Climate Code Investigators

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CASE EVIDENCE LAB

Guided Climate Inquiry

CASE: ISLA CLIMA

1 CASE 1: The Mountain Elevation Mystery (Sites A & C)

Both Site A (Stormhaven) and Site C (Summit Peak) are near the Equator. Yet, Site A is covered in a lush, hot tropical forest while Site C has glaciers and ice.

Explain which climate factor causes this extreme difference and why it happens:

5,200m (COLD) 0m (Sea Level) Altitude Effect

2 CASE 2: Coastal Regulation vs. Continental Extremes (Comparing Sites D & E)

Site D (Coast Town) sits on the ocean, whereas Site E (Inland Drylands) is located deep inland. They both lie on a similar mid-latitude line.

Which site has the most extreme temperature swings between summer and winter? Why?

COAST Mild/Stable INLAND Extreme Swings Specific Heat

3 CASE 3: Locating the Storm-Prone Hazards (Sites A & B)

The agency warns that both Site A and Site B are highly prone to massive storms. Identify what current or geographical features from the map fuel storms at each of these sites:

Warm Wet Air Storm Energy

4 CASE 4: Climatologist Argument (Claim-Evidence-Reasoning)

Choose either Site D or Site E. Write an scientific CER prediction of its climate.

My Selected Location Letter:

CLAIM: (State its predicted temperature and moisture levels)

EVIDENCE: (List map clues: latitude, proximity to water, current, or altitude)

REASONING: (Connect climate science rules to explain why that evidence leads to your claim)

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EXEMPLAR MODEL ANSWERS

Clues & Cases Solved

CASE: ISLA CLIMA

✅ CASE 1: The Mountain Elevation Mystery (Sites A & C)

UNDERSTANDING ALTITUDE & TEMPERATURE DECREASE

Exemplar Response: The primary climate factor responsible for this extreme temperature difference is Elevation. Even though both sites are close to the Equator (low latitude), Site C sits at 5,200 meters above sea level. As altitude increases, air pressure and air density decrease, making the atmosphere less capable of absorbing and trapping solar heat. Therefore, temperatures drop dramatically with height, causing snow caps on Site C while Site A remains tropical at sea level.

✅ CASE 2: Coastal Regulation vs. Continental Extremes (Sites D & E)

UNDERSTANDING LAND-WATER TEMPERATURE MODERATION

Exemplar Response: Site E (Inland Drylands) will experience much more extreme temperature swings. This is due to Proximity to Water. Site D is coastal, bordering the ocean which heats up and cools down slowly, acting as a thermal buffer that moderates coastal temperatures. Site E is far inland; dry land absorbs heat rapidly during summer and radiates it away quickly in winter, leading to extreme continental seasonal changes.

✅ CASE 3: Locating the Storm-Prone Hazards (Sites A & B)

UNDERSTANDING ENERGY SOURCES FOR SEVERE WEATHER

Exemplar Response:

• Site A (Stormhaven): Powered directly by the Warm Ocean Current and high solar radiation at the low latitude. This warms the seawater, generating rapid evaporation and massive updrafts of moist, humid air to fuel tropical storms.
• Site B (Tempest Plains): Fueled by the collision of air masses. Moist, warm air blowing inland from the warm eastern ocean current collides with cold, dry air masses coming from the northern cold-current waters, creating unstable conditions ripe for severe mid-latitude storms.

✅ CASE 4: Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) Evaluation Rubric

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING SCIENTIFIC ARGUMENTS

CLAIM: [1 POINT]

Predicts temperature AND precipitation accurately. (e.g., "Site D is cool and moderately humid" or "Site E is hot/cold and extremely dry").

EVIDENCE: [2 POINTS]

References specific visual data from the map. (e.g., "Site D sits on the west coast next to a cold ocean current and is in the mid-latitude path of westerly winds" or "Site E is inland, far from the water, behind a high mountain range").

REASONING: [2 POINTS]

Clearly explains the physics behind the phenomenon. (e.g., "Cold current cools the air and lowers moisture, while coastal location prevents temperature extremes; Inland Drylands lacks ocean moderation and mountains create a rain-shadow block").

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