OBJECTIVE: The objective of this experiment was to simulate the effects of warming an atmosphere and the effects of greenhouse gases within the atmosphere. To prepare the simulation we placed a probe within a plastic 2 liter bottle and placed the bottle under light from either a lamp or the sun. Once the materials were prepared we recorded the temperature of the bottle for ten minutes, moved the bottle out of the light and recorded for an additional five minutes. This process was done three times each with a slightly different simulation. The first trial, the bottle was empty; in the second trial, the bottle contained 200 mL of water; in the third trial, the bottle contained 200 mL of water and excess carbon dioxide from the dissolving of an alka seltzer tablet.
RAW DATA
COMPILED DATA
CONCLUSION QUESTIONS
1. Describe the general characteristics of each of the graphs.
The shape of each graph is generally the same. The graphs increase slowly and steadily until the 10 minute mark when the heat source is taken away. There is however a dip on all three graphs which our group has determined to be a human error on our part at about the 300 second mark where the temperature stops increasing temporarily. We believe these dips to be coincidences that occurred from shade or the turning off of the lamp.
2. In which bottle was the temperature rise the greatest? Why do you think this occurred?
The simulation with the greatest temperature was the third that contained both water and carbon dioxide. This trial got to 8.5 degrees Celsius compared to 4.3 and 7.3 of the other two bottles. The presence of both water vapor and carbon dioxide can be attributed for this temperature increase, because they are both greenhouse gases that have the ability to trap heat within the bottle (atmosphere). The other simulations did not reach the same temperature because they contained just water vapor or no greenhouse gases.
3. Was there any difference in the rate at which the bottles cooled off after the light was turned off?
The rate at which the bottles cooled varied very slightly. Warmer bottles cooled more quickly, but the rate of cooling slowed as the bottles became cooler which shows that the varying rates could be due to the difference of the internal and external temperatures of the bottles rather than the gas composition within.
4. List the major greenhouse gases. Which is considered to be the most important?
The four major greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Carbon Dioxide is considered to be most important, because it is the greenhouse gas most heavily emitted by humans making up 82% of all emissions.
5. Describe the differences between global warming and the greenhouse effect.
Global warming is the gradual warming of the earth's atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is a process that traps heat in the lower level of the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases amassed in the earth's atmosphere allow most of the short wavelength, high energy UV radiation from the sun to enter the atmosphere, only reflecting a small portion of the rays. This UV radiation is absorbed by the Earth's surface and the atmosphere. After the absorption occurs, heat is also released, but in the form of infrared radiation that has a longer wavelength and less energy than UV radiation. The greenhouse gases do not allow this infrared radiation to pass through into space and thereby traps the heat within the atmosphere, which works to amplify global warming.
6. Why is Venus hotter than Mercury, even though Mercury is much closer to the sun?
Venus is hotter than Mercury because of the thickness of its atmosphere, almost 90 times thicker than the earth's, this thickness allows Venus to retain heat much more and results in a much hotter surface on Venus than Mercury. Mercury's atmosphere is too thin to retain any real heat which is why its surface is surprisingly cold.
7. For virtually the entire history of the World the greenhouse effect was in balance. what man-made event was significant in the development of global warming?
The man-made event that was significant in the development of global warming was the industrial revolution that caused a massive increase in the use of manufacturing machines that burned wood or coal as fuel. This constant burning of wood, coal, and later fossil fuels caused unprecedented amounts of carbon dioxide to be released in the atmosphere which greatly increased the greenhouse effect.
8. Find out when the 10 hottest years were on global average. If this trend were to continue what environmental problems might arise? Do you think it will have a personal impact on you? How?
The 10 hottest years on record, in order from hottest to coldest, are 2014, 2010, 2005, 1998, 2013, 2003, 2002, 2006, 2009, and 2007. If this trend continues, we will see a continuing increase in global temperature that could cause such consequences as prolonged droughts, hotter heat waves, bigger hurricanes, rising sea levels, and decreased biodiversity. This will have a personal impact on me, since the weather will become uncomfortable and ineffective for agriculture in some places as is happening in the current drought in California. Also, extreme weather patterns, like heat waves and hurricanes, in less developed areas could trigger a greater need for humanitarian aid that would have to be provided by large developed countries like America. Finally, rising sea levels would magnify the extreme weather events as well as possibly cause damage to large low-lying cities such as San Francisco, New York, and New Orleans, all places I could be caught in at the wrong time.
