Week 14: Science of Climate Change

 

  1. What did you do in lab today?

    1. We looked into how much carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere. We learned how they figured out how much carbon dioxide was in the atmosphere. It has been increasing over time, leading to an increase in temperature. 

    2. PhET Simulation 

      1. CH4 

        1. Visible photons do not get stopped

        2. Not all infrared photons get stopped, but some of them do and then get “spit” back out 

      2. CO2

        1. The visible photons just go right through it and do not get stopped

        2. Not all infrared photons get stopped, but some of them do and then get “spit” back out 

      3. H2O

        1. The visible photons just go right through it and do not get stopped

        2. Not all infrared photons get stopped, but some of them do and then get “spit” back out 

      4. N2

        1. The visible photons and infrared photons do not get stopped and go right through 

      5. O2

        1. The visible photons and infrared photons do not get stopped and go right through 

    3. Greenhouse gas: a gas that absorbs and re-emits infrared light 

      1. CH4

      2. CO2

      3. H2O

  2. What was the big question?

    1. What does it mean when scientists say climate change? 

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

    1. As the temperature increases, evaporation increases, and precipitation increases 

    2. Albedo effect: the reflectivity of a surface; how much radiation is reflected vs. absorbed 

      1. Color has a major influence on albedo 

      2. A high albedo means something is more reflective, a low albedo means it is less reflective/will absorb more radiation 

  4. Read chapter 14 of the textbook.

    1. What did you learn?

      1. Earth’s atmosphere is a key part of regulating temperature, weather, and climate

      2. Lighter-colored surfaces like ice reflect the Sun's radiation

      3. Darker-colored surfaces like land and water absorb the Sun’s heat 

      4. Currently, Earth’s albedo is decreasing 

        1. Which increases Earth’s temperature and leads to increased ice melt 

    2. What was the most helpful?

      1. This chapter was helpful in explaining greenhouse gases and how they affect climate change. We talked about it in lab, but it was helpful to be able to read it again and read it in different terms. It also provided good information on how climate change is affecting places globally and things that are contributing to climate change. 

    3. What do you need more information on?

      1. I do not need any more information on anything from the textbook because it was also covered in lab and lecture. 

  5. What questions, concerns, and/or comments do you have? 

    1. I do not have any questions, concerns, and/or comments after this week's lab and lecture.

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