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The Chemistry of Climate Change
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26 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources CLIMATE CHANGE: A Wisconsin Activity Guide, Grades 7-12
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CHEMISTRY OF CLIMATE CHANGE
2) After they apply their criteria and decide
Part A What is Pollution? whether the item is a pollutant or not, give
them the option to revise their criteria.
Students will create a definition of pollution
and determine the difference between Students may feel that the biggest need is to
naturally occurring and human-caused defend their criteria. Impress on them that
pollution using the Wheres the Air? poster. changing their minds after careful considera-
tion is acceptable and to be expected in the
process of critical thinking.
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CHEMISTRY OF CLIMATE CHANGE
For example when CO2 , calculated to be
Part C Pounds of Pollution 221 liters per pound, is divided by 2, you
Students will calculate the pounds of pollution find it takes 115.5 bottles to represent a
emitted by vehicles and visually represent it pound of CO2. (See sidebar for other
with 2-liter soda bottles. answers.) KEY TO NO. OF BOTTLES
CO2 = 231 liters/lb =
Air pollution is a difficult concept to grasp. We Discussion Questions 115.5 bottles/lb
often cannot see it, yet it affects our daily lives CO = 363 liters/lb =
1) How many bottles would be needed 181.5 bottles
and contributes to global climate change. to represent the hypothetical cars (see NO2 = 221 liters/lb =
Transportation is one of the most important emission estimates above) yearly CO2 and 110.5 bottles
sectors contributing to air pollution. According CO emissions? Calculations at right.
to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ANSWERS TO QUESTION 1
(EPA), transportation accounts for about 29% 2) Calculate how many bottles would be
needed to represent the amount of CO2 115.5 bottles/lb
of all greenhouse gas emissions. Air pollution
often is referred to in terms of pounds. Air has
weight, but do you know what volume of gas
and CO your class members contribute to
the atmosphere during one school week.
of CO2 x 4500 lbs
emitted by the 2
average car per yr =
equals a pound? Use the hypothetical car amounts above. 519,750 bottles/year
3) On a hot summer day in southeastern 181.5 bottles/lb of
Cars emit many air pollutants, including CO x 160 lbs emitted
Wisconsin 261.95 tons of NOx is emitted.
greenhouse gases. A car making an 18-mi by the average car
If this amount were made up entirely of
round trip commute, 5 days/wk, 48 wks/yr, per yr = 29,040
NO2, how many soda bottles would this
spews 4,500 lbs of CO2, 160 lb CO, 16 lbs of bottles/year
be? Calculations at right.
VOCs, 16 lbs of NOx, and smaller amounts of
benzene, formaldehyde, particle pollution, and ANSWERS TO QUESTION 3
other toxic chemicals into the air. Going Beyond Multiply the
1) Discuss how much air pollution students 261.95 tons of NOx
Procedure can save from entering the atmosphere by
by 2000 lbs/ton to
get 523,900 lbs of
1) Calculate the volume of 1 pound of the air driving one trip less per week or day. NOx. Multiply this
pollutant you are interested in: 2) Before doing the Pounds of Pollution by 110.5 bottles/lb
of NO2 and you get
activity, have students track the miles
57,890,950 soda
they drive, or are driven, in a week. Use bottles worth
this to calculate the volume of CO2 emitted. emitted on one
Explanation: 454 grams = 1 pound. To find
After the activity, have them track it again, summer day.
out how many grams of pollutant are in a
perhaps having a class contest to see who
mole, calculate using values from the Periodic
can reduce their miles and emissions the
Table of Elements. Add together the grams per
most. (To reward car pooling and mass
mole for each element in the compound. For
transit, divide the miles traveled by the
example, one atom of oxygen = 16 g/mole;
number of occupants in the vehicle
carbon = 12 g/mole. This totals 44 g/mole for
not counting the driver if the driver is only
a carbon dioxide molecule (CO2 is 2 oxygen
along to give them a lift). Keep a chart of
atoms plus 1 carbon atom).
class results over time.
Car emissions that contribute to climate 3) What other ways can students reduce
change (and their weights per mole) are air pollution?
carbon dioxide (CO2 = 44g), carbon monoxide
(CO = 28g) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2 = 46g). 4) Have students discuss the future of the
air if we all continue driving the way we
At 0C and one atmosphere of pressure, the
currently do. Have students compare
volume of a mole of gas is 22.4 liters. Multi-
how different driving behaviors or vehicles
plying by this value converts a pound of gas
would impact the environment. (To do this,
into an equivalent number of liters.
request a copy of the eXtraordinary Road
Calculate how many 2-liter bottles are needed Trip computer game from DNRAirEducation
for the display using this equation: @wisconsin.gov.) How will this affect
climate change?
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources CLIMATE CHANGE: A Wisconsin Activity Guide, Grades 7-12 29