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*Lesson 7.5: Where is the heat coming from to warm the oceans? 

  1. What did we learn last class about sea-level rise? Complete the IMT for Lesson 4.

Investigation: Greenhouse Gas

The Earth is naturally warmed through a process called the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases absorb thermal radiation in the atmosphere to produce natural warming of the Earth.  Scientists have found that additional greenhouse gasses from anthropogenic sources, or human activity, are resulting in the warming of the Earth.

Materials:

  • 2 large plastic containers

  • 2 thermometers

  • Lamp with light bulb

  • Small beaker (50 - 150 mL)

  • Small amount of dry ice

  • Timer

  • ruler

  • Blue Tape

Safety: 

  • Caution:  Use tongs or gloves to handle dry ice. Dry can freeze your skin cells and result in frostbite. 

  • Caution: Do not place the light directly onto the plastic containers as they will melt and possibly burn. 

Procedure:|400

  1. Place a digital thermometer upside down in a 100 mL or 150 mL beaker. Place the beaker and thermometer inside one of the large plastic containers.  One of the containers is the control, and the other will be filled with CO2. Repeat this procedure for the second container. 

  2. Fill a small beaker with approximately 30 mL of warm water. Bring this beaker with you to pick up a piece of dry ice from your teacher.

  3. Place the beaker containing water and dry ice in one of the large plastic containers. 

  4. Cover the beaker in one of the plastic containers so that it fills with CO2.  

  5. Allow the plastic container to fill with CO2 (about 10 min).

  6. Turn each thermometer off and on because they will shut off after 10 minutes. (we want them to stay on as long as possible o we can get temperature readings for 10 minutes.

  7. Place the empty container and the container with CO2 side-by-side.

  8. Place the light on top and in between the covered containers. 

  9. Turn on the light and record the start time.

  10. Record the temperature every minute following turning on the lights for 10 minutes in Data Table 1.

  11. Plot both sets the data on the same graph. Be sure to label axes and use an appropriate scale. Include a key to differentiate the data sets. 

Data Table 1- Temperature of Air Samples

Time (min) Atmospheric Air Temperature, oC Air + Added CO2 Temperature, oC
0 26.9 28.1
1 28.3 30.6
2 29.4 33.5
3 29.7 34.4
4 30.0 34.8
5 30.2 34.9
^temps

The temperature of Air Samples Graph

type: line
id: temps
layout: cols
tension: 0.2
width: 100%
beginAtZero: false

Analysis Questions:

  1. What was the overall temperature change for the atmospheric air only container?

3.3 degrees

  1. What was the overall temperature change for the atmospheric carbon dioxide container?

6.8 degrees

  1. The diagram shows models and the percent composition of the molecules in the air. 

  1. Model 1 and Model 2 represent atmospheric air only.  The atmospheric air model is depicted below, representing the air composition of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, neon, helium, methane, water, and krypton, and carbon dioxide (disclaimer - the percentages are not accurate in the model).

  2. Watch the NASA Earth Minute Video: The Gas Problem. The CO2 in the second container represents the layer of greenhouse gases that surround the Earth.

  3. Revise both models by adding arrows to show the radiant heat in each container.

  4. Edit/Add to Model 2 to show additional CO2 from the experiment. 

  5. In Model 2, place additional arrows to show the radiant heat from the greenhouse gases.

  6. Explain in your own words how the CO2 in this experiment and that which surrounds the Earth can trap heat.  Use the picture below to help you.

|400

  1. Go to the NASA Global Climate Change, Carbon Dioxide

|400

  1. What is the current CO2 level?

420 ppm

  1. What does the unit of ppm mean?

parts of carbon dioxide per million parts of "air"

  1. How would you describe the trend in CO2 levels in the atmosphere?

Linear trend upward.

  1. Compare CO2 levels to the NASA Global Climate Change Global Temperature.

|400 

  1. The y-axis is not reporting the outside temperature. What is the y-axis actually reporting? 

Temperature anomalies in the land ocean temp index

  1. How would you describe the trend in atmospheric temperature?

  2. By how much did the average global temperature change between 2006 and 2020?

  3. How does the change in temperature in the atmosphere compared to the change in CO2 levels from Question #5?

  4. Can you offer an explanation for the correlation? 

  5. Look at the graph of the global ocean heat content below.

|400

  1. How would you describe the trend in the heat content of the ocean?

The trend is increasing exponentially, and is showing a constant growth in rate of change.

  1. Based on the data and heat content trend, what do you think the current heat content of the ocean is approximately?

\(25*10^{22}\)

  1. How does the change in CO2 levels from Question #7 and change in temperature in the atmosphere from Question #8 compared to the heat content of the ocean?

The heat content of the ocean is going up at a much faster rate than that of the co2

  1. Can you offer an explanation for the correlation? 

  2. Go to the Keeling Curve website. Look at the Full Reading graph.

  3. What is the current CO2 level?

  4. What is the unit of ppm?

1/1000000

  1. Using today’s current level of CO2, how many kg of CO2 are in the atmosphere (mass of the atmosphere is 5.1480 x 1021g) using the equation

ppm = mass of solute (g)mass of solution (g) x 1,000,000

  1. How long has CO2 levels been recorded?

  2. What is the location of these readings?  Why is this location important to the measurements?

  3. How would you describe the trend in CO2 levels in the atmosphere?

NEXT STEPS:

  1. Reflect on today’s question: Where is the heat coming from to heat our oceans?

  2. Reflect on the unit question, how does today’s activity relate to the unit question? Open up the IMT for this unit, complete all boxes for lesson 5.

  3. Make sure all parts of the L7.5 student sheet are complete & complete the check for understanding on Schoology and the PhET assignment.

Last update: June 5, 2023
Created: June 5, 2023