Why is There Less Ice?

NGSS Phenomena:
Scientists claim that the rise in the gases in the chart below and the change in the Arctic ice caps from 1984 until 2012 are connected. Use the images and graph to answer the questions below.
NGSS Phenomena: A graph showing that the levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have remained consistent for the last 1800 years. In the last 200 years, the levels of these gasses began to rise dramatically.
The change in the greenhouse gases over the last 2,000 years
Forster et al., 2007
NGSS Phenomena: A satellite view of the Arctic, showing ice that covers almost all of the arctic ocean.
The polar ice cap around the north pole on September 14, 1984
NASA Earth Observatory
NGSS Phenomena: A satellite view of the Arctic, showing ice that covers about a third of the arctic ocean.
The polar ice cap around the north pole on September 13, 2012
NASA Earth Observatory
References:

Forster, P., V. Ramaswamy, P. Artaxo, T. Berntsen, R. Betts, D. W. Fahey, J. Haywood, J. Lean, D. C. Lowe, G. Myhre, J. Nganga, R. Prinn, G. Raga, M. Schulz, and R. Van Dorland, 2007: Ch. 2: Changes in atmospheric constituents and in radiative forcing. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, S. Solomon, D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor, and H.L. Miller, Eds., Cambridge University Press

1. The gases listed in the first chart are important because they’re that are responsible for energy from the sun.

Drag the answers below into the grey placeholders above

absorbing
reflecting
greenhouse gases
human created chemicals

2. What question would best help us to determine that this was a pattern of change?

3. What other information do you need to support the claim that there has been a change in global temperatures?

4. Is there enough information here to make the claim that humans have caused the rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere? Why or why not?

5. Discuss whether or not the change in the Arctic ice caps was a sudden or gradual change. Start by identifying two questions you could ask to help you determine the stability of this system. Then, justify your response and questions with two pieces of evidence.

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