Climate Change WebquestAbbreviated Version – Updated September 2017

developed from a PBS STEM 2011 online course completed by Jennifer Mercure of Lassiter High School

A. Go to

  1. Explain what you see on the graph. Explain why this change is considered to be significant, and not just part of a natural trend of glacial advance and retreat.
  1. What facts about Earth’s climate are not in dispute?
  1. Scroll down to find the 9 major pieces of evidence for rapid global climate change to fill in the chart below:

Evidence / Description

Put in ear buds to listen and watch NASA’s “Piecing Together the Temperature Puzzle” Video by going direct to it at If this does not work, go to

  1. What do NASA satellites measure?
  1. What role does the solar cycle play in climate change?
  1. What role does the planet’s brightness or reflectivity play? (This is called the albedo effect if you recall from the History Channel’s “A Global Warning” video we watched in class.)
  1. What role do clouds and the aerosols that make them play in climate change?
  1. What’s surprising about water vapor in its gaseous form, and how does it impact the Earth?
  1. What greenhouse gas can we most help to control?
  1. What are the trends for the greenhouse gases methane, nitrous oxide, and CFC’s?
  1. Go to “Cold Snaps and Global Warming Do Add Up” at and read the article there. Summarize why scientists say that local bouts of cold weather do not mean an end to climate change. Use the Key points at right to help you.
  1. Go to the PBS website “Climate Change” video at watch and listen to the information. Note that you may need to create a free account if you view more than one video from PBS. What surprised you in this video?

E. Go to

  1. Summarize how Earth’s energy budget works, and what happens when something disrupts it.

E. To learn about 3 categories of Factors that Affect Climate Change,go to

1. What are climate forcings?

  1. What are climate feedbacks?
  1. What are climate tipping points?
  1. Fill in the chart below with the 3 examples of climate forcings, 4 examples of climate feedbacks, and 3 examples of tipping points:

Forcings / Description and potential impact
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2.
3.
Feedbacks / Description and potential impact
1.
2.
3.
4.
Tipping Points / Description and potential impact
1.
2.
3.
  1. What’s the consensus on climate change? Go to and find out. ______percent of climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities. What organizations endorse this position?
  1. Go to
  1. What is this site’s purpose? What are the credentials of the individual maintaining it? Where does he get his information?
  1. Look at the thermometer on the left with the “Most Used Climate Change Myths and what the science really says.” Click the bottom of the thermometer to view all 193 of the ones listed. Choose any 3 of these you wish to explore (don’t choose #3 and don’t just pick 3 of the first 10), and explain what the science says about each one. Click the single sentence statement on the right side of the long list of myths to read more. For some, you may want to go as far as reading the comments as many are dialogues about the information. #135 may interest some of you if people have told you about this before.

Myth # ____

Myth # ____

Myth # ____

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