Week 14

 1. What did you do in Lab?

  • Discussed the interview with an elder assignment
  • CO2 data analysis
  • Watched "The Science of Climate Change" video
  • Guided Inquiry: Photon Absorption
  • Determined which gases are greenhouse gases

2. What was the big question?

What are the green house gasses and how do they affect climate change?

Carbon Dioxide and Methane are the main green house gases. The greenhouse gases trap the suns heat in the atmosphere and do not let it escape. 

What is the albedo effect and how does it affect climate?

Darker color attracts and absorbs more sunlight versus lighter colors reflecting it. If white ice melts, it is replaced by darker colors. 

3. What did you learn in Thursday Discussion?

  • Sources of Natural Variability- solar and volcanic forcings are the two dominant natural contributors to global climate change. There has been no significant changes, leaving only human causes. 
  • The flow of nutrients in the ocean will cease if the North Pole melts
  • Antartica now has more than 65,000 lakes from melted ice
  • Grass releases water vapor to keep the field cooler, turf fields do not, leading to much higher field temperatures
  • Snowball Earth thawed because of volcanoes releasing CO2 without plants on the Earth to absorb it
  • The impacts of solar energy financially and for the environment 

4. Textbook

       1. What did you learn?

  • Earth’s climate has always fluctuated; the difference now is that Earth is experiencing significant climate change in a much shorter time period–decades rather than millions of years
  • Recently scientists have warned that we are near a tipping point- a place of irreversible damage 
  • Earths systems are out of balance due to climate change. This creates a positive feedback loop.
  • Climate change can also cause extreme cold temperatures due to the polar vortex warping from its original pattern.
  • Weather related damage costs are increasing due to climate change
  • Melting sea ice affects the entire planet, not just the Arctic.
  • Sea level rise is mostly due to thermal expansion. The second most cause is ice melt from land.

       2. What was most helpful? 

The chapter breaking down the specific causes and effects of climate change was helpful. Climate change is much more than just the planet warming up at an increasing rate. In some cases it can cause colder temperatures, it is a major reason for more extreme and erratic storms and climate change is causing our sea levels to rise. 

       3. What do you need more information on? 

I am interested in learning more about what is being done to address climate change. Have these efforts become more prioritized since 2020 or have they stayed the same?  

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