Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Gases
An experiment that demonstrates the greenhouse effect. Includes a presentation on the carbon cycle and student debate topics related to climate change.
This workshop can be done virtually with a volunteer conducting the experiment.
What You Need
Materials (per group)
- 2 x containers made from cut-off bottoms of clear pop bottles (~1/3 of bottle)
- 1 x cooking thermometer
- 1 x desk lamp with flexible neck
- 1 x desk lamp original box
- Saran wrap
Guide:
Presentation
Safety Notes
Ensure you are familiar with Let's Talk Science's precautions with respect to safe virtual outreach to youth.
What To Do
Structure of activity:
- Present the PowerPoint, notes are in the PowerPoint.
- Perform the “Green House gas” climate experiment.
- In between measurements of the water temperature, get the students to debate the issues using “Debating the Issues” activity.
Activity steps:
- Fill each container with cool water, up to 1/3. Make sure each container has an equal amount of water. Measure the temperature of the water in each container.
- Cover the top of one container with saran wrap, and leave the other open. Place both on top of a box, and adjust the lamp so that the bulb is close as possible to both containers and warming them from the side. Record the time.
- Record the temperature of the water in each container every 10-15 min, for 30 or 40 min. Try to be quick, not waiting more than 5 or 10 seconds for the thermometer to adjust and pointing the lamp away each time so that the thermometer isn’t warmed by the heat of the bulb. Also, stir the water slightly by shaking and swirling the containers with each measurement, or using the thermometer itself.
Debating the Issues
Elementary School Level:
- To reduce carbon emissions, television and video games should be made illegal.
- It is impossible to prove the global warming is happening.
- Polar Bears are very close to extinction because sea ice is melting due to global warming. It will take a lot of money and resources to save them. We should forget about saving the polar bears, and use that money and resources to save more things that are easier to conserve.
- There’s nothing I can do about global warming, I’m going to leave it to the experts.
- Canada should stop importing bananas, pineapples, strawberry and other things we can’t produce in Canada to reduce global emissions.
- Things to think about:
This means you can only eat things produced in Canada. No more coffee, peanut butter, bananas, etc...
- Things to think about:
High School Level:
- Since the richer, industrial countries of the world are responsible for the most CO2 emissions and have benefited from them, these countries should now pay poorer countries to help them reduce CO2 emissions.
- An environment rich in CO2 would not be harmful to the earth, but actually would be very beneficial. We should be doing nothing at all to discourage CO2 emissions. If anything, we should encourage them.
- To encourage people to use less gasoline, there should be a $.50 per gallon tax on gasoline, even if this tax hurts low income people more than others.
- Canada should take immediate and forceful steps to reduce CO2 emissions even if it means putting some miners out of work.
- Canada should wait until more definite research has been accumulated before trying to reduce CO2 emission.
- Increasing populations result in decreasing of natural resources and increasing Greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. Canada should adopt China’s one child limit and heavily tax those with more than one child to discourage population growth.
- Canada, and other developed nations, should cut its Greenhouse gas emissions by %50 by the year 2020 while there should be no cap on the amount of Greenhouse gases produced by developing nations such as Afghanistan.
Discovery
On paper, the water in the saran-wrapped “greenhouse” container should warm up a bit quicker than the uncovered one. The difference might not be dramatic, but consistent and noticeable (usually, they notice at least a 1 degree difference, but often as much as two degrees by 30 min). The idea is that the covered container represents an Earth with a greenhouse atmosphere, while the uncovered one is an Earth without greenhouse warming. Greenhouse gases act in a similar fashion as the saran wrap, trapping and re-radiating heat back to the water.
The effects of increased carbon dioxide emissions and global warming:
- Rising temperatures may result in an overall rise in drought conditions worldwide and widespread crop failures.
- Melting continental ice caps will increase average sea level and submerge coastlines.
- Increases in ocean CO2 content could result in acidification, endangering many shelled animals and affecting oceanic food chains.
- CO2 “fertilization” could slow accumulation rates with enhanced vegetative growth and thus CO2 uptake, but may be offset by drought and land-use change.
- A more invigorated water cycle could increase CO2 uptake via rock weathering, but may remain unbalanced by human-induced emissions.
Some things we can do to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions:
- Reduce energy usage: turn off lights and monitors when not in use, and use more natural light on sunny days.
- Bike and walk whenever possible, or if need be, take the bus rather than drive.
- Reduce, re-use, recycle!
- Research alternative energy sources (wind, solar, etc.)
What's Happening?
On paper, the water in the saran-wrapped “greenhouse” container should warm up a bit quicker than the uncovered one. The difference might not be dramatic, but consistent and noticeable (usually, they notice at least a 1 degree difference, but often as much as two degrees by 30 min). The idea is that the covered container represents an Earth with a greenhouse atmosphere, while the uncovered one is an Earth without greenhouse warming. Greenhouse gases act in a similar fashion as the saran wrap, trapping and re-radiating heat back to the water.
Why Does it Matter?
The effects of increased carbon dioxide emissions and global warming:
- Rising temperatures may result in an overall rise in drought conditions worldwide and widespread crop failures.
- Melting continental ice caps will increase average sea level and submerge coastlines.
- Increases in ocean CO2 content could result in acidification, endangering many shelled animals and affecting oceanic food chains.
- CO2 “fertilization” could slow accumulation rates with enhanced vegetative growth and thus CO2 uptake, but may be offset by drought and land-use change.
- A more invigorated water cycle could increase CO2 uptake via rock weathering, but may remain unbalanced by human-induced emissions.
Some things we can do to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions:
- Reduce energy usage: turn off lights and monitors when not in use, and use more natural light on sunny days.
- Bike and walk whenever possible, or if need be, take the bus rather than drive.
- Reduce, re-use, recycle!
- Research alternative energy sources (wind, solar, etc.)
