Jump to this Activity »
Carbon Cycle
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/education/carbon_toolkit/

NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory

This activity from NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory introduces students to the current scientific understanding of the greenhouse effect and the carbon cycle. The activity leads them through several interactive tasks investigating recent trends in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Students analyze scientific data and use scientific reasoning to determine the causes responsible for these recent trends. By studying carbon cycle science in a visual and interactive manner, the activity provides students with a conceptual framework with which to address the challenges of a changing climate.

Activity takes about four 45-minute class periods or one 3-hour lab period.

Discuss this Resource»
Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»

Topics

Greenhouse Effect
See more on this topic.
Carbon Cycle
See more on this topic.
Greenhouse Gases
See more on this topic.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
See more on this topic.

Grade Level

High School (9-12)
See more at this grade level.
College Lower (13-14)
See more at this grade level.

Climate Literacy
About Teaching Climate Literacy

The amount of solar energy absorbed or radiated by Earth is modulated by the atmosphere and depends on its composition. Greenhouse gases—such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane—occur naturally in small amounts and absorb and release heat energy more efficiently than abundant atmospheric gases like nitrogen and oxygen. Small increases in carbon dioxide concentration have a large effect on the climate system.
About Teaching Principle 2
Other materials addressing 2c
The abundance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is controlled by biogeochemical cycles that continually move these components between their ocean, land, life, and atmosphere reservoirs. The abundance of carbon in the atmosphere is reduced through seafloor accumulation of marine sediments and accumulation of plant biomass and is increased through deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels as well as through other processes.
About Teaching Principle 2
Other materials addressing 2d

Energy Literacy

Environmental quality is impacted by energy choices.
Other materials addressing:
7.3 Environmental quality.
Increasing demand for and limited supplies of fossil fuels affects quality of life.
Other materials addressing:
7.4 Fossil fuel supplies are limited.
The quality of life of individuals and societies is affected by energy choices.
Other materials addressing:
Energy affects quality of life .
Humans transfer and transform energy from the environment into forms useful for human endeavors.
Other materials addressing:
4.1 Humans transfer and transform energy.
Other materials addressing:
Various sources of energy are used to power human activities .

Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines

2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.1 The Earth as a Physical System:B) Changes in matter
Other materials addressing:
B) Changes in matter.
2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.1 The Earth as a Physical System:C) Energy
Other materials addressing:
C) Energy.
2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.2 The Living Environment:D) Flow of matter and energy
Other materials addressing:
D) Flow of matter and energy.

Benchmarks for Science Literacy
Learn more about the Benchmarks

Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, are transparent to much of the incoming sunlight but not to the infrared light from the warmed surface of the earth. When greenhouse gases increase, more thermal energy is trapped in the atmosphere, and the temperature of the earth increases the light energy radiated into space until it again equals the light energy absorbed from the sun.
Explore the map of concepts related to this benchmark
The earth's climates have changed in the past, are currently changing, and are expected to change in the future, primarily due to changes in the amount of light reaching places on the earth and the composition of the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels in the last century has increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which has contributed to Earth's warming.
Explore the map of concepts related to this benchmark

Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

  • Make a worksheet with the questions posed after each step of the task to force students to write their answers. Some students may need a similar worksheet for the Basics section.
  • Educators may want learners to begin with an exploration of the visualization http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/carbontracker/ to look for trends before they launch into the reading.
  • Different locations can be assigned to different groups to reduce the repetitiveness of the activity as described.
  • Video on "What's in the Air" about NOAA’s Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases group can help provide background on the program: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/education/intheair.html

About the Science

  • A very thorough look at actual data to explore the carbon cycle and trends in CO2 concentration at different sites.
  • Comment from expert scientist: The "Basics of the Carbon Cycle and the Greenhouse Effect" web page consists completely of facts introducing the reader to the carbon cycle and the main sources of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The activity itself uses primary data measured at various sites around the world and draws from the databases that I will be using myself in a couple of weeks for my own research. I think that this makes this activity very powerful as students get to work directly with the data. It also makes students compare data from various locations and makes them realize that there are seasonal cycles as well as long term trends and use the knowledge they learned from the basics page to understand the observations.

About the Pedagogy

  • More structure may be necessary for some students when reading the Basics of Climate Science.
  • There is no space or opportunity to write the answers to the questions posed during the activity.
  • Tasks are clear and easy for students to follow; screen shots are helpful.
  • A long reading kicks off this activity but it is well done.
  • The visualization is strong and fairly ease to use. The directions given to learners are clear and should be easy to follow.

Technical Details/Ease of Use

  • Easy for students to follow directions to find and analyze data.

Jump to this Activity »



Have you used these materials with your students? Do you have insights to share with other educators about their use? Please share with the community by adding a comment below.

Please use this space only for discussion about teaching with these particular materials.
For more general discussion about teaching climate literacy please use our general discussion boards.
To report a problem or direct a comment to the CLEAN project team please use our feedback form (or the feedback link at the bottom of every page).
Off-topic posts will be deleted.

Join the Discussion


Log in to reply