Week 14: Causes of Climate Change

Week 14: Causes of Climate Change 

1. What did you do in the lab today? 

N/A; was not in class. 

2. What was the big question?

What are the elements of Earth's atmosphere? 

3. What did you learn in Thursday's discussion? 

  • CO2 levels inside a classroom fluctuate throughout the day, and they affect their' learning and focus. 
  • We looked at a fourth grader's test in Switzerland, and found that the questions were quite challenging. 
  • As temperature increases, evaporation increases, and precipitation increases. 
  • Albedo effect 
    • Surface without snow or ice absorbs more heat. 
    • A surface with snow and ice reflects more heat. 
    • The reflectivity of a surface is how much radiation is reflected vs. absorbed. 
    • Color has a major influence on albedo. 
    • High albedo means that something is more reflective and will absorb more radiation. 

    4. Read the online textbook chapter 14: 

      • What did you learn?
        • Earth's atmosphere
          • It is a layer of gases
            • Oxygen and nitrogen 
          • From space, it can be seen as a thin blue line around Earth 
          • The atmosphere is 60 miles wide. 
          • It lets in heat from the sun to warm the planet, while also creating a barrier to block a lot of the sun's harmful radiation. 
          • It is a key element in regulating temperature, weather, and climate. 
        • What is a greenhouse gas?
          • Like a greenhouse, they let in sunlight to reach the Earth's surface, then trap its heat in the atmosphere. 
            • Carbon dioxide - Naturally released from decaying organisms and volcanic eruptions. But, humans cause excess carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. 
            • Nitrous oxide - Bacteria naturally produce N2O, but humans create more from industrial activities such as factory waste and fertilizer. 
            • Methane - Naturally created in the wetlands and oceans, but cows release excess methane by burping when they digest their food. 
            • Water vapor - From the effects of climate change, there is more energy in Earth's system and the global water cycle. As temperatures increase, more water evaporates and enters the atmosphere as water vapor, a heat-trapping molecule. 
            • Ozone - The ozone layer is high in the atmosphere, and blocks the sun's radiation while regulating Earth's temperature. But human activities, such as vehicle emissions, create additional ozone.  
        • The greenhouse effect describes how greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat. 
          • When infrared radiation from the Sun reaches Earth: 
            • Some radiation is reflected back into space by the atmosphere and surfaces with a high albedo, such as ice. 
            • Other radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases and the surface with a low albedo, such as land and water. 
        • Albedo effect 
          • Albedo is the amount of energy reflected by a surface. 
          • Earth's albedo is decreasing as a result of climate change 
            • As ice melts at the poles and glaciers, it is replaced by land and water. 
      • What was most helpful? 
      The pictures and examples made it easier to understand the concepts. 
      • What do you need more information on?
      How scientists measure greenhouse gases in real time and how climate models predict future temperature changes.

      5. What questions, concerns, and/or comments do you have? 
       I don't have any questions or concerns. 



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