The shape of each graph is generally the same. The graphs increase slowly and steadily until the 10 minute mark when the heat source is taken away. There is however a dip on all three graphs which our group has determined to be a human error on our part at about the 300 second mark where the temperature stops increasing temporarily. We believe these dips to be coincidences that occurred from shade or the turning off of the lamp.
2. In which bottle was the temperature rise the greatest? Why do you think this occurred?
The simulation with the greatest temperature was the third that contained both water and carbon dioxide. This trial got to 8.5 degrees Celsius compared to 4.3 and 7.3 of the other two bottles. The presence of both water vapor and carbon dioxide can be attributed for this temperature increase, because they are both greenhouse gases that have the ability to trap heat within the bottle (atmosphere). The other simulations did not reach the same temperature because they contained just water vapor or no greenhouse gases.
3. Was there any difference in the rate at which the bottles cooled off after the light was turned off?
The rate at which the bottles cooled varied very slightly. Warmer bottles cooled more quickly, but the rate of cooling slowed as the bottles became cooler which shows that the varying rates could be due to the difference of the internal and external temperatures of the bottles rather than the gas composition within.
4. List the major greenhouse gases. Which is considered to be the most important?
The four major greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Carbon Dioxide is considered to be most important, because it is the greenhouse gas most heavily emitted by humans making up 82% of all emissions.
5. Describe the differences between global warming and the greenhouse effect.
Global warming is the gradual warming of the earth's atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is a process that traps heat in the lower level of the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases amassed in the earth's atmosphere allow most of the short wavelength, high energy UV radiation from the sun to enter the atmosphere, only reflecting a small portion of the rays. This UV radiation is absorbed by the Earth's surface and the atmosphere. After the absorption occurs, heat is also released, but in the form of infrared radiation that has a longer wavelength and less energy than UV radiation. The greenhouse gases do not allow this infrared radiation to pass through into space and thereby traps the heat within the atmosphere, which works to amplify global warming.
6. Why is Venus hotter than Mercury, even though Mercury is much closer to the sun?
Venus is hotter than Mercury because of the thickness of its atmosphere, almost 90 times thicker than the earth's, this thickness allows Venus to retain heat much more and results in a much hotter surface on Venus than Mercury. Mercury's atmosphere is too thin to retain any real heat which is why its surface is surprisingly cold.
7. For virtually the entire history of the World the greenhouse effect was in balance. what man-made event was significant in the development of global warming?
The man-made event that was significant in the development of global warming was the industrial revolution that caused a massive increase in the use of manufacturing machines that burned wood or coal as fuel. This constant burning of wood, coal, and later fossil fuels caused unprecedented amounts of carbon dioxide to be released in the atmosphere which greatly increased the greenhouse effect.
8. Find out when the 10 hottest years were on global average. If this trend were to continue what environmental problems might arise? Do you think it will have a personal impact on you? How?
The 10 hottest years on record, in order from hottest to coldest, are 2014, 2010, 2005, 1998, 2013, 2003, 2002, 2006, 2009, and 2007. If this trend continues, we will see a continuing increase in global temperature that could cause such consequences as prolonged droughts, hotter heat waves, bigger hurricanes, rising sea levels, and decreased biodiversity. This will have a personal impact on me, since the weather will become uncomfortable and ineffective for agriculture in some places as is happening in the current drought in California. Also, extreme weather patterns, like heat waves and hurricanes, in less developed areas could trigger a greater need for humanitarian aid that would have to be provided by large developed countries like America. Finally, rising sea levels would magnify the extreme weather events as well as possibly cause damage to large low-lying cities such as San Francisco, New York, and New Orleans, all places I could be caught in at the wrong time.