Project title: Possible effects of “Climate Change” on the watershed of the River Spiraeus

Team: Lamia Climate Detectives

1st Highschool of Lamia   Lamia   Greece   23 Student’s age: 14-15 years old

Our group tried to investigate and find out if (Research Questions): 1.There are strong temperature variations in our area. 2. Are there any changes in the Malian Gulf coast in the last 5 years. 3. Shoreline changes are temporally related to significant temperature changes (and Climate Change).
Η ομάδα μας προσπάθησε να διερευνήσει και να διαπιστώσει αν (Ερευνητικά Ερωτήματα): 1.Υπάρχουν έντονες θερμοκρασιακές μεταβολές στην περιοχή μας. 2. Υπάρχουν μεταβολές στις ακτές του Μαλιακού Κόλπου τα τελευταία 5 χρόνια. 3. Οι μεταβολές της ακτογραμμής σχετίζονται χρονικά με σημαντικές θερμοκρασιακές μεταβολές (και την Κλιματική Αλλαγή).

In the watershed of the Spiraeus River belong also the coasts of the Malian Gulf where historically there have been recorded changes in the shoreline by 2 main factors:
– The change in the supply of material from the main rivers and hot springs in the area.
– The possible change in sea level.
The students were divided into 3 working groups (7 people in each group depending on their interests) and consisted mainly of 3rd grade students. The research was implemented hybridly and communication was largely based on digital classroom (only 2 face-to-face meetings) and the following followed: Some members of the group were assigned to collect information and inform the others about different terms involved with the phenomenon of Climate Change. A visit and briefing by the KEPEA Stylida – Ipati on issues related to climate change followed. Then : Research and recording of extreme weather events in the Spiraeus Basin during the period 2018 – 2022. In the following, satellite images of the Sporchio estuary (Shoreline Changes) were collected – compared during the period 2018 – 2022. For the purpose of investigating shoreline changes we used EO Browser and obtained NDWI (Combination of Bands) images. Next, we collected and analyzed data from the Lamia weather station (belonging to the Spiraeus basin). Using the data available on the internet from the Lamia weather station, we formed and analyzed monthly charts for the period 2018 – 2022 using Microsoft Excel software in order to determine if there are strong temperature changes in the five-year period.

Any systematic change in the long-term statistical characteristics of climate elements (temperature, pressure, precipitation, winds) that is sustained for a few decades or more is called “Climate Change” [Definition given in the American Meteorological Society glossary]. In this literature context a new climate change appears to be occurring on our planet with a clear warming trend. We as Climate Detectives believe:
That at a local and temporal level this warming trend is not easily perceived but… We have to mention that:
– a variation of the average temperature was found in a very small range
– both seasonal and annual variation in the shoreline was found, which seems to be more related to river siltation than to temperature variations
– some extreme weather events were recorded with significant frequency
We don’t know if what we found are significant findings… What is certain is that the journey into the world of climate change was very thought-provoking!!

The team and I decided to make an awareness poster to be displayed in our school, including pictures and the following:

– Think WORLDWIDE act LOCALLY
– I move by bike or on foot
– I think that electricity is produced at great cost to the environment

(example from a previous project)

Download project poster PDF

Climate-Detectives-Report.pdf

This project was automatically translated into English.
Projects are created by the teams and they take the full responsibility of the shared data.
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