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Historic CO2 Concentration (800,000 Years)

Provided by: Our World in Data |Published on: July 20, 2021

Graphs/Tables Grades 6-8, 9-12

Synopsis

This resource displays global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration data in the form of an interactive chart and a table, going back 800,000 years.
The increase over the last 200 years is striking in comparison to historic levels.

Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics

Authors: Hannah Ritchie, Max Roser

Region: Global

Languages: English

Positives

This interactive resource provides two different ways for students to explore data (chart and table).
The data and the chart can be downloaded.
The site explains how the data was collected.

Additional Prerequisites

There are multiple layers of data to explore and navigate. Teachers should familiarize themselves with the various capabilities of the interactive. For instance, selecting the "play" arrow will move through the chart/table to show how the data has changed over time.
Because the interactive provides so many options for viewing the data, students may need clear instructions as to which dataset to explore.

Differentiation

As part of a science history lesson, this interactive could be used to explore the technological advancements that may have led to changes in CO2 in the atmosphere.
This interactive also lends itself to exploring ratios and percentages, so it could be used during math lessons.
Earth science teachers can share this resource with students and ask them to think about how scientists were able to gather data about atmospheric CO2 from hundreds of thousands of years ago. After the discussion, teachers can show this video on how scientists use ice cores to understand the history of the atmosphere.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.