Volcano Above Clouds

® Original broadcast: November 25, 2003 BEFORE WATCHING Volcano Above the Clouds 1Define the word “ecosystem” for your students. (An ecosystem comprises the interactions among PROGRAM OVERVIEW populations in a community and their physical surroundings.) Ask NOVA joins climbers scaling Mount students to provide examples of Kilimanjaro as they travel through local ecosystems. ecosystems ranging from a cloud 2 Have students locate Mount forest to a glaciated mountaintop. Kilimanjaro on a map. Ask students what they think the climate would The program: be like there. Do students think that • chronicles the quest of ecosystems would be different naturalist Robin Buxton, who between the base of the mountain and its peak? Assign students to was disabled by polio in take notes on the areas listed in the childhood, to reach the top of “Climbing Kilimanjaro” activity on Africa’s highest mountain. page 2. • features specially adapted plants that grow in cold and high altitudes. • describes the danger that Mount Kilimanjaro could suffer a AFTER WATCHING landslide, like Mount St. Helens in Washington, that triggers a 1 Group dynamics play an important catastrophic eruption. role in research expeditions. Ask • shows how scientists take temperature readings in the volcano’s students to give examples from the crater to help them predict how far below the surface the magma program of times when the group’s lies. ability to work together was important to reach its goal or to ensure • follows scientists as they search for the source of fresh water found the survival of group members. at the mountain’s base. (Examples may include times when • reveals how warm air from the volcano and global warming may the porters disagreed about how to be contributing to the evaporation of Mount Kilimanjaro’s glaciers, put up the tent, when the porters which could disappear within 20 years. decided to take turns carrying Robin, when Robin decided to turn • concludes that the glaciers are not the source of the fresh water back rather than continue to the found at the base of mountain. summit, or when the leaders decided how early they should set out or what route to take.) Taping Rights: Can be used up to one year after the program is taped off the air. 1 NOVA TEACHER’S GUIDE www.pbs.org/nova/volcano/ CLASSROOM ACTIVITY STANDARDS CONNECTION Objective To develop a travelogue to describe the distinct ecological regions of The “Climbing Kilimanjaro” activity aligns with the following National Mount Kilimanjaro. Science Education Standards. Materials for each group GRADES 5–8 • copy of the “Climbing Kilimanjaro” student handout Science Standard C: • access to print and Internet resources for research Life Science Populations and ecosystems Procedure • A population consists of all indivi- duals of a species that occur together 1 Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, Africa, is home to distinct ecological at a given place and time. All regions, including rain and cloud forest, heath and moorland, alpine populations living together and the desert, and glacier environments. In this activity, students create physical factors with which they a travelogue that describes the geological, climatic, and biological interact compose an ecosystem. features of the different regions. • The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on 2 Organize students into groups and distribute the “Climbing Kilimanjaro” the resources available and abiotic student handout. Tell students that they are part of a larger team that is factors, such as quantity of light climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Their group’s role is that of team recorder, and water, range of temperatures, and they should create a travelogue that describes the ecology and and soil composition. climate of the different regions of the mountain. In addition, the trave- GRADES 9–12 logue should describe the health issues that may affect climbers, and any Science Standard C: necessary equipment or safety precautions that the team may need at Life Science each stage of the climb. The interdependence of organisms 3 As they watch, have students take notes about the different regions of • Organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems. The Kilimanjaro listed on their student handout. Assign each group, or each interrelationships and interdepen- student in a group, to take notes about a certain section of the climb. dencies of these organisms may 4 After watching, students should use print and Internet resources to generate ecosystems that are complete their research and create their travelogues. stable for hundreds or thousands of years. 