Keeping Tabs on Crater Lake

• This article explores the changes in water clarity in Crater Lake, why that matters, and other ways the lake's ecosystem is negatively affected by climate change.
• Students will learn how the clarity of Crater Lake is measured, how that clarity correlates to the lake's ecosystem, and how climate change is connected to harmful algal blooms and a population increase of invasive crayfish within the lake.

Positives

• The article gives students an opportunity to read the insights of multiple aquatic biologists.
• The article is concise and full of intriguing pictures.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• The word "hell" is quoted by one of the scientists interviewed in the article.
  
• Students should understand the importance of maintaining the health of Earth's ecosystems.
• Students should understand how climate change has lead to the endangerment of species around the world.
  

Differentiation 

• This article allows students to evaluate the Secchi disk's usefulness in gauging human impacts on the Earth's climate.
• This article provides an example of how changing climate conditions can lead to a completely new ecosystem. 
• For ELLs, it may be useful to define some words before these students dive into the reading.
• In a language arts class, this reading is an opportunity to determine the central ideas or conclusions of a scientific text.
• Environmental science classes can use this as an example of field measurements and data gathering for assessing water quality.
  

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.