Carbon Dioxide

Provided by: NASA |Published on: April 27, 2021

Graphs/Tables

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Synopsis

NASA's Vital Signs resource on carbon dioxide presents an interactive CO2 chart from 2005 to present, a graph of CO2 dating back 800,000 years, and an animation of global CO2 levels between 2002 and 2016.
There are links to more information provided and the graphs can be downloaded.
Atmospheric CO2 levels are measured at the NOAA observatory in Mauna Loa.

Subjects: Chemistry, Biology, Earth and Space Sciences

Authors: NASA

Region: Global, Hawai'i

Languages: English

Positives

Students can see the level of carbon dioxide increase over time and see where it tends to increase geographically.

Prerequisites

Differentiation & Implementation

Advanced students could investigate the reasons for carbon dioxide levels fluctuating so drastically in the Northern Hemisphere as compared to the Southern Hemisphere.
This is a great resource for lessons about photosynthesis, the carbon cycle, nutrient cycling, weather, Earth's tilt and seasons, Earth's orbit around the sun, or climate change.
Any class could use this resource for fact-checking, research, or data analysis.
Other resources about this topic include this table of solutions to climate change and this interactive data resource.

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All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.

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