3dQp or Whats in your 3d Quadrat

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3-dQpor Whats in your 3-d Quadrat?
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How can students better understand our dynamic
Earth system?

• The 3-d Quadrat Program is designed to encourage
  students to actively explore their natural
  environment.
• Students can extrapolate their data to the entire
  Earth system.

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What is a 3-d Quadrat?

• A one-cubic meter frame constructed of sturdy,
  simple, inexpensive materials(about 10), and
  adaptable to be placed in any environment.
• Weather instruments are attached on the frame or
  inside.

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Why use a 3-d cube?

• The basic 1 cubic meter measurement is used by
  scientists throughout the world to describe
  atmospheric conditions.
• For example, 1 cubic meter of atmosphere contains
  .007 grams of CO2.

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Test Question

• Al Gore has offered a 25 million prize for the
  best method to remove 1 billion tons of CO2 from
  the atmosphere every year for ten years. How much
  air would it take to hold 1 billion tons of CO2?
• 143,000,000 cubic meters of air contain 1 ton of
  CO2.
• So a billion tons would be contained in 143 x 10
  to the 15th power cubic meters of air!

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This is just 1 ton of CO2!

• This structure built by a 9th grade science
  teacher is 27 x 27 x 27.
• The cube represents the size of 1 ton of CO2 -
  what the average American puts into the
  atmosphere every 2 days!

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What kind of weather should you measure?

• Temperature
• Relative humidity
• Barometric pressure
• Cloud Cover and type
• Wind speed Direction
• Precipitation

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How do I make the cube?

• Assemble the materials without glue so that it
  may be disassembled.
• Materials
• 12, 94cm long ½ PVC tubes
• 8, 90 degree ½ PVC sideouts (corner connectors)
• Weather instruments
• Tape and or string

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Where should we place the cube?

• It is ideal that the cube be stationary but it
  could be brought out each time if a benchmark
  is used It is key to take readings at the
  same location.
• Or, move it around to several locations to take
  readings from different sites.
• Complete directions are found at the Wright
  Centers website http//www.tufts.edu/as/wright_
  center/3dqp/

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Who is sponsoring this project?

• The program is maintained with funding from the
  Wright center for Innovative Science Education at
  Tufts University.
• Zach Smith at Tufts University is our contact.
  Connect with him to compare your local data to
  his during his Antarctica trip!
• All pictures used in this presentation are from
  the Programs website http//www.tufts.edu/as/wri
  ght_center/3dqp/index.html