AMS CLIMATE STUDIES, AMS OCEAN STUDIES, AND AMS WEATHER STUDIES: UTILIZING REAL-WORLD, CURRENT DATA IN THE CLASSROOM

It is becoming increasing important to promote geoscience education. In support of this mission of improving scientific literacy, the Education Program of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) has produced a suite of introductory, undergraduate level courses that engage students in relevant topics in the geosciences by utilizing real-world, current, environmental data.

Developed with support from NSF, NOAA, and NASA, AMS Weather Studies, AMS Ocean Studies, and AMS Climate Studies, are available for implementation at undergraduate institutions nationwide. Designed to be adaptable to traditional, hybrid, or online instructional settings, these courses have already been adopted by more than 600 colleges and universities across the United States.

AMS Ocean Studies, AMS Weather Studies, and AMS Climate Studies consist of a fully-integrated set of printed and online materials. All three course packages include a hardcover 15-chapter textbook, an Investigations Manual containing 30 lab-style activities, and access to a course website providing weekly current activities and environmental data streams.

By exploring the Earth’s climate as part of a larger Earth system, the newest textbook, Climate Studies: Introduction to Climate Science anchors an up-to-date, comprehensive, climate science course. This course serves as a great primer in preparing students to become responsible, scientifically-literate participants in discussions of climate science and climate change.

AMS Climate Studies maintains a strong focus on the fundamental science, while still addressing many of the societal and real-world impacts that draw the attention of today’s students. One such example featured in AMS Climate Studies is how and why methane hydrates formed on the inside of the oil containment dome during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

AMS Ocean Studies, AMS Weather Studies, and AMS Climate Studies can be offered by experienced science faculty or those new to teaching the subject matter. A mentoring program with support from AMS staff and other course users is available to all new instructors. A simple licensing procedure allows for full institutional access to the Current Investigations, course websites, and course management system-compatible files.

For more information, please visit http://www.ametsoc.org/amsedu.