Download Greenhouse Effect Demo

Lesson Title: Measuring the Greenhouse Effect through Simulation Demo
Grade Level: 11-12
Prepared by: Molly Nation
Subject Area(s): Marine Science
Associated with: Ocean Exploration
Summary
Students will use a model of the greenhouse effect to understand the role of carbon dioxide in
global warming.
Learning Objectives:
1. Students will be able to define “The Greenhouse Effect”
2. Students will determine how humans contribute to The Greenhouse Effect through CO2
emissions.
3. Students will connect The Greenhouse Effect to Climate Change and Global Warming.
BW: What do you know about Climate Change?
Background
The Sun powers Earth’s climate, radiating energy, to balance the absorbed incoming
energy, the Earth must, radiate the same amount of energy back to space. Much of the thermal
radiation emitted by the land and ocean is absorbed by the atmosphere, including clouds, and
reradiated back to Earth. This is called the greenhouse effect. Through a physical process, the
Earth’s greenhouse effect warms the surface of the planet. Without the natural greenhouse effect,
the average temperature at Earth’s surface would be below the freezing point of water. Thus,
Earth’s natural greenhouse effect makes life, as we know it possible. However, human activities,
primarily the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests, have greatly intensified the natural
greenhouse effect, causing global warming.
The two most abundant gases in the atmosphere, nitrogen (comprising 78% of the dry
atmosphere) and oxygen (comprising 21%), exert almost no greenhouse effect. Instead, the
greenhouse effect comes from molecules that are more complex and much less common. Water
vapor is the most important greenhouse gas, and carbon dioxide (CO2) is the second-most
important one. Methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and several other gases present in the atmosphere
in small amounts also contribute to the greenhouse effect. (IPCC, 2007)
Rev July 2016
Pre-demo Questions:
1. What do you think the Alka-Seltzer is going to do/create?
2. Why must the distances of the heat lamps be the same?
3. Predict what the outcome of the greenhouse effect demo will be.
Record your Observations:
Time
Temperature of Bottle 1
(No Alka-Seltzer)
Temperature of Bottle 2
(With Alka-Seltzer)
1 min
2 min
3 min
4 min
5 min
6 min
7 min
8 min
9 min
10 min
Post Demo Questions:
1. Compare the internal temperatures of the simulation, which one was greater, why?
2. What types of human activities produce the greenhouse gas, CO2?
3. How could human activities be contributing to Global Warming and Climate Change?
4. You are faced with the difficult task of mitigating Global Warming, what are some
solutions to helping reduce the amount of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere?
Explain.
Rev July 2016