annotated-Lab%203%20GEOL%201330
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School
University of Texas, Arlington *
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Course
1330
Subject
Geology
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
Pages
4
Uploaded by CorporalEnergyManatee27
1
GEOL 1330
Name:
Damar Nunez
Global Warming
Lab #3
1. (20 points)
Use the link below to watch a video about greenhouse gases.
List the main
greenhouse gases found in our atmosphere and summarize how they absorb heat radiation and
what distinguishes them from the major gases in our atmosphere (N
2
and O
2
).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=132&v=sTvqIijqvTg
The atmosphere protects us by acting like a shield that blocks out harmful sun rays and also traps
infrared heat aka heat which keeps the earths surface warm. Oxygen, nitrogen, water. O3, N2O,
CO2 and methane. CO2 and methane spend most of their time “shaking it” in electrically-
lopsided ways, allowing them to absorb infrared rays and help insulate the earth
2. (30 points)
The more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are present in the
atmosphere, the more heat radiation is trapped in the atmosphere.
The graph below shows
measurements of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the Mauna Loa observatory on Hawai’i.
Source:
https://scripps.ucsd.edu/programs/keelingcurve/
2
How much does the amount of CO
2
vary over the course of one year? For a close-up look at one
year go to the link listed above.
425-415=10. The CO2 varies by 10 ppm over the course of one year.
Find the difference for a year high – low = answer
Describe the pattern of this variation in one year.
What might be the reason for this pattern?
I think the reason for this pattern would be more plants in the spring vs in the winter, it would
show higher CO2 concentration from like Jan-July because theres more plants , while in winter
theres less plants. I would describe the pattern per year as kinda an “S” curve chart, it lower in
Aug- Dec and then higher in Jan-July, and it repeats cause it happens every year but if I look at
the two year tab it looks like a zigzag pattern in forming and then I if I look at the full record its
clearly a zigzag pattern.
What is the total change in the average CO
2
concentration since the beginning of this recording
(1958) until now?
425-315= 110. The total change in the average CO2 concentration since 1958 to 2023 is 110
ppm.
3. (30 points)
We need to examine the past to find out to what extent CO
2
levels have changed
over time.
We can use ice cores from Antarctica to understand past variations in trace gases. As
snow falls it traps small amounts of air in the spaces between the snowflakes. Some of this gas
forms small bubbles as the snow changes into glacial ice. The graph below
(
https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/
) shows the carbon dioxide concentration
based on ice core data through the last approximately 800,000 years.
What are the maximum and minimum CO
2
levels from 800,000 years ago until the year 1911,
and what is the “natural range” (difference between max and min) in CO
2
during that time?
3
Find minimum of Y and maximum and find the difference under the line and then subtract
300-170=130. The maximum of the CO2 levels from 800,000 years ago is 300 CO2 (parts per
million), and the minimum is 170 CO2 (parts per million), and the “natural range” in CO2 during
this time would be 130 CO2 (parts per million).
What is the difference between the current CO
2
level and the maximum level of CO
2
before
human industrialization?
I think a it’s a huge different because on the chart it shows that for a millennia, the athmospheric
carbon dioxide had never been above 300 CO2 (parts per million), but after 1911 it started to rise
and hows 1958 and today. Toady it sits around about 420 ish CO2 (parts per million), while the
average during the milllenia was 130 CO2 (parts per million) which is 3x more than the “natural
range”. The difference is 420-300= 120 CO2 (parts per million).
4. (20 points)
EXPLAIN the greenhouse effect with the graph of a glasshouse below. Draw
arrows of the direction of radiation in and out of the greenhouse and label incoming short wave
radiation Q
SW
and outgoing long wave radiation Q
LW
on the arrows.
QLW
QSW
The warm air rises and
the air heats up the
greenhouse
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4
Teamwork in the lab is encouraged.
However, each student must provide his/her own
answer.
Copying of answers results in a grade of zero for all students involved.