Essential Idea:  Concentrations of gases in the atmosphere affect climates experienced at the Earth’s surface.

• Outline answer to each objective statement for topic 4.4 (coming soon)
• Quizlet study set for this topic

At SHS, Topic 4.4 is taught in the following class unit(s):​​​​

• Climate Change (unit 27)

4.4.U1  Carbon dioxide and water vapor are the most significant greenhouse gases.​

• State the sources of CO2 and water vapor in the atmosphere.
• Outline the mechanism by which greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere.

4.4.U2  Other gases including methane and nitrogen oxides have less impact.

• State the sources of methane and NO gases in the atmosphere.

4.4.U3  The impact of a gas depends on its ability to absorb long wave radiation as well as on its concentration in the atmosphere.

• State two factors that determine the warming impact of a greenhouse gas.
• State two variables that determine the concentration of a gas in the atmosphere.
• Compare the impact of atmospheric methane to CO2.
• State how long water, methane and CO2 remain in the atmosphere, on average. ​

4.4.U4  The warmed Earth emits longer wavelength radiation (heat).

• State that the Earth absorbs short-wave energy from the sun and re-emits longer wavelengths.
• ​Compare wavelengths of UV, visible and infrared radiation.

4.4.U5  Longer wave radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases that retain the heat in the atmosphere.​

• Explain the greenhouse effect, with reference to short wave radiation from the sun, long wave radiation from the Earth and the effects of ozone and greenhouse gases.
• Explain why water vapor, CO2, methane and NO are greenhouse gases.

4.4.U6  Global temperatures and climate patterns are influenced by concentrations of greenhouse gases.​​

• Explain why atmospheric CO2 concentration would logically impact global temperatures.
• Outline the effect of global temperature on climate, specifically location and frequency of of rain and frequency of severe storms.

4.4.U7  There is a correlation between rising atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide since the start of the industrial revolution 200 years ago and average global temperatures.

• State the atmospheric CO2 concentration prior to the industrial revolution.
• Outline the impact of the industrial revolution on atmospheric CO2 concentration.
• ​Describe the correlation between atmospheric CO2 concentrations since the industrial revolution and global temperatures.

4.4.U8  Recent increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide are largely due to increases in the combustion of fossilized organic matter.

• Explain why industrial revolution would increase atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

4.4.A1  Correlations between global temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations on Earth.​

• Explain how historical temperature data has been collected.
• Using ice core data, outline the correlation between atmospheric CO2 concentration and global temperatures.

4.4.A2  Evaluating claims that human activities are not causing climate change.​

• Outline three reasons why there is vigorous debate around the claim that human activities are causing climate change.

4.4.A3  Threats to coral reefs from increasing concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide.

• Outline the effect of atmospheric CO2 concentration on ocean pH.
• Describe the impact of lower ocean pH on animals that make skeletons from calcium carbonate.​

4.4.NOS  Assessing claims- Evaluating claims that human activities are not causing climate change

• Outline ways by which claims can be evaluated for truth.

In the News:

