Temperature and CO2 concentration in the atmosphere over the past 400,000 years

Temperature and CO2 concentration in the atmosphere over the past 400,000 years
https://www.grida.no/resources/6878

UNEP Grid Arendal

This visualization graphically displays temperature and CO2 concentration in the atmosphere as derived from ice core data from 400,000 years ago to 1950. The data originates from UNEP GRID Arendal's graphic library of CO2 levels from Vostok ice core.

Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»

See how this Static Visualization supports the Next Generation Science Standards»

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Middle School

Cross Cutting Concepts: 6

Patterns, Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity

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Patterns, Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity

MS-C1.2: Patterns in rates of change and other numerical relationships can provide information about natural and human designed systems

MS-C1.3: Patterns can be used to identify cause and effect relationships.

MS-C1.4: Graphs, charts, and images can be used to identify patterns in data.

MS-C2.2: Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.

MS-C2.3: Phenomena may have more than one cause, and some cause and effect relationships in systems can only be described using probability.

MS-C3.1: Time, space, and energy phenomena can be observed at various scales using models to study systems that are too large or too small.

Science and Engineering Practices: 2

Asking Questions and Defining Problems

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High School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 4

HS-ESS2.D2: Gradual atmospheric changes were due to plants and other organisms that captured carbon dioxide and released oxygen.

HS-ESS2.D3: Changes in the atmosphere due to human activity have increased carbon dioxide concentrations and thus affect climate.

HS-ESS2.E1: The many dynamic and delicate feedbacks between the biosphere and other Earth systems cause a continual co-evolution of Earth’s surface and the life that exists on it.

HS-LS2.C2: Moreover, anthropogenic changes (induced by human activity) in the environment—including habitat destruction, pollution, introduction of invasive species, overexploitation, and climate change—can disrupt an ecosystem and threaten the survival of some species.

Cross Cutting Concepts: 5

Patterns, Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity

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Patterns, Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity

HS-C1.5: Empirical evidence is needed to identify patterns.

HS-C2.1: Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects.

HS-C2.2: Cause and effect relationships can be suggested and predicted for complex natural and human designed systems by examining what is known about smaller scale mechanisms within the system.

HS-C2.4: Changes in systems may have various causes that may not have equal effects.

HS-C3.4: Using the concept of orders of magnitude allows one to understand how a model at one scale relates to a model at another scale.

Climate Literacy

This Static Visualization builds on the following concepts of Climate Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

Can be complemented with related graphics, videos and activities on Milankovitch/orbital cycles and their role in the climate system. For example, http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/visual/animation.php?shortname=anm_polar_icecores.

About the Content

Graphic is slightly dated (2000) and could benefit from the inclusion of more recent ice core data going back 600K years from EPICA (Dome D).
Comments from expert scientist: This webpage offers a graph of Vostok CO₂ and Antarctic surface temperature, the latter reconstructed using deuterium (a hydrogen isotope) data. The graphs appear accurate and it is nice to have a simple figure showing these two datasets.

About the Pedagogy

Visualization will need to be "unpacked" for the data depicted to be relevant.

Technical Details/Ease of Use

Easy-to-access image can be downloaded.
The site hosting this graphic provides detailed information on the source of data, use constraints and citation suggestions.

Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN

Also see comparison with EPICA ice core: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EPICA_delta_D_plot.svg

Entered the Collection: February 2013 Last Reviewed: October 2016

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Middle School (see details)

Middle School

Cross Cutting Concepts: 6

Science and Engineering Practices: 2

High School (see details)

High School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 4

Cross Cutting Concepts: 5

Science and Engineering Practices: 2

Grade Level

Topics

Climate Literacy

Teaching Tips

About the Content

About the Pedagogy

Technical Details/Ease of Use

Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN

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