This short animated video shows the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide from 2007-2021.
These measurements were taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawai'i.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The lines on this animated graph build on each other, showing exactly how much atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased in recent years.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should have a basic understanding of climate change and the greenhouse effect.
Students should know that carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas most responsible for global heating.
Scientist Charles David Keeling began measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii in 1958.
Differentiation
This would be a great video to show at the beginning of a lesson on climate change. It may be powerful to show this video before explaining the context. You can have students write down three "noticings" and three "wonderings" about this video.
You can ask students about the average increase per year and see if they can figure out how decomposition and photosynthesis affect the level of CO2 throughout the year.
Students can access real time data from NOAA to see current levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Scientist Notes
Using empirical data from the Mauna Loa observatory, this 31-second video shows both the annual cycle of carbon dioxide as well as the continued yearly increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Science
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
6.ESS3.5 Ask clarifying questions based on evidence about the factors that have caused climate change over the past century.
HS.ESS3.5 Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth’s systems.
