Greenhouse effect lab report

SEC#: Name: Greenhouse Effect Lab Greenhouse effect web simulator Part 1: Glass Layers (Greenhouse) Click on the “Glass Layers” tab at the top of the screen of the Greenhouse Effect Simulation. Introduction: Global warming is perhaps the “hottest” topic in today’s headlines. The cause of warming is usually blamed on the “greenhouse effect” or “greenhouse gases.” The following simulation will allow you to first examine how the “greenhouse effect” works in a greenhouse. You will then experiment with a simulation of the earth’s atmosphere where the concentration of greenhouse gases can be varied. Finally, you will use the results of the two simulations to describe how the “greenhouse effect” affects temperature on the earth. Hypothesis: Write what happens to make the inside of a car feels so much warmer than its surroundings on sunny days. 1a. What do the yellow dots moving down represent? 1b. What do the red dots represent? 1c. Record the approximate temperature “inside the greenhouse” before adding glass panes: Prediction: Make a prediction about what will happen when you add a glass pane: Test your prediction: add one glass pane. 1d. What do the sunlight photons do when they hit the glass from the top? Do they all do the same thing? 1e. What do the infrared photons do when they hit the glass from the bottom? Do they all do the same thing? Be specific. 1f. What is the new temperature “inside the greenhouse?” SEC#: Name: 1g. Based on the observations of the photons, why does the temperature change? Now add one more glass pane and watch. Then add the third glass pane. 1h. What happens to the temperature as additional glass panes are added? 1i. Explain why this happens by observing the photons. 1k. Before proceeding to the earth, predict how what you have discovered regarding greenhouses might apply to the earth and its atmosphere. Part 2: The Earth’s Atmosphere Click on the “Greenhouse Effect” tab at the top. 2a. What do the yellow dots moving down represent? 2b. What do the red dots represent? 2c. Watch the red dots carefully. Do they all move upwards? Why or why not? 2d. Is the behavior of the photons more similar to the greenhouse simulation with or without glass panes? 2e. Which time period do the default conditions represent? SEC#: Name: With the Atmosphere set to “Today,” fill out the table below: Record the composition of the atmosphere (on the right side of the screen): Gas Amount Record the temperature on the thermometer: K (kelvin) °F (degrees Fahrenheit) °C (degrees Celsius) Note: this indicates the average global temperature (ppm means “parts per million”) Prediction: Make a prediction about what will happen if you reduce the amounts of greenhouse gases: Test your prediction: reduce the greenhouse gas concentration to “None”. 2f. Is the behavior of the photons more similar to the greenhouse simulation with or without glass panes? 2g.