Chapter Challenges are an important component of your studies in Earth Science. These long term projects establish your team as researchers or investigators and set you off on a mission to help solve a problem in your community.

Your first Chapter Challenge is this:

Leaders in your community want to know if an El Nino event could affect the weather and economy of your community. They have asked your help. The state will host a conference to discuss how to minimize the impact of El Nino, but only if your research reveals it can actually affect your community.

You are to prepare a report in which you will explain:

1. Ocean surface circulation and how it changes during El Nino
2. The relationship of ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns during an El Nino
   

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3. Changes in weather or climate that might occur in our community (central Florida)
4. The relationship between ocean circulation patterns and the food chain and how El Nino affects these.
   

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5. How El Nino related changes in the food chain might affect Florida.

The project can take many forms (video, PowerPoint presentation, podcast or typed report).

Little time will be devoted to producing your report in class, so consider this a home project. Each of the activities we will be doing in class is designed to provide the information you need to complete this project. However feel free to conduct additional study into this topic and include that information in your report.

Each time you complete one of the activities, there is a “Reflecting on the Activity and the Challenge” and “Preparing for the Chapter Challenge” section in your EarthComm textbook, both of which are designed to help you complete your project.

The due date will be October 28th. That gives you a little more than 3 weeks.

The project will be evaluated on how thoroughly and accurately you address each of the items listed above. A one or two sentence answer for each would not be considered complete. Illustrations, charts, data tables or graphs should be included. These help to provide scientific data supporting your statements. Remember to include a list of sources. The report will also be graded on how interesting and creative it is. Put your artistic and scientific sides to work.