Materials:  Colored pencils and graph paper or graphing calculator.
 

1.  Construct a graph using the table of relative temperature and past carbon dioxide concentration estimates derived from ice cores drilled at Vostok in Antarctica.
 

Age Thous. Yrs Ago	CO2 Conc. (ppm)	Temp. from Current
150,000	200	-5.8
140,000	230	-1
130,000	300	.3
120,000	290	-2
110,000	250	-4.3
100,000	240	-2.5
90,000	220	-3
80,000	230	-2.1
70,000	260	-4
60,000	210	-5
50,000	215	-4
40,000	210	-4
30,000	230	-4.5
20,000	200	-5.2
10,000	280	.5
0,000	360	0

 Data extrapolated from graph found in Reports to the Nation Our Changing Planet Fall 97 No. 4 p. 12

2.  Construct a graph from the table of estimates of past carbon dioxide concentrations derived from ice cores and CO₂ concentrations measured with instruments since 1957.  After you have created your graph, draw in what you think the temperature would be based on the CO₂ concentrations.

 Time from Pre-Industrial CO₂ concentrations (ppmv)

1750	275
1800	280
1850	285
1900	295
1950	310
2000	350

Data extrapolated from a graph found in Reports to the Nation Our Changing Planet  Fall 97 No. 4 p.13

• What? --  What did you learn?
• So What? --  Why is this information important?
• Now What? --  What can you do with this information?

A.  What conclusions can you draw about the rate at which atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased since the Industrial Revolution?
B.  What would account for the increase of carbon dioxide levels since the Industrial Revolution?
 
 

3.  Use the graph below to answer the following questions:

This figure shows changes of temperature from a reference level that is just the average of the most recent 30 years.  The reference level is labeled zero.
 

                            Departures of Temperature from a Reference Mean

 http://www.athena.ivv.nasa.gov/curric/land/global/greenhou.html

A.  What accounts for the variability in the observed temperature?  Is it natural variability or external factors?  Note....variablility means the plus or minus difference from the mean number. The mean number is an average temperature taken between 1961 to 1990.
B.  Does the data provide evidence for whether the temperature changes represent a natural variation in temperature or not?
C.  Does the data reveal an actual trend?
D.  Is the increase in CO₂ the cause of global warming?  Support you position with facts researched   from web sites.
E.  What can the United States do to address global warming (climate change)? 
 

4.  Questions to ask students who understand how to extrapolate.  Note to teacher..... There is no correct answer, only correct trends.  If the student shows an increase in temp with an increase in CO₂ concentration, that would be correct.

A.   How much CO₂ must there be to raise the temperature 5 degrees C 100 years from now.
B.   What was the CO₂ content when the temperature was 4 degrees C lower?  During an ice age?

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