Earth science is a very broad subject including the study of oceans, geology, meteorology, paleontology and ecology. Poster projects are a great opportunity to use imagery, tables and graphics to convey important information on scientific subjects to the general public. Because people are generally familiar with some of our planet's natural processes, Earth science topics are especially conducive to this type of project.
Ocean Currents
Earth's oceans are linked together in a vast network of currents that, while chaotic, are highly predictable in many ways. Create a graphic showing the locations of all the major ocean currents. Be sure to include arrows indicating the direction in which they flow and label each of the currents with its proper name. Include a discussion of the potential consequences that could result from changes in the Earth's ocean currents, which is a topic often discussed by climate scientists.
Geological History
Geological history is very conducive to a poster project because Earth's geological history follows a very simple pattern. Formations that developed recently are found near the surface of the Earth. Formations that developed long ago are found deep beneath the Earth's surface. Create a cross-section of the Earth and identify all the geological periods and major geological events, such as large asteroid impacts. Use a different color for each geological period.
Fossils
Fossils contribute an extraordinary amount of information to mankind's body of knowledge about the history of life on Earth. Create a poster project about some of the most significant fossil discoveries in the history of science. Be sure to include some well-known dinosaurs, early human ancestors and trilobites, which are some of the earliest-known creatures to have existed on Earth. Use photographs and illustrations of the fossils and label the important morphological characteristics.
Weather Patterns
Anyone who has ever relied on a weather forecast knows how useless they tend to be. This is because Earth's weather patterns constitute an extremely complex system that is highly unpredictable. This is exemplified by the central tenant of chaos theory -- the butterfly effect. The butterfly effect is the tendency of small changes in the behavior of a complex system to have dramatic effects in the future. Create a project explaining the butterfly effect and how it relates to Earth's unpredictable weather patterns. Include a history of the butterfly effect and discuss the techniques meteorologists use to make predictions about Earth's weather.
Tags: butterfly effect, because Earth, complex system, Earth weather, Formations that
