June 2012 Teaching about CO 2, Temperature, and Climate Change Beth Caissie 1, 2 with collaboration from Julie Brigham-Grette 1, Laura Schofield 3, Christina Ciarametaro 3, and Mort Sternheim 1 1 UMass Amherst Geosciences and STEM Ed Institute; 2 Iowa State University; 3 Ipswich Middle School

CO 2 and Temperature—What is Normal? Concepts to Address before you begin –Climate vs. Weather –Greenhouse Gasses –The Carbon Cycle Play the game? Photosynthesis and Decomposition The Role of the Oceans Concepts to grasp During the Activity –How much of a change in CO 2 concentration and other GHGs is natural? –What is the normal range of CO 2 and temperature variability? How is normal defined in this context? –What is the relationship between CO 2 and global temperatures?

The Carbon Cycle IPCC. Climate Change 2007: Working Group I: The Physical Science Basis; Figure modified from Sarmiento and Gruber, 2006

Play the Carbon Cycle Game! Go to your assigned station Roll the Die Move (or don’t move) according to the sheet at your station Record what happened for EACH roll of the die on your Itinerary When you’ve rolled the die 10 times, come up and record your trip on the board.

What causes this change in annual Carbon dioxide?

Seasonal changes cause up/downs in CO 2 in the atmosphere Especially driven by Northern Hemisphere. Spring - photosynthesis drops CO 2, Fall - decomposition causes increase in CO 2

Monitoring of CO 2 and other Greenhouse gases around the world All get similar measurements Why?

Thermal drilling on Quelccaya, 2003

Drilling in Greenland Video podcast from Polar Palooza

Summit Station, Greenland photo by Michael Morrison, GISP2 SMO, University of New Hampshire; NOAA Paleoslide SetCore: Eric Cravens, Assistant Curator, U.S. National Ice Core Laboratory; Matt Nolan, UAF Fossil air! Trapped in the ice; records past atmosphere

Raynaud, 1992Gases within bubbles = fossil atmospheric air

Firn-ice transition Depth of transition depends on surface temperature and accumulation rate Camp Century, Greenland: ~68 m below ice sheet surface Vostok, Antarctica: ~100 m below ice sheet surface Low precip. and cold = long time to make ice High precip. and warm = short time to make ice

Activity Students plot subset of either temperature or CO 2 data from Vostok Compile individual plots into 1 record Overlay Temperature on CO 2 Analysis Define cyclicity of CO 2 and temperature (amplitude, frequency) Define “Normal” range of variability Understand the relationship between GHG and temperature.

Forcing the Ice Ages: Milankovitch Cycles

Oxygen (8 protons) 16 O 17 O 18 O 99.8% 0.04% 0.2% Hydrogen (1 proton) 1 H 2 H ( Deuterium ) 3 H ( tritium ) 99.98% 0.016% (bombs) So, can make 9 isotopic combinations of H 2 O, e.g., 18 ( 1 H 2 16 O) to 22 ( 2 H 2 18 O) “light water” “heavy water” In paleoclimate studies… 1 H 1 H 16 O to 1 H 2 18 O

General Equation:  18 O = 18 O/ 16 O sample - 18 O/ 16 O standard x O/ 16 O standard Expressed in per mille ( 0 / 00 ) Negative values = lower ratios = isotopically lighter (less 18 O than 16 O) Positive values = higher ratios = isotopically heavier (more 18 O than 16 O)

Ice Sheet ocean  18 O isotopic depletion In Sea In Ice Glacials = enriched  18 O depleted  18 O Interglacials = depleted  18 O enriched  18 O Evaporation of more 16 O

Ice Sheet ocean  D isotopic depletion depends on temp of source area, Distance and processes during precipitation Isotopic ratios are used to model temperature, at Vostok; empirically this is roughly: Temperature (deg-C) = (δD + 440) / 6 See also