Name______

Period______

Global Warming

In recent history, the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth’s atmosphere has been increasing. The level of CO2 concentration (often referred to in parts per million, or ppm) has never remained constant on Earth, and there are numerous reasons for the fluctuations, but one thing is certain: CO2 is a greenhouse gas that helps retain heat in the atmosphere-basically, the more CO2 present in the atmosphere, the more heat is retained. Carbon Dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere has fluctuated throughout time on Earth, but is now reaching levels not achieved for over 800,000 years. In this task you will take a look at data collected over years to make a prediction of mean global CO2 concentration and temperature in the future.

Information needed:

•Yearly reports of mean CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere

•Yearly reports of mean temperatures on the Earth’s surface

www3.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators/weather-climate/temperature/html

•Sources of CO2 gases.

Tasks:

  1. Make an organized table of CO2 concentrations of the Earth’s atmosphere from 1958 to 2015.
  2. Graph the tables for CO2 concentration that you have made. Be sure to choose proper increments and label the axis of the graphs.
  3. Make an organized table of the mean global Earth temperature from 1958 to 2015.
  4. Graph the tables for mean global temperature that you have made. Be sure to choose proper increments and label the axis of the graphs.
  5. In each graph, determine and draw the line of best fit.
  6. Find the rate of change of the line of best fit for CO2 concentrations.
  7. Find the rate of change of the line of best fit for temperatures.
  8. Use the line of best fit to predict future CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere for the year you graduate from high school, 2050 and 2100.
  9. Use the line of best fit to predict future mean global temperatures of the Earth for the year you graduate from high school, 2050 and 2100.
  10. Where do CO2 gases come from?
  11. Where does the responsibility of dealing with the rise of CO2 in the atmosphere lie?
  12. Should humans worry more about reducing the CO2 in the atmosphere, or finding ways to live and adapt to an Earth with increased CO2 levels?
  13. If it is determined to be the human race’s responsibility to reduce the CO2 in the atmosphere, discuss where you believe the responsibility would lie? Is it the responsibility of the individual, community, state, nation, or world?