Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

• This site allows users to interact with graphs and data sets to see how the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide has changed over the last 60 years. 
• Students will be able to see CO₂ emission data from Mauna Loa and global measuring sites for various time ranges. 
• The resource also includes an animation that shows how atmospheric CO₂ levels have changed over time, including data gathered from prehistoric ice core samples, and an animated map showing changes in CO₂ emissions from human activity over time. 

Positives

• The resource has great visuals like graphs, animations, and maps.
• This is a great way to show how extreme our current CO₂ levels are compared to past averages.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students may need additional background information about carbon dioxide, its relation to climate change, and associated research practices like ice coring.
• Teachers may need to help students understand the CO₂ animation. The chart on the left side of the video shows CO₂ levels at different latitudes of the Earth over time, and the chart on the right shows the corresponding average global CO₂ over time. Towards the end of the video, only the global average is shown, and the time scale of the CO₂ measurements extends to hundreds of millions of years in the past.

Differentiation

• Students can work individually or in small groups to create a list of noticings and wonderings about this data.
• There is a link to additional information that answers the question "Can we see a change in CO₂ records because of COVID-19?" This would be a great extension for advanced students or a topic to discuss as a class.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.