(Solved): Climate Change and Carbon Dioxide     Gases in the atmosphere absorb infrared radiation, c ...

Climate Change and Carbon Dioxide

Gases in the atmosphere absorb infrared radiation, causing warming.  This is known as the greenhouse effect.  Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere include water, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.  The greenhouse effect is a natural process and maintains a livable temperature on Earth.  The Earth’s average temperature has increased 0.5 to 0.9°C (1.0 - 1.7°F) over the last century.  At the same time, the concentration of greenhouse gases due to human activity has increased.  Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an important heat-trapping (greenhouse) gas, which is released through human activities such as deforestation and burning fossil fuels, as well as natural processes such as respiration and volcanic eruptions.

You will need access to the website climate.nasa.gov to complete this assignment.

1.  What is the carbon dioxide concentration today?         _____________ ppm

2.  What is the trend in carbon dioxide concentration?     increasing        decreasing        constant

3.  What was the % increase of carbon dioxide concentration from 2005 to today? ______________

                            current year – past year

    % change =                      past year

4.  Prior to 1950, what was the highest recorded concentration of CO₂ on record?    __________ ppm

5. The Global Surface Temperature graph shows the deviation from the long-term average for the period 1951 to 1980.  The temperature anomaly is the degrees above or below the average. 

What is the temperature anomaly today?                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                               _____________ °C

6. Is today warmer or colder than normal?         warmer        colder

7. What is the trend in temperature anomaly?                    increasing            decreasing         constant

8.  If you compare the mean temperature of 1920 with the mean temperature of 2017, how large a difference is there in temperature (°C)?

                                                                                                                                           _______________ °C

9. Study the Global Surface Temperature graph from 1880 to today.  Write a qualitative statement that describes the overall trend during this period.

10.  What is the relationship between temperature anomaly and carbon dioxide concentration?