Smoke and Mirrors: Detecting the Amount of Gases in Wildland Fire Smoke
Some kinds of forest fires can be beneficial to the natural environment and to people. Fire is a normal event in the natural environment. Forest fires also have some disadvantages. The scientists in this study wanted to test the smoke that comes from forest fires to discover the amount of greenhouse gases going into the troposphere.
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Test your knowledge on compounds, sample size, and vegetation.Word Search – Smoke and Mirrors
Test your knowledge on compounds, sample size, and vegetation.
Glossary
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Ron Babbitt
I like being a fire scientist because big fires are almost always exciting.View Profile -
Isaac Bertschi
I like being a scientist because doing research is fun. Sometimes I get to go to interesting places to discover new things about the environment. I also like to tell...View Profile -
Dave Griffith
I like being a scientist because I am curious about what makes the world around me work the way it does. I enjoy developing instruments so that I can make...View Profile -
Wei Min Hao
I like being a scientist because I want to understand the impact of human activities on the global environment.View Profile -
Ron Susott
I like being a scientist because I get to work in interesting places with other scientists on problems of worldwide importance.View Profile -
Dale Wade
I like being a scientist because I get to investigate wildland fire. Wildland fire is one of nature’s most awesome forces. Through research I learn how it can be harnessed...View Profile -
Darold Ward
I like being a scientist because every day brings something new. Being a fire scientist is important. I study questions about the danger of fire smoke to human health, whether...View Profile -
Bob Yokelson
I like being a scientist because in my job as a scientist at least one interesting thing happens almost every day.View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- People, Places, and Environments
- Science, Technology, and Society
- Time, Continuity, and Change
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