The Greenhouse Effect Interactive Simulation

Activity - Classroom

Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Chemistry, Physics, Earth and Space Sciences

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by PhET Interactive Simulations

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What it is

This interactive virtual experiment demonstrates the effect greenhouse gases and clouds have on infrared radiation, photons, and global temperatures.
Students can engage with the simulation on three pages including the greenhouse effect, glass layers, and photon absorption.

Teaching tips

Positives

It includes tips for teachers, teacher-submitted activities, and translations in nearly fifty languages.
There are different adjustable settings including time period, greenhouse gas concentration, number of clouds, and simulation speed.

Prerequisites

The simulation can be accessed instantly, but in order to access the teaching tips and teacher-submitted activities, you must first create a free account with PhET Interactive Simulations.
The "About" section provides topics that students should be familiar with before interacting with the simulation.
You may need to download the Java version to access the full simulation.

Differentiation & Implementation

The activities section has nearly thirty teacher-submitted activities for students and can be filtered by level, type, subject, and language.
The thermometer is available in Fahrenheit, Kelvin, and Celsius.
Students in chemistry classes can build their own atmospheres on the photon absorption simulation page.
A lesson on this topic is Heating It Up: The Chemistry of the Greenhouse Effect.
Other resources related to this topic include Greenhouse Effect and Greenhouse Effect - Investigating Global Warming.

From the scientist review

This resource estimates CO2 levels during the Ice Age, in 1750, and at present. It shows how clouds, greenhouse gases, and other parameters influence the energy budget and configuration in the climate system. This simulation is suitable for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects: Chemistry, Physics, Earth and Space Sciences
Other types: Interactive Media
Format: Microsoft Word
Language: English, Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, German, Dutch, Bulgarian, Italian, Turkish, Polish, Portuguese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Persian, Basque, Bosnian, Croatian, Danish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Korean, Lithuanian, Mongolian, Serbian, Slovak, Thai, Turkmen, Afan Oromo, Albanian, Amharic, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Catalan, Gujarati, Hausa, Hindi, Icelandic, Igbo, Kinyarwanda, Malay, Nyanja, Swahili, Telugu, Tigrinya, Twi, Uzbek, Yoruba, Zulu, Czech, Finnish, Slovenian, Sotho, Swedish, Tamil, Ganda, Kikuyu, Maltese, Maori
Location: Earth
Provider: PhET Interactive Simulations
Authors: PhET Interactive Simulations
Published: April 27, 2021
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · MS-ESS3-D. + 3 more

Core

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-ESS3-D.Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming). Reducing the level of climate change and reducing human vulnerability to whatever climate changes do occur depend on the understanding of climate science, engineering capabilities, and other kinds of knowledge, such as understanding of human behavior and on applying that knowledge wisely in decisions and activities. (MS-ESS3-5)

New Jersey Climate Education Hub

Science

HS-PS1-5.Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.
HS-PS3-4.Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperature are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system (second law of thermodynamics).
HS-ESS2-4.Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.

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What it is

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From the scientist review

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