GOOGLE FORM: The Greenhouse Effect

The Greenhouse Effect

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This interactive is brought to you by Virtual Science Teachers. Copyright Virtual Science Teachers 2022

This lesson on the greenhouse effect is all about energy...energy that comes from the sun.

Select the sun.

Under a lot of pressure in the core of the sun, hydrogen atoms fuse together to form helium atoms.

• energy
• redstone
• sugar

A lot of energy is released as a result of these fusion reactions!

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Hydrogen atoms fuse together to form helium atoms in the core of the sun.

• energy
• redstone
• sugar

A lot of energy is released as a result of this fusion reaction!

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Some of that energy travels as sunlight about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) all the way to Earth!

93 million miles

Click on Earth

Some of that energy travels as sunlight about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) all the way to Earth!

Click on Earth

93 million miles

• 8 minutes
• 8 seconds
• 8 hours
• 8 days

It takes sunlight about 8 minutesto make that 93 million mile journey all the way to Earth.

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The sunlight provides the energy needed for all life on Earth to live and grow.

Click on the plant.

The sunlight provides the energy needed for all life on Earth to live and grow.

Sunlight also warms the Earth, keeping it from completely freezing over.

Select that amazing ball of life-enabling energy.

Oh...and we can't forget that the atmosphere also plays a huge role in keeping the Earth at just the right temperatures that life can thrive.

Click on the atmosphere.

The atmosphere (air) is made of about 78% nitrogen gas (N2), 21% oxygen gas (O2), and 1% argon gas.

Ar

Click on one of the Nitrogen Gas (N2) molecules.

The atmosphere also contains a very tiny percentage of other gases, such as methane, water vapor, and carbon dioxide.

Ar

Click on the carbon dioxide (CO2) molecule.

Ooh ooh! Studying the composition of the atmosphere (air) is a perfect time to use a pie chart!

Pie charts are useful when comparing parts of a whole.

The Composition of Air

Argon Gas (Ar) 0.93%

Ar

Nitrogen Gas (N2) 78.09%

0.03% Other Gases to include Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4)

Oxygen Gas (O2) 20.95%

Well done! Click here.

Drag the labels so they correctly show the composition of air on the pie chart. When the labels are correctly placed, a message will appear.

The gases that make up the atmosphere create the perfect blanket for Earth. They absorb and reflect just the right amounts of energy for life to thrive.

Click on the arrow that represents sunlight reflecting off Earth's atmosphere.

Click on the arrow that represents sunlight reflecting off Earth's atmosphere.

About 29% of sunlight reflects off the atmosphere and back into space.

*NASA

Now let's explore what happens to sunlight that enters Earth's atmosphere!

Click on one of the the arrows that represents sunlight that enters Earth's atmosphere.

This image shows sunlight that enters the atmosphere and heats the Earth.

infrared waves

sunlight

This gif was made using PhET's greenhouse gas simulation. Click here to use it!

Click on a part of the diagram that represents incoming sunlight energy that heats the Earth.

Simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (https://phet.colorado.edu).

The sunight warms the surface of the Earth. As a result of getting warmer, the Earth emits energy in the form of infrared waves (also called infrared radiation).

infrared waves

sunlight

This gif was made using PhET's greenhouse gas simulation. Click here to use it!

Click on a part of the diagram that represents infrared waves.

Simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (https://phet.colorado.edu).

Some molecules in the atmosphere let infrared waves just pass on by.

infrared waves

sunlight

This gif was made using PhET's greenhouse gas simulation. Click here to use it!

Click on a part of the diagram that represents infrared energy leaving Earth's atmosphere.

Simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (https://phet.colorado.edu).

Some of the infrared energy gets trapped within the atmosphere by greenhouse gases.

Some molecules in the atmosphere prevent the infrared waves from escaping. This is similar to how the glass in a greenhouse keeps the inside of the greenhouse warm, even when it's cold outside.

infrared waves

sunlight

This gif was made using PhET's greenhouse gas simulation. Click here to use it!

Click on a part of the diagram that represents infrared energy that gets trapped within Earth's atmosphere.

Simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (https://phet.colorado.edu).

Play with this PhET simulation to better understand how infrared waves (also called infrared radiation) interact with molecules in the atmosphere.

Compare molecules

Turn on

Focus on infrared waves because that is the kind that the Earth radiates when it is warmed.

Click here after using the simulation for a good bit.

Simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (https://phet.colorado.edu).

Simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (https://phet.colorado.edu).

Compare molecules

Turn on

The most abundant molecules in the atmosphere, nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2), do not absorb infrared energy. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) are known as greenhouse gases because they absorb and re-infrared energy.

• do not absorb
• absorb and re-emit
• eat

• absorb and re-emit
• do not absorb
• eat

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You got it! Greenhouse gases, like CO2, asborb and re-emit infrared energy that would otherwise go out into space. This helps keep the Earth warm enough for life to thrive.

infrared waves

sunlight

This gif was made using PhET's greenhouse gas simulation. Click here to use it!

Click on an image that represents life.

Simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (https://phet.colorado.edu).

Just like the glass walls and roof trap within a greenhouse...

• heat
• plants
• candy

• atmosphere
• trees
• clouds

some gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat that keeps the Earth warm. This process of trapping heat within the atmosphere is called the greenhouse effect.

• greenhouse
• heating
• solar

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These gifs were made using PhET's greenhouse gas simulation. Click here to use it!

These three images simulate what happens to infrared radiation with varying levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

High concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases

No greenhouse gases

Medium concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases

Click on the image that shows all of the infrared radiation escaping Earth's atmosphere.

Simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (https://phet.colorado.edu).

These gifs were made using PhET's greenhouse gas simulation. Click here to use it!

Yes! In the first image, all of the infrared radiation leaves Earth's atmosphere.

Simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (https://phet.colorado.edu).

High concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases

No greenhouse gases

Medium concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases

Earth's temperature would be _________ if there were no greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

much higher

much lower

about the same

These gifs were made using PhET's greenhouse gas simulation. Click here to use it!

That's correct. The Earth would be MUCH colder without greenhouse gases. What happens if the concentration of greenhouse gases increases to high levels?

High concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases

No greenhouse gases

Medium concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases

Click on the image that shows the most infrared radiation getting trapped in Earth's atmosphere.

Simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (https://phet.colorado.edu).

Earth's temperature would be _________ if there were no greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

much higher

much lower

about the same

These gifs were made using PhET's greenhouse gas simulation. Click here to use it!

You got it. The third image shows the most infrared radiation being trapped by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (https://phet.colorado.edu).

High concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases

No greenhouse gases

Medium concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases

Earth's temperature _________ as greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere.

decreases

does not change

increases

Click on the image that shows all of the infrared energy escaping Earth's atmosphere.

You got it! Earth's temperature increases as greenhouse gases, such as CO2, are added to the atmosphere.

So, what's happening to the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere these days?

Click on the car exhaust.

Click on the image that shows all of the infrared energy escaping Earth's atmosphere.

These gifs were made using PhET's greenhouse gas simulation. Click here to use it!

Climate.gov

• 317
• 100
• 15
• 3,000

In the year 1960, about 317 of every 1 million particles in the atmosphere were carbon dioxide.

• 417
• 300
• 205
• 3,000

In the year 2021, about 417 of every 1 million particles were carbon dioxide.

Between the years 1960 and 2021, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air increased by about 100 parts per million.

• 100

• 315
• 30

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Click on the image that shows all of the infrared energy escaping Earth's atmosphere.

As a result of increased levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, the temperature of the Earth has been on the rise.

Data source: NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). Credit: NASA/GISS

The y-axis "Temperature Anomaly" values represent how much warmer or cooler Earth's surface was compared to the average temperature between 1951 and 1980.

Click on the point of the graph that corresponds to the warmest year between 1880 and 2020.

Starting during the industrial revolution in 1750, humans began burning fossil fuels at higher and higher rates.Burning fuel for energy and several other human activities have resulted in lots of extra CO2 in the atomsphere.

Human activity results in the release A LOT OF CO2!

Click on the part of the graph that corresponds to the time that human activity caused increased CO2 levels.

To obtain the code word, drag the words into the paragraph below so that it correctly summarizes the greenhouse effect.

warm

Enter the code word you get after completing the paragraph.

lowercase letters only

CONTINUE

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To summarize what you've covered in this interactive, answer the questions throughout this video from the US EPA. The code word you need to move on is at the end of the video.

warm

Enter the code word provided at the end of the video.

lowercase letters only

CONTINUE

This video was created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Way to go! You've completed this interactive about the greenhouse effect. Maybe one day you'll be a scientist that studies our changing climate.

Select here to get the Google Form code word.

1940

1980

1920

2020

1960

2000

1900

Credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio

This graphic illustrates the change in global surface temperature relative to 1951-1980 average temperatures.

warm

Enter the code word you get after completing the paragraph.

lowercase letters only

CONTINUE

Sunlight, a form of ENERGY, heats the Earth's surface. The warmed Earth then emits energy in the form of INFRARED RADIATION. This energy travels back towards OUTER SPACE. Greenhouse gases, such as CARBON DIOXIDE, trap some of the infrared radiation in the ATMOSPHERE before it can escape, making the Earth WARMER.

Select here if this page does not load properly.

For one set of cards (cards=pictures/text/object that you want to appear)

You need the orange element on every page. It will also display errors (in Spanish) This element shows either as "baraja1" or as "set1". Copy and paste to create as many as you have cards. Group the element with your cards IN THE ORDER that you want them to appear. Go to a differrent slide and return to see the updated numbering. The numbering changes with every times you group/ungroup or duplicate elements. Optional Elements: Group the "contador" with any text. The text will be automatically replaced to display how many rounds have been played. Group the "Terminado" element with text/object that you want to appear once all cards have been used. Group the "Reiniciar" element with a button (e.g. an image or text) . When the button is pressed, the game is reset. Group the "Ocultar" with a text/object that you want to disappear once the game starts, e.g. the instructions Choose one type of these buttons to decide how cards will be drawn:

true

to make the last two buttons random, add the black box to the page. Only group with "true" (for random) or "false" (for not random)

display a new element, hiding the rest

display a new element, keeping the rest visible

display a random element with animation.

For several sets of cards

This page allows for up to 5 decks of cards. See next page if you need more.For each set of cards, use a different set of "baraja/set" elements. Each cards of deck 1 need to be grouped with a "baraja/set 1" button, each card of deck 2 need to be grouped with a "baraja/set 2" button etc. Also use a different set of set of buttons from the white box for each set (Ocultar 1 for the first set, Ocultar 2 for the second set etc.)

Group the elements from the orange box with buttons that will apply to ALL sets of cards (e.g. it draw the next card in all sets at the same time or it will reset all cards at the same time)

Elements for up to 10 sets If you need more sets, use the codes on the next 2 pages. Change the numbers in bolt to create more elements. You can also change the colour names in the codes to give it different colours to be able to tell them apart easier. Once the code is changed, go to "insert", then "other" and paste it in the box to create the element.