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Climate Change Science and Modeling

Modules are currently unavailable

Apologies, the education modules are currently unavailable due to a technical issue. Links to updated modules presenting the same content will be available soon. In the interim, the education modules can still be accessed by USDA employees via AgLearn.


Click here to begin the module

Climate Change Science and Modeling: What You Need to Know gives a brief overview of the climate system, greenhouse gases, climate models, current climate change impacts, and future projections. There is a 14-question activity at the end of the module, and users who complete the activity will receive a printable certificate with their name and the date completed. The expected time commitment for this module is about 20 minutes, plus the activity and time spent exploring the many outward links and interactive features at the user's discretion.


AgLearn Credit is available for completing all three Climate Change: What You Need to Know modules. Search in AgLearn for the course FS2100 Responding to a Changing Climate and its Effects on Forests and Grasslands. Add this course to your "To-Do List". After watching all three modules and completing each module activity, return to AgLearn and click on the "Click Here to Confirm Completion" link to certify completion. Finish the Level One Survey to gain credit.

Learning Objectives

By the end of Climate Change Science and Modeling, users should know:
  • The three adaptation options: resistance, resilience, and transition
  • Main greenhouse gases contributing to climate change
  • How the greenhouse effect works
  • The flow of carbon through the carbon cycle
  • Examples of climate change impacts by region
  • The components of climate models and the uncertainty associated with models
  • Emissions scenarios storylines and representative concentration pathways
  • Examples of projected future climate impacts
The Climate Change Science and Modeling activity will help users gain an understanding of:
  • Historic temperature changes in their region
  • Projected temperature changes by mid-century and the end of the century for their region
  • Current and projected impacts in their region
  • General differences between high and low emissions scenario projections

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