Measuring Greenhouse Gases in Ice

Question 1

Scientists have reported over 160,000 years that ice gives us an answer to knowing concentrations fluctuate. What type of Concentrations are we measuring?

Answer 1

Carbon Dioxide and Methane

Question 2

How many years have Methane and Carbon Dioxide temperatures and atmospheric concentrations been fluctuated?

Answer 2

160,000 years

Question 3

What environmental trait makes Greenland and Antarctica great for drilling Ice cores?

Answer 3

Annual layers of snow/ice can accumulate thousands of meters in thickness, each layer containing bubbles of trapped gasses.

Question 4

How do Researchers measure Greenhouse Gases using Ice?

Answer 4

1. Drill into layers of buried ice, 3. Freeze and Assign Date in Lab, 3. Analyze chemical content

Question 5

How are Carbon Dioxide concentrations measured?

Answer 5

Measured directly from air released as the ice melts. Relative temperature can be inferred by ratios of different oxygen isotopes.

Question 6

How has the Co2 and CH4 variation changed then to recently?

Answer 6

The last 160,000 years show an overall decline in both until recently

Question 7

What is the process of the Scientific Method?

Answer 7

1. Observe the natural world, 2. Generate a Hypothesis, 3. Decide whether hypothesis is T/F based off existing info, 4. Test Hypothesis with experiment.

Question 8

When has Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide started to increase in parts per million?

Answer 8

Figure 5 shows from 1960-2010

Question 9

What is the primary human activity that produces Carbon Dioxide?

Answer 9

Burning fossil fuel (From Industrial Revolution) and destruction of forests

Question 10

According to the Archives of Nature what is a term used to describe Trees, Soil, and Ice cores?

Answer 10

Proxies: Natural features that show evidence of specific climate conditions

Question 11

The Archives of Society (AOF) refers to sources produced by humans and contain information about the climates. When was the thermometer invented and how is it relevant to the Archives of Society?

Answer 11

The thermometer is an instrumentals tool created around 1700. Since its the oldest tool existing we can use this to prove why the AOF is not the most reliable.

Question 12

What is the Industrial Revolution and how does this link to Greenhouse Gases

Answer 12

A time of enormous growth and innovation starting in the late 18th century. Greenhouse Gasses (such as Co2) begun to rise in production around this time.

Question 13

What Literature Piece was created in the context of the Industrial Revelation and what does the author suggest about it?

Answer 13

“The World Is Too Much With Us” (1807) by William Wordsworth (1770-1850). He suggest that people have become consumed with material goods and no longer recognize beauty of inherent in nature.

Question 14

During the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century what kind of factories were invented that later caused a bulk of the Greenhouse Gas emissions?

Answer 14

Coal-Powered Factories

Question 15

What countries became the world’s leading emitters of greenhouse gasses?

Answer 15

China, US, EU, India, and Russia

Question 16

What is the Paris Agreement?

Answer 16

A 2015 agreement following the guidelines from the IPCC, that’s goal is to limit the increase in global temperature.

Question 17

How many parties adapted the Paris Agreement?

Answer 17

196 parties

Question 18

How much does global average temperatures increase need to be limited to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal?

Answer 18

The Paris Agreement wants to limit 2 degree C above pre-industrial levels. Global Leaders say we need to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees C by the end of the century.

Question 19

What is the downside to the Paris Agreement?

Answer 19

According to Donald Trump, following the Paris Agreement puts the US at an Economic Disadvantage.

Question 20

What are the Estimated Residence Times for Carbon Dioxide and Methane

Answer 20

Co2 is 100 years and CH4 is 11.8 years