the topic of carbonRichard Peasland

2. Getting startedYou’ll need a notepad on which to make notes as you go along, or you could make notes, paste images, etc. on your device.You can view these slides:as a slide-show for any animations and to follow linksin ‘normal’ view if you want to add call-outs or extra slides to make notes, paste images, answer questions.

3. Investigating carbonWhich parts of the carbon cycle can we investigate?Why might the amount of carbon stored be different in different environments?Methods for measuring carbon stores?What’s the context for your investigation?What different environments do you have near you?

4. Opportunities for fieldwork in the carbon cycle

5. Investigating carbonWhy might the amount of carbon stored be different in different environments?ClimateVegetation – woodland, crops, grassland, moorland, bogLand use – urban, agricultural, recreational.

6. Soil carbon – methodsSoil carbon content: loss on ignitionTake a sample of soil.Dry the soil to remove all the water content.Burn the soil* to remove all the organic material in a soil oven/ muffle furnace.Reweigh soil sample – the difference in weight is the amount of organic matter. Half the organic matter is carbon.

7. Soil carbon – methodsPeat?Organic accumulation of decaying plant matter.Either upland blanket bog or lowland raised bogs.Why are they important?Peatlands cover just 3% of the world’s surface but hold nearly 30% of the soil carbon.The UK has 13% of all the world’s blanket bog.UK’s Peatlands store over three billion tonnes of carbon, around the same amount as all the forest in the UK, France and Germany put together.

8. Soil carbon – methodsPeat carbon content:You need to measure the volume of a peat bog.Depth – this may be very deep. Use poles that can screw together.Area – either use a fixed size e.g. one hectare, or measure the whole bog on Google Earth.

9. Carbon in treesWhere does the carbon stored in trees come from?Why might the amount of carbon in differ in different woodlands?SpeciesAgeDensity of trees.

10. Tree carbon content:Height of treeSpecies of treeCircumference of tree.Equipment:Tape measureClinometer Tree ID guide.Carbon in trees – methods

11. Woodland densityTrees per areaDensity measurementApps e.g. habitapp (android).Carbon in trees – methods

12. Carbon – qualitative methodsField sketching or annotated photographs to discuss fluxes:River colourSoil ErosionMapping:Land usesPeatland degradation or soil erosionLand management e.g. burning

13. Investigating carbonScale of your investigation:Natural boundaries e.g. small river catchmentLocal developmentsLocal neighbourhoodVillageIndividual farms

14. Investigation ContextWhy might you investigate the carbon cycle?Issues in the news?Local issues?Relevant research?

15. Investigating CarbonWhat different environments do you have near you?

16. LinksFrom the awarding bodies:GA specs summaryAQA specification, support and example NEAEduqas specification, investigative and research and data analysis skillsEdexcel specification, exemplars and maths supportOCR specification and NEA support.From the GA and the FSC:FSC website for A Level studentsFSC courses and enhancement modulesGA course: Writing up your independent investigationGA Fieldwork at A Level: your guide to the independent investigationFSC and GA Creative Fieldwork Guide.