Engage with the latest Data Puzzle in which students explore climate patterns to explain the ongoing Megadrought in the Colorado River Basin.

Join us on Thursday, March 24th from 3-4 pm PT, 4-5 pm MT, 5-6 pm CT, 6-7 pm ET as developer Jon Griffith and Ambitious Science Teaching co-author Melissa Braaten describe their newest Data Puzzle, Megadrought in the Colorado River Basin, a 2-day MS/HS resource in which students analyze temperature and precipitation datasets to explain the ongoing megadrought in the Colorado River Basin.

Megadrought in the Colorado River Basin Overview

Declining water levels in two of the largest reservoirs in the United States, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, provide visible evidence for the ongoing megadrought (a period of extreme dryness that lasts for decades) in the Colorado River Basin. Scientists studying weather and climate in this region are analyzing temperature and precipitation patterns over time to determine the root cause of the ongoing megadrought. After analyzing authentic datasets, students come to the conclusion (as scientists have also done), that rising temperatures and the resulting increase in evapotranspiration rates are largely responsible for the megadrought in the Colorado River Basin. Amplifying the megadrought is the increasing demand for water as cities in the southwest continue to grow.

About Data Puzzles

Inspired by our friends at Data Nuggets, Data Puzzles combine classroom-friendly scientific datasets with the research-backed pedagogical practices of Ambitious Science Teaching to give your students the ultimate inquiry-based learning experience.