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Where in the World Is Carbon Dioxide? The Potential Impact of Rising Levels of Carbon Dioxide on U.S. Forests (Spanish)
Most scientists think that evidence from different studies shows that our global climate is changing in many ways, such as getting warmer, more rain falling in shorter amounts of time, and more drought. The scientists in this study used mathematical formulas to study what kind of impact these changes in the Earth’s climate might have on vegetation.
Where in the World Is Carbon Dioxide? The Potential Impact of Rising Levels of Carbon Dioxide on U.S. Forests (Spanish)
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The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: Does it take much of a change in climate to cause a change in the type of vegetation growing in an...FACTivity – Where in the World is Carbon Dioxide? (Spanish)
The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: Does it take much of a change in climate to cause a change in the type of vegetation growing in an...
Glossary
View All Glossaryanalyze
(a nǝ līz): To study or find out the nature and relationship of the parts of something.
average
(av (ǝ) rij): A value that is computed by dividing the sum of a set of terms by the number of terms.
broadleaf
(brȯd lēf): Having broad leaves; specifically, having leaves that are not needles.
carbohydrate
(kär bō hī drāt): Any of various compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (as sugars, starches, or celluloses) most of which are formed by plants and are a major animal food.
climate
(klī mǝt): The average weather conditions of a particular place or region over a period of years.
coniferous
(kō ni f(ǝ) rǝs): Characterized by leaves resembling needles or scales in shape and including forms (like pines) with true cones.
deciduous
(di si jǝ wǝs): Having parts, like leaves, that fall off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle.
ecosystem
(ē kō sis tǝm): A system made up of an ecological community of living things interacting with their environment especially under natural conditions.
elevation
(e lǝ vā shǝn): The height above sea level.
photosynthesis
(fō tō sin thǝ sǝs): The process by which plants (and some bacteria and protists) that contain chlorophyll make carbohydrates from water and from carbon dioxide in the air in the presence of light.
skeptical
(skep ti kǝl): Relating to or marked by doubt.
species
(spē sēz or spē shēz): A category of living things that ranks below a genus, is made up of related individuals able to produce fertile offspring, and is identified by a two-part scientific name.
vegetation
(ve jǝ tā shǝn): Plant life or total plant cover of an area.
weather
(we thǝr): The state of the atmosphere in regard to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness.
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Richard Birdsey
Environmental Science
I like being a scientist because it is exciting to be involved in research that could help solve climate change, which is a global problem. It is quite a thrill...View Profile -
Linda Joyce
Quantitative Ecologist
I like being a scientist because I can explore how ecosystems work and use the power of mathematics to describe the processes in ecosystems.View Profile
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
We Welcome Feedback
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Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
Director, Natural Inquirer program -
Email
Education Files
Related Resources from the Natural Inquirer
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Most scientists think that evidence from different studies shows that our global climate is changing in many ways, such as getting warmer, more rain falling in shorter amounts of time,...Where in the World Is Carbon Dioxide? The Potential Impact of Rising Levels of Carbon Dioxide on U.S. Forests
Most scientists think that evidence from different studies shows that our global climate is changing in many ways, such as getting warmer, more rain falling in shorter amounts of time,... -
Test your knowledge of plants, climate, and weather with a word search.Word Search – Where in the World Is Carbon Dioxide?
Test your knowledge of plants, climate, and weather with a word search.
