The Greenhouse Effect: How do greenhouse gases affect Earth’s climate?

STUDENT LABORATORY -- The Greenhouse Effect (Gizmos)

Full Name: ______________________________________ Lab Section: _______ Lab Instructor: _____________________

Lab Date: __________ Credit: 1 lab

The Greenhouse Effect: How do greenhouse gases affect Earth's climate?

Objectives. Students will: ? Explain how heat enters and leaves Earth's atmosphere. ? Determine that the rate heat flows out of the atmosphere depends on the concentration of greenhouse gases.

Introduction Like the windows of a car, greenhouse gases play a major role in regulating Earth's climate. Without the gases that trap heat in Earth's atmosphere, Earth would be a frigid desert like Mars (average temperature -55?C, or -67?F). However, too much greenhouse gas and Earth could be a fiery inferno like Venus (average temperature 450?C, or 850?F).

The greenhouse effect is the warming of Earth due to carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere. Warming occurs as sunlight strikes the Earth. Much of the sunlight is reflected back into space. But Earth's atmosphere absorbs much of the heat and slows its escape from Earth. In this way, the Earth is like a greenhouse. The atmosphere encloses the Earth just as panes of glass enclose a greenhouse. Because of their heat-trapping abilities, the carbon dioxide and other gases in Earth's atmosphere are often called greenhouse gases.

Materials: Computer device to access the internet

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Part 1: Daily Cycles of Heat and Temperature In this activity, you will examine the relationship between the time of day and the temperature.

1. Click on the list or go to "The Greenhouse Effect- Metric" Gizmos lab in your Gizmos class folder. Link here:

2. In the Gizmo, with Greenhouse gases (relative percent) set to 10%, click Play and watch as several days go by. Notice the moving red arrow at the top of the SIMULATION pane indicating the time of day.

3. Next click on the tab on the top of the simulation that says "BAR CHART." The bar charts show heat flow (expressed in arbitrary units) and temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. Set the Simulation speed slider to Slow (toggle it to the left) and hit play again for a few more days.

4. Refer to the graphs of temperature and heat flow (green background) to answer the questions and hit pause/play as needed to answer the questions.

a. How does the heat flow going in (Hin) fluctuate throughout the day?

b. At what time is the most heat entering the atmosphere? Use am/pm on all times. Note: You can hit pause and play as needed in order to answer the questions in the lab.

c. During what time range is there no heat at all entering the atmosphere? _____ to _____ d. Why do you think this is?

e. How does the heat leaving the atmosphere (Hout) change during the day?

f. How does the temperature change throughout the day?

g. At about what time is it hottest?

h. At about what time is it coolest?

5. Click Reset . Then click on the TABLE tab. You will now look at 24 hours of heat and temperature data. 6. Click Play and watch the time pass in the data table. When Time (hr) reaches 24.00, click Pause. Then use the

scroll bar on the right side of the table to answer the questions below. You can reset and recollect data if needed. a. At what time does heat (Hin) begin to enter the greenhouse? Why?

b. At what time did the greatest amount of heat enter (Hin)? Why?

c. What do you notice about Hout throughout the day?

d. What was the maximum temperature during the day?

e. At what time did the maximum temperature occur? (Convert your answer from military time to a.m. and p.m. time.)

f. What was the minimum temperature?

g. At what time did the minimum temperature occur?

7. Click Reset. Then click on the GRAPH tab. You will be look at graphs of Hin, Hout, and temperature over time. Answer these questions before you click play. a. What do you expect the graph of Hout to look like over a number of days?

b. What do you expect the graph of Hin to look like over a number of days?

c. What do you expect the graph of T?F to look like over a number of days compared to Hin?

8. Adjust the Simulation speed slider so that the speed is about halfway between Slow and Fast. Then click Play. When about four or five days have passed, click Pause.

Summary Questions: 1. Look at the graph for procedure 8 above. Do the three graphs look like you predicted in procedure 7? State your answers below and explain why each graph looks like it does. Hout Hin T?F

You Have Completed the Greenhouse Effect Lab!

*Important -- Save this lab for your records. Upload this lab report to your Google Classroom for lab credit

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