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Name: _____________________________________
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
What you will need
A computer with a spreadsheet program
Did you know?
Scientists have developed a way of estimating the age of air held in bubbles in glacial ice. Samples of air taken from ice cores drilled in Antarctica allow scientists to measure greenhouse gas levels extending back some 300,000 years.
What to do
In the table below, estimates of the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere between 1740 and 2008 are provided. Carbon dioxide concentration is measured in a unit called 'parts per million'
(ppm).
1740
1760
1820
1850
1890
1915
1930
1950
1960
Use a spreadsheet and graph function or draw a scatter graph. Use the year column as the X-axis and the carbon dioxide concentration as the Y-axis. Include a relevant scale such as 250 ppm to 400 ppm.
Year Concentration of carbon dioxide (ppm) in atmosphere
280
Year Concentration of carbon dioxide (ppm) in atmosphere
1965 315
300
305
310
317
280
285
290
295
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2005
2008
353
358
379
387
325
330
338
350
Questions
1 Using 1740 as a starting point, how many years did it take for the concentration of carbon dioxide to increase by 30 ppm?
2 How many years did it take for carbon dioxide concentration to increase by a further 30 ppm?
3 According to the data in the table, what is happening to the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere?
4 Extrapolation is a process of extending a graph into the future using the trend shown by the known values. Extrapolate the graph you have drawn by continuing a smooth curve beyond
2008. You will have to draw this line by hand, although some computer packages will do it for you by adding a trend line.
5 What do you estimate the carbon dioxide concentration will be in 2010, 2012 and 2015?
6 How long will it take for the concentration of carbon dioxide to double from the concentration in
2008?
7 Scientists estimate that doubling the concentration of carbon dioxide will increase the average global temperature by 2.5 degrees Celsius. What do you think will happen if this occurs? (You may need to read about global warming in the Research Centre .)
© Environment Protection Authority Victoria 2011 (except where otherwise indicated). You may use this material free of charge for non-commercial educational purposes provided you retain all acknowledgements associated with the material.
