Activity_CO2_Temps

THE LINK BETWEEN TEMPERATURE AND CARBON DIOXIDE
Background:
Since the start of the Industrial Revolution around 1750, people have burned large amounts of coal, oil, and
natural gas to power their homes, factories, and vehicles. Today, most of the world relies on these fossil fuels
for their energy needs. Burning fossil fuels releases CO2, a heat-trapping gas, into the atmosphere, which is the
main reason why the Earth’s climate is getting warmer. Heat-trapping gases are also called greenhouse gases.
They exist naturally in the atmosphere, where they help keep the Earth warm enough for plants and animals to
live—a phenomenon called the greenhouse effect. By adding more greenhouse gases to the
atmosphere, however, people are contributing to an enhanced greenhouse effect and causing the atmosphere
to trap more heat than it otherwise would. The Earth’s climate has changed many times before. There have
been times when most of the planet was covered in ice, and there have also been much warmer periods. Over
at least the last 650,000 years, temperatures and CO2 levels in the atmosphere have increased and decreased
in a cyclical pattern. The Earth’s temperature has also experienced a similar cyclical pattern characterized by
glacial and interglacial periods. During glacial periods (more commonly called ice ages), the Earth has
experienced a widespread expansion of ice sheets on land. Intervals between ice
ages, called interglacial periods, have brought higher temperatures.
The Earth has been in an interglacial period for

more than 11,000years. Historically, temperature
and CO2 have followed similar patterns because
the heating or cooling of Earth’s surface can lead
to changes in the concentrations of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere, which can then cause
additional warming or cooling.
For hundreds of thousands of years, the

concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere stayed
between 200 and 300 parts per million (ppm).
Today, it’s up to nearly 400 ppm (see graph at
right), and the amount is still rising. Along with
other greenhouse gases, this extra CO2 is trapping
heat and causing the climate to change. Before
people had thermometers, indeed before any
temperatures were recorded, the Earth itself
recorded clues about temperature, precipitation,
atmospheric gases, and other aspects of the
environment in the thick layers of ice that have
accumulated in places like Greenland and
Antarctica. To reveal these clues to the past,
researchers drill into glaciers and ice sheets and remove cylinder-shaped samples of ice called ice cores. Back in
the laboratory, scientists can use chemical sampling techniques to determine the age of each layer of ice and
the concentrations of different gases trapped in tiny air bubbles within the ice, which reveals the composition
of the atmosphere in the past. They can also examine the water molecules in the ice itself to get information
about historical temperatures. Trapped pollen and dust provide additional clues about the climate. Ice core
records can go back hundreds of thousands of years, and they help scientists find out whether the rapid
increase in CO2 levels and temperature we are currently observing fits a natural pattern or not.
Investigating the Earth’s air temperature and the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere over a long time period
helps us to better understand the Earth’s carbon cycle, its relationship to the greenhouse effect, and its role in
regulating the Earth’s climate.
Materials
 A copy of the “Vostok, Antarctica, Ice Core Data”
  A copy of “Carbon Dioxide Concentration and Temperature Rate of Change”  A copy of the
“Carbon Dioxide and Temperature Anomaly
 (398,000 BC to 400 BC)” graph for each student
 Graph paper (attached to the end of this lesson
  Colored pencils
Instructions for Filling Out the “Vostok, Antarctica, Ice Core Data” Worksheet
1. In the space provided in column three, round the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration to the
nearest whole number.
2. In the space provided in column five, round the temperature anomaly to the nearest tenth of a
degree.
Instructions for Plotting the Graphs

1. You will plot two lines on one graph. One line depicting CO2 concentration and one depicting
temperature anomaly.
2. Your x-axis will represent years. Start with 400,000 BC on the left and number as far as the right
as you can year 0 on the right. Counting by intervals of 10,000 years. Label the axis.
3. For CO2 concentration, the left side Y-axis will represent the CO2 concentration using units of
parts per million (ppm). Begin with 100 ppm at the lower end, and number up to 400 ppm, counting
by intervals of 10 ppm. Label the axis.
4. For temperature anomaly, the scale will be placed on the right side Y-axis. Temperature anomaly
will be represent Celsius (°C). Begin with -10.0 °C at the lower end and number up to 2.0 °C,
counting by intervals of 0.5 °C. Label the axis.
5. Using different colored pencils, plot the points for CO2 concentration and temperature anomaly.
6. Write a title on the graph.
Analysis Please answer the following questions in complete sentences. Please use your data
to support your responses.
1 What pattern(s) do you notice on the graphs?

The climate expiriences
2. How many peaks (top) can you identify? How many troughs (bottom)?
8
3. . What is the approximate number of years in one complete cycle? (Hint: A cycle is the time
between two peaks or between two troughs.)
1000
4. Do peaks represent glacial (cold) periods, or do troughs? How do you know?
Toughs since the lower temperatures mean colder periods
5. Use the “Vostok, Antarctica, Ice Core Data” worksheet and your graphs to fill in the blank
boxes in the first table (“48,000 BC to 400 BC”) on the “Carbon Dioxide Concentration and
Temperature Rate of Change” worksheet. Then finish filling in the second table (“1901 to
2011”), which has been partially populated with more recent data from another source.
When you are finished, please answer the questions below
6. How many years of data are shown in the “48,000 BC to 400 BC” table?
47600
7. How many years of data are shown in the “1901 to 2011” table?
110
8. 8. Does any of this show a warming trend?. Explain.
Yes since the temperatures are going up
9 What trend, upward or downward, are we currently experiencing?
Rising in temperature
10. What is the change in the temperature anomaly between 1901 and 2011?
.068
11.  In 1971, the globally averaged CO2 concentration was approximately 330 ppm. If the
CO2 concentration in2000 was about 384 ppm, calculate the average rate of increase per
year.
.5
12.  What is happening to the rate of change for CO2 concentrations and temperature
anomaly over time?
It is increasing
1
VOSTOK, ANTARCTICA, ICE CORE DATA
Carbon Dioxide Concentration and Temperature Anomaly Data
(398,000 BC to 400 BC)
1
Activity based on by GETTING TO THE CORE: THE LINK BETWEEN TEMPERATURE AND CARBON DIOXIDE
www.epa.gov/climatestudents
CO2 and Temperature in VOSTOK, ANTARCTICA
i

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THE LINK BETWEEN TEMPERATURE AND CARBON DIOXIDE

The Earth has been in an interglacial period for

For hundreds of thousands of years, the

Instructions for Plotting the Graphs

6. Write a title on the graph.

1 What pattern(s) do you notice on the graphs?

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