(Environmental Science) (100 points)
03.06 Global Change Lab Worksheet
Materials:
ruler
tape
water
scissors
ice cubes
plastic wrap
small towels
aluminum foil
desk lamp (optional)
two thermometers
rubber band, string, or floss
two or more glasses or jars (if you have more, you can run experiments simultaneously)
funnel or small strainer (large enough to fit on glass but not fall in)
kitchen mitts or gloves
Materials:
ruler
tape
water
scissors
ice cubes
plastic wrap
small towels
aluminum foil
desk lamp (optional)
two thermometers
rubber band, string, or floss
two or more glasses or jars (if you have more, you can run experiments simultaneously)
funnel or small strainer (large enough to fit on glass but not fall in)
kitchen mitts or gloves
Procedures:
Experiment A: Impacts of Land and Sea Ice on Sea Level Rise
Place about six ice cubes in glass or jar. This is your sea ice.
Fill it about halfway full of water.
Use a ruler on the outside of the glass or jar to measure the beginning height of the water.
Fill another glass or jar halfway full of water.
Use a ruler on the outside of the glass or jar to measure the beginning height of the water.
Place a funnel or small kitchen strainer on top of the second glass or jar.
Place six ice cubes in the funnel or strainer. This is your land ice.
Wait for 30 minutes then measure the new water levels for both glasses, or jars.
Record the beginning and ending heights in the lab worksheet.
Experiment B: Enhanced Greenhouse Effect and Air Temperature
Tape a thermometer into each of two glasses or jars.
Cover the top of one glass or jar with two layers of plastic wrap. This is your enhanced greenhouse glass.
Use a rubber band or string to tie around the glass to hold the plastic in place.
Use tape to seal the plastic wrap around the thermometer so air does not escape from the jar.
Record the temperature of the air inside each glass.
Put both glasses under the same angle of sunshine or desk lamp.
The desk lamp can make the glasses hot. Be careful handling them.
Record the temperature of the air inside each glass after about 30 minutes.
Record the beginning and ending temperatures in the lab worksheet.
Experiment C: Sea Ice and Ocean Temperatures
Fill two glasses about halfway full of water.
Record the temperature of the water inside each glass.
Cut a piece of aluminum the size necessary to cover half the surface of water in one glass.
Place the piece of aluminum in one of the glasses. This is your sea-ice glass.
Wrap a towel around the bottom of each glass.
Put both glasses under the same angle of sunshine or desk lamp.
The desk lamp can make the glasses hot. Be careful handling them.
Record the temperature of the water inside each glass after about 30 minutes.
Record the beginning and ending temperatures in the lab worksheet.
Pre-Activity Questions:
Use information from the lesson to answer these questions. Answer in complete sentences.
Describe the general trend of severe weather events in the last decade.
Besides meltwater from ice, what additional factors are responsible for sea level rise?
Data:
Experiment A
Height of Water
Sea Ice Glass Before
Sea Ice Glass After
Land Ice Glass Before
Land Ice Glass After
Experiment B
Temperature of Air
Enhance Greenhouse Glass Before
Enhance Greenhouse Glass After
Reg. Greenhouse Glass Before
Reg. Greenhouse Glass After
Experiment C
Temperature of Water
Sea Ice Glass Before
Sea Ice Glass After
No Ice Glass Before
No Ice Glass After
Analysis:
Answer the following questions in complete sentences using the lab data.
In experiment A:
What was the difference in height before and after land and sea ice melted?
Which type of ice caused the largest change?
Explain the conditions that allowed one type of ice to melt faster than the other.
In experiment B:
How did the air temperature of the enhanced greenhouse affect glass compare to the regular greenhouse air temperature?
How did the plastic wrap represent enhanced greenhouse effect?
In experiment C:
How did the water temperature of the sea-ice glass compare to the no-ice glass after heating?
Why is aluminum foil a good representation of ice in this experiment?
What did the towels represent and help do to the "mini-oceans" in the glasses?
Making Connections:
Use the real-life data under the Background section and the results of your lab activity to answer the questions below. Answer in complete sentences.
Compare the sea level anomaly maps from Feb 2017 and Feb 2021.
What differences do you notice between them?
How can experiment A be used to explain the conditions causing these sea-level anomalies?
Compare the sea surface temperatures from Feb 2003 and Feb 2021.
What differences do you notice between them?
How can experiment C be used to explain the conditions causing changes to sea surface temperatures?
Examine the global temperatures table.
How are conditions demonstrated in experiments A, B, and C causing the global trend seen in the table?
