Science 10
Name: ____________
Find Out Activity 11-2A: What’s all the hot air about CO2?
Adapted from p. 483 of your BC Science 10 Textbook.
With the Industrial Revolution of the late 19th century cam large factories and the first automobiles.
The new technologies ran on fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide when they burn. In this activity
you will track carbon dioxide emissions from human activities since the Industrial Revolution. You
will also track the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the global temperature increase over
time.
1. Use the data in the table provided to make the following three line graphs each on a separate
piece of graph paper. Use pencil, and choose appropriate scales for the data – you will be
extrapolating to the year 2020, so make sure this value appears on your x-axis for each graph.
Draw a best-fit line for each graph, and give each graph a proper title and labels.
Carbon Dioxide and Average Global Temperatures
Year
Industrial CO2 Emissions
CO2 Concentration in the
(x-axis) (in Gigatonnes*)
Atmosphere (parts per
(Graph 1 y-axis)
million per volume)
(Graph 2 y-axis)
1861
0.67
285
Temperature Increase
Since 1861 (° C)
(Graph y-axis)
0.00
1880
1.15
292
0.00
1900
2.63
298
0.05
1920
3.42
303
0.29
1940
4.95
307
0.46
1960
9.98
318
0.35
1980
20.72
340
0.41
2000
23.42
365
0.63
* 1 gigatonne = 1 billion tones
2. Based on the graphs you have drawn, use a different colour to extrapolate each graph to the year
2020.
Answer the questions that follow.
Science 10
What did you find out?
1.
Describe the shape of
Graph 1
Graph 2
Graph 3
2. Describe the trends since 1861 for
A) industrial CO2 emissions
B) CO2 concentration in the atmosphere
C) average global temperature increase
3. What connections can you make among the graphs?
4. What might affect the accuracy of your extrapolated line?
Name: ____________