I first learned about the technique of "concept mapping" during the workshop's scientist training session. The topic I mapped is: "How do Aerosols Impact Climate Change?" I started by putting "Aerosols" in the middle of the map. Above this are the two concepts that define what aerosols are and that concentrations of aerosols vary over time and space. At bottom I address the processes that generate aerosols: natural (e.g., waves, sea salt, dust storms, volcanoes) or human activities (e.g., factories, automobiles, burning). Aerosols are connected to climate change by changing solar radiation, either directly or indirectly. Direct examples include scattering and absorption of light. Indirect effects are mainly related to cloud formation in earth's atmosphere which affects how energy in the atmosphere is distributed. At left, I have sensors that are used to monitor aerosols, including satellites, aircraft, and ground-based technology. These data are fed into computer models to understand the impact of aerosol variability on climate change, models that are being used to predict future climate conditions.

The educators on my team each works with very different audiences. So we decided to make our consensus map with an 8th graders in mind and made the wording generally more "user friendly." We felt that targeting this group will allow each of us to tailor the content up/down for different audiences. We also slightly altered the focus question to: "What are Aerosols and How do They Impact Climate Change?" so users would know that the map included basic information about aerosols. We reorganized the map and added a color-coded legend to make it easier to read. For emphasis, we made the squares for "Aerosols" and "Climate Change" larger than the others. One important change is that we added more information to the concepts of "Scattering light" and "Absorbing light," noting that the former results in net cooling while that latter results in net warming. Another point that came up during our conversations was the fact that the "Composition, Size, Shapes & Location" of aerosols are determined by the processes that generate them. We also added two new concepts that are familiar to lay people: "Air Quality" and "Greenhouse Gases." Likewise, we noted that "People" are affected by aerosols and can do something to about mitigating their impacts on climate.