Question

the warming of the earth (1970 - 2020)
this table shows two things that scientists measure: the amount of a gas called co₂ (carbon dioxide) in the air and the earths temperature. the temperature numbers show how much warmer (+) the earth was in that year compared to the average temperature from 1951 - 1980.
what do these mean?

• co₂ (ppm): \ppm\ stands for \parts per million.\ its like finding 326 co₂ molecules in a giant box of one million air molecules.
• temperature change (°c): this is measured in degrees celsius. a change of +1.0°c means the earth was 1 degree celsius warmer than the long - term average.

1. what was the co₂ in the air level in the year 1990?
2. what was the temperature change in the year 2000?
3. in which year on the chart was the temperature change the highest?
4. what do you notice when you compare the two columns? when the co₂ level goes up, what does the temperature seem to do? explain your answer.

Explanation:

Step1: Locate the row for 1990

Check the table for the year 1990.

Step2: Find the CO₂ value

In the row for 1990, the CO₂ in the Air (ppm) value is 354.4.

Step3: Locate the row for 2000

Check the table for the year 2000.

Step4: Find the Temperature Change value

In the row for 2000, the Temperature Change (°C) value is + 0.60 °C.

Step5: Compare all Temperature Change values

Look at all the Temperature Change (°C) values: + 0.05 °C (1970), + 0.20 °C (1980), + 0.35 °C (1990), + 0.60 °C (2000), + 0.75 °C (2010), + 1.02 °C (2020).

Step6: Identify the highest value

The highest value is + 1.02 °C which corresponds to the year 2020.

Step7: Analyze the relationship between CO₂ and Temperature Change columns

Observe the trend in both columns. As the CO₂ in the Air (ppm) values increase (325.7 in 1970, 338.8 in 1980, 354.4 in 1990, 369.7 in 2000, 389.9 in 2010, 414.2 in 2020), the Temperature Change (°C) values also increase (+ 0.05 °C in 1970, + 0.20 °C in 1980, + 0.35 °C in 1990, + 0.60 °C in 2000, + 0.75 °C in 2010, + 1.02 °C in 2020).

Answer:

1. 354.4 ppm
2. + 0.60 °C
3. 2020
4. When comparing the two columns, it is noticed that as the CO₂ level goes up, the temperature also seems to go up. This is because as the values in the "CO₂ in the Air (ppm)" column increase from 1970 to 2020, the corresponding values in the "Temperature Change (°C)" column also show an increasing trend.