NAME_______________________ Pd.

_________

Date_____________

Climate Change Web-Quest

Directions- Go to: climate.nasa.gov and using the information of the website,
answer the following questions. Write your answers in the space provided.

Key Indicators
1) What is carbon dioxide (CO2) and where does it usually come from? A heat
trapping greenhouse gas. Released by human activities
2) According to the CO2 charts, what was the highest level of CO2 in the 400,000 years
prior to 1950? Between 260-300
3) According to the charts, what is the level of CO2 today? Above 380
4) Based on the information on the page, why is this level of CO2 a problem? Can raise
the temperature and melt ice caps
5) According to the charts on Arctic Sea Ice, what has been the overall trend since 1980?
It has gone down a lot
6) What trend can be observed for land ice? It has reached the negatives
7) What trend can be observed for sea level? It has gone up
8) What overall conclusion can you make based on the data of these three charts? Levels
have either gone up or down according to the CO2

Evidence
9) What are eight areas that scientists look at for evidence of global warming? Sea level
raising, global temperature rise, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, declining Arctic
sea ice, glacial retreat, extreme events, ocean acidification, decreased snow cover

Causes
10) What are the five common gases that cause global warming? Water Vapor, Carbon
dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, CFCs,

Effects
11) According to the effects page, what effect will climate change have on water
availability? It reduces water supplies for competing demands.
12) What visible changes have already occurred due to climate change? Melting of ice,
rise in sea level, more flooding and drought

Consensus
13) What percentage of scientists agree that climate change is due to human activity?
97%

Innovations
14) Describe three innovations in energy that could help the world become independent
of fossil fuels. Solar Panels, Hydrogen Technology, Wind Farms