Tuesday night I saw an excellent documentary on Arctic Dinosaurs found in Alaska on Nova. This program showed that the paleontologists were able to determine the average annual temperature of the region 70 million years ago using the ratio of smooth edged leaves to toothed edged leaves. What was truly interesting is that the paleontologists were able to establish a correlation between this ratio and the average temperatures in modern ecosystems which enabled them to predict, within 1 degree C, which is almost better than what modern meteorology technology can produce.
How can you use this information to come up with your own earth science fair experiments? Well first of all you can see if this ratio really is a good predictor of average annual temperatures. You can start by replicating the experiment using the plants found in your local area. You will need to collect as many leaves as possible and then divide them into smooth edged and toothed edge specimens. Find the ratio of smoothed to toothed edge leaves and then compare them to the ratio that was developed by the paleontologists.
Finding correlations between modern ecosystems and ancient ecosystems is just one way in which we learn about ancient environments. Use what you have learned from the above example to develop your own paleontology or paleonbotany science fair projects. Start by gathering information about your local ancient history. Try to find fossil sites near your house. You will be surprised at how many plant fossils you can find and how many invertebrate fossils you can find along the highway. Collect samples and try to put together a model of what your ecosystem looked like during the last ice age, or during the time of the dinosaurs.
Hey – interesting post. Scientists can do so many amazing things these days. Im a fairly simple person and never been a whiz at science but I do appreciate the massive strides they’ve made over the years. Using leaf edges to predict age is incredible – I can’t even get my head around how carbon dating works…but I assume they could use carbon dating as well, right?
To answer your question, here is an interesting article on carbon dating to detect age of dinosaurs.
I routinely take my kids out to the desert and have them dig up in certain spots to see what sort of artifacts they come up with. After a long day of finding different types of rocks and other objects we try to analyze back home and keep what we think are treasures. Teaching kids science with real life experience can really have a lasting impression.
With an average annual temperature high enough to allow dinosaurs to live in Alaska 70 million years ago (when Alaska was 400 miles closer to the North Pole), one wonders why global warming today is such a big issue? Given the annual global temperatures had to be much higher than they are today to allow dinosaurs to thrive for over 100 million years, are the people so concerned about global warming hiding another agenda that is more important to them than the effects of global warming on the planet? (Perhaps ecology?) Which is perfectly alright and justifiable if stated honestly.
To try to pervert science to fit one’s hidden private agenda and convince millions of un-educated people of your position is unforgivable though. It is good that you are teaching young people to question so called experts and hold their positions to scientific scrutiny.
Very inspirational article. Here in Dorset, UK, we probably have one of the biggest fossil deposits in Europe. School kids keep unearthing marvellous things almost in every school trip. It is quite easy to get them into that scientific thinking gear because they are fascinated with all things dinosaur.