Symposium Schedule >

Communicating Climate Systems Variability Over Log 10 Temporal Scales: The Development and Evaluation of the Climate Timeline

Mark McCaffrey
NOAA Paleoclimatology Program
National Climatic Data Center

Designed to provide background information and online resources about weather and climate change at varying time scales to non technical audiences, the Climate TimeLine was prototyped through a CIRES Innovative Research Grant.  Using a "powers of ten" approach to temporal scaling, the Climate TimeLine examines the causal forcing impacting climate variability and the human dimension to changing climate over the past 100,000 years.  CIRES Associate Scientists Dan Kowal, who developed the technical infrastructure for the site, and Mark McCaffrey, who contributed most of the content, were assisted by numerous NOAA scientists in developing and reviewing the site.  An evaluation of the usability and content of the prototype conducted with middle, high school and undergraduate students and education and climate experts revealed strong potential of the site for providing an overview of climate processes and their human implications. The formal launch of the website is set for March 27th during the National Science Teacher's Association's National Convention. http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ctl/.