OBJECTIVES
BY THE END OF THIS LESSON YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY “I CAN…”
• DEVELOP A MODEL THAT SHOWS THE ROLE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN THE CYCLING OF
CARBON
• EXPLAIN HOW SOLAR ENERGY, THE PROCESS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS, AND THE CYCLING
OF CARBON IMPACTS THE EARTH
• ANALYZE AND INTERPRET DATA ON CARBON EMISSIONS AND FORECAST ITS IMPACT ON
GLOBAL WARMING
WHY DO WE NEED THE SUN?
• Why do we need the sun?
• What will our Earth look like in 45 billion years when the sun is
gone?
• How does the sun impact life on
Earth?
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
The main way that solar
energy is captured and
stored on Earth is through
the complex chemical
process known as
photosynthesis.
WHY IS PHOTOSYNTHESIS IMPORTANT?
• HOW DOES SOLAR ENERGY AFFECT OUR ENVIRONMENT?
• HOW DOES PHOTOSYNTHESIS USE SOLAR ENERGY?
• WHAT DOES PHOTOSYNTHESIS USE (REACTANTS) AND PRODUCE (PRODUCTS)?
• HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOU? ANIMALS? THE OCEAN? LAND? TREES?
VIDEO TIME!!
CLIMATE INTERACTIVE
• HTTP://WWW.CLIMATEINTERACTIVE.ORG/TOOLS/C-LEARN/SIMULATION/
• YOUR GOAL IS TO RUN A SIMULATION THAT KEEPS CO2 LEVELS BELOW 450 PARTS PER MILLION
SUMMARY
PHOTOSYNTHESIS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ABSORBING ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE AND PRODUCING
OXYGEN THAT IS RELEASED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.
CARBON DIOXIDE IS A GREENHOUSE GAS THAT TRAPS HEAT FROM THE SUN THAT WOULD HAVE NORMALLY
BEEN REFLECTED BACK INTO SPACE.
COMPLETE STUDENT GUIDE