• The Worst Day in Earth’s History Contains an Ominous Warning (2019-10-22)
• Earth's Oceans are getting higher and hotter, and it's accelerating (2019-09-25)
• The world's oceans are in danger, major climate change report warns (2019-09-25)
• 'No doubt left' about scientific consensus on global warming, say experts (2019-07-24)
• Major U.S. cities are leaking methane at twice the rate previously believed (2019-07-19)
• Last time CO2 levels were this high, there were trees at the South Pole (2019-04-03)
• How the Weather Gets Weaponized in Climate Change Messaging (2019-03-01)
• The World Just Experienced the Four Hottest Years on Record (2019-01-25)
• How to Understand the UN’s Dire New Climate Report (2018-10-09)
• IPCC says limiting global warming to 1.5 °C will require drastic action (2018-10-08)
• ​Atmospheric carbon last year reached levels not seen in 800,000 years (2018-08-02)
• Losing Earth:  The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change (2018-08-01)
• Ocean acidification is having major impact on marine life (2018-07-28)
• Droughts, heatwaves and floods: How to tell when climate change is to blame (2018-07-30)
• Ocean acidification a challenge for science, governments, and communities (2018-07-24)
• Cores From Coral Reefs Hold Secrets of the Seas’ Past and Future (2018-05-29)
• Nutrient pollution makes ocean acidification worse for coral reefs (2018-06-06)
• Climate models predict increasing temperature variability in poor countries (2018-05-02)
• ​First direct observations of methane's increasing greenhouse effect at the Earth's surface (2018-04-02)
• Climate change could raise food insecurity risk (2018-04-02)
• More accurate estimates of methane emissions from dairy cattle developed (2018-03-29)
• ​New data confirm increased frequency of extreme weather events (2018-03-21)
• Corals Are Dissolving Away (2018-02-23)
• Polar bears are wasting away in a changing climate (2018-02-01)
• ​Long-term warming trend continued in 2017: NASA, NOAA (2018-01-08)
• 2017 Was The Year Of Extreme Weather (2017-12-30)
• Ocean Acidification In Washington Still Getting Worse (2017-12-20)
• World’s carbon emissions set to spike by 2% in 2017 (2017-11-13)
• Global methane emissions from agriculture larger than reported, according to new estimates (2017-09-29)
• Visualizing the Invisible Drivers of Climate Change​ (2016-12-16)
• Earth More Sensitive to Increasing Greenhouse Gas Than Thought (2014-01-02)
• Why is atmospheric methane surging? (2016-12-21)
• Arctic Is Warming At 'Astonishing' Rates, Researchers Say (2016-12-14)
• 95-Degree Days: How Extreme Heat Could Spread Across the World (2017-06-22)
• 2014 was the hottest year on record (2015-01-07)
• ​2015 Was Hottest Year in Historical Record, Scientists Say (2016-01-20)
• How 2016 Became Earth’s Hottest Year on Record (2017-01-18)
• Human carbon release rate is unprecedented in the past 66 million years of Earth's history (2016-03-21)
• ​Atmospheric carbon dioxide soars past crucial milestone (2016-05-16)
• August Ties July for Hottest Month on Record (2016-09-12)
• How Trump Can Influence Climate Change (2016-12-08)
• ​Potential Eyes in the Sky on Greenhouse Gases (2016-05-09)
• Not coral, but same concept:  Worsening ocean acidification threatens Alaska fisheries (2014-07-29)
• Study projects unprecedented loss of corals in Great Barrier Reef due to warming (2015-01-22)
• How will ocean acidification impact marine life? (2015-02-03)
• Acidifying Waters Are Endangering Your Oysters And Mussels (2015-02-23)
• Ocean acidification slows algae growth in the southern ocean (2015-02-24)
• Climate change could eventually claim a sixth of the world’s species (2015-04-30)
• Climate engineering may save coral reefs, study shows (2015-05-25)
• Ocean acidification makes coralline algae less robust (2016-02-08)
• Landmark experiment confirms ocean acidification’s toll on Great Barrier Reef (2016-02-24)
• ​Ocean acidification takes a toll on California's coastline at nighttime (2016-03-18)
• Can corals keep up with ocean acidification? (2016-04-07)
• Ocean acidification may be impacting coral reefs in the Florida keys (2016-05-02)
• ​Shellfish response to ocean acidification depends on other stressors (2016-05-09)
• ​Great Barrier Reef: devastating images tell story of coral colonies' destruction (2016-05-12)
• ​Coral reefs fall victim to overfishing, pollution aggravated by ocean warming (2016-06-07)
• Oceans Are Absorbing Almost All of the Globe’s Excess Heat (2016-09-12)
• New insights into the impacts of ocean acidification (2016-09-14)
• Ocean acidification accelerates erosion of coral reefs (2016-11-22)
• Large Sections of Australia’s Great Reef Are Now Dead, Scientists Find (2017-03-15)
• How pollution is changing the ocean's chemistry (TED talk, 2017-05)
• Corals in peril at a popular Hawaiian tourist destination due to global climate change (2017-05-30)
• My Depressing Summers in Belize (2017-07-06)
• Just 1°C of ocean warming can upend marine ecosystems (2017-08-31)
• Climate changing more rapidly than at any point on record (2014-07-17)
• ​Global Temperatures Are on Course for Another Record This Year (2016-07-19)
• Longest historic temperature record stretches back 2 million years (2016-09-26)
• Earth warming to climate tipping point, warns study (2016-11-30)
• Earth Sets a Temperature Record for the Third Straight Year (2017-01-18)
• 9 Takeaways From the National Climate Report (2017-08-08)
• Deeper Ties to Corporate Cash for Doubtful Climate Researcher (2015-02-21)
• My Depressing Day With A Famous Climate Skeptic (2015-02-24)
• Trump's Denial of Climate Change at Odds with World Leaders (2016-07-12)
• Looking, Quickly, for the Fingerprints of Climate Change (2016-08-01)
• Why Facts Don't Unify Us (2016-09-02)
• What’s the Best Way to Convince a Climate Change Denier? (2016-01-06) ​
• How Climate Data Is Collected (2017-06-11)
• Should You Trust Climate Science? Maybe the Eclipse Is a Clue (2017-08-18)