5 Conclude by having teams present their travelogues. Encourage a class • Living organisms have the capacity discussion about what makes each region unique and what character- to produce populations of infinite istics might be necessary for animals and plants to survive in the size but environments and different environments. resources are finite. This funda- 6 As an extension, ask students to add a section to their travelogue that mental tension has profound effects on the interactions between discusses why scientists are interested in Mount Kilimanjaro. They can organisms. draw their answers from the program and from the article “Mount Kilimanjaro: One Mountain, Five Climates” found at forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=9833 Video is not required for this activity. Classroom Activity Author Margy Kuntz has written and edited educational materials for 20 years. She has authored numerous educational supplements, basal text materials, and trade books in science, math, and computers. VOLCANO ABOVE THE CLOUDS 2 NOVA TEACHER’S GUIDE www.pbs.org/nova/volcano/ ACTIVITY ANSWER There is also a greater fluctuation 4 inches of precipitation per year, in temperature, with high tempera- usually in the form of snow. The Students’ descriptions of each tures during the day, and freezing oxygen level in the air is half that region may include the following temperatures at night. This region of sea level. Barren volcanic debris features and characteristics: has several distinct plants, includ- and volcanic craters cover the Rain and Cloud Forest ing dwarf camphor trees and giant ground. There is no animal life in (6,000 feet to 9,000 feet) lobelia and senecio (groundsel). this region, and only a few stunted Rain forests are very dense, warm, The lobelia grow up to 10 feet lichens. Just below the summit wet forests. The temperature gen- high, have hollow stems, and tall are glacier cliffs with carved walls. erally ranges between 70°F and flower-like spikes. In order to pro- However, the glaciers are disap- 80°F throughout the year, and the tect the sensitive leaf buds from pearing at such a rapid rate that forest area may have between 40 the nighttime temperatures, the there is concern that the ice cover inches to 80 inches of rain per lobelia close their leaves around may disappear completely within year. At about 8,000 feet, a layer of the central core, while secreting a the next 20 years. slimy antifreeze-like solution. The cloud often forms, which blankets Equipment and Safety Issues the forest throughout most of the giant groundsel can reach 16 feet Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro day. These clouds are an important high with a crown of large leaves involves preparing for conditions source of water for the areas below and a 3-foot long spike of yellow ranging from tropical to arctic with the mountain. A thin layer of poor flowers. The groundsel uses its old extremely high winds and sub- soil covers a thick layer of clay on dead leaves as insulation around freezing temperatures. Important the forest floor. There are a num- its trunk. There is not much equipment includes food and ber of different tree species in the wildlife in this region because of water, multiple insulating layers forest, and many grow between 130 the altitude, although wild dog, of clothes, sturdy rain gear, alpine and 165 feet tall. The branches of eland, and lion have been found. sunglasses, sun block, aspirin, the trees interlock to form a Alpine Desert sturdy hiking boots, and camping canopy above the forest. Mosses, (13,000 feet to 16,500 feet) equipment. In addition, altitude lichens, ferns, and orchids are This is a harsh, dry, windy region, sickness can occur at high other common plants. The forest consisting mostly of bare rock and altitudes, due to the inability of supports a variety of wildlife ice. The temperature of the area the human body to adjust to a including colobus and blue ranges from below freezing at rapid gain in altitude. Symptoms monkeys, bushbuck, duikers, night to 85°F during the day. The of altitude sickness include loss lions, leopards, and bush pigs. air is very thin, and radiation from of appetite, headache, nausea, Heath and Moorland the sun is intense. It rains less vomiting, exhaustion, weakness, a (9,000 feet to 13,000 feet) than 10 inches per year, so there rapid pulse even at rest, insomnia, Above the forest line, porous soils are very few plants, mostly lichens swelling of hands and face, and and lower rainfall result in much and small mosses. Only a few reduced urine output. Climbers sparser vegetation. The lower birds, such as raven and other with severe symptoms must stop altitudes of this region are charac- large birds of prey, can survive in ascending and consider descend- terized by a wide, rolling meadow this region, along with several ing to a lower altitude. A slow with giant heath plants and many small rodents. At certain times of pace, drinking lots of fluids, and small wild flowers. Heavy mists the year, snow covers the area. certain medications can prevent or reduce the severity of altitude often cover the area. These areas Summit (16,500 feet and up) may get about 30 or 40 inches of sickness.

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