Keeling's Curve – The Story of CO2

Context for Use: 

I do an entire lecture/lab with my university-level students on CO2 levels and the Keeling Curve. This video helps them visualize and understand the cause of the seasonal fluctuations in the CO2 record that take place each year. Sometimes, I will also show this 3-minute NASA video from 2014 called A Year in the Life of Earth's CO2 (An ultra-high-resolution NASA computer model that shows how carbon dioxide in the atmosphere travels around the globe). There are supporting materials on the PAESTA website, such as an exercise in the PAESTA Classroom titled CO2 Concentration and the Keeling Curve from the Mauna Loa Observatory, and a PAESTA Podcast titled How Do We Know CO2 is Increasing?

Submitted 8 years 3 months ago by Laura Guertin.
Recommended Grade: 
High School
Description: 

This video is from the American Museum of Natural History's Science Bulletins collection. "As the leading greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is one of the atmosphere’s most closely watched ingredients. The scrutiny began in 1958, when a young geochemist named Charles Keeling began regularly measuring CO2 atop a massive Hawaiian volcano—and discovered some intriguing patterns. For a Google+ Hangout with the scientists behind this visualization, educational resources, and more, visit Keeling’s Curve: The Story of CO2 on the Science Bulletins website: http://www.amnh.org/explore/science-bulletins/%28watch%29/earth/visualizations/keeling-s-curve-the-story-of-co2   Science Bulletins is a production of the National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology (NCSLET), part of the Department of Education at the American Museum of Natural History. This visualization was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The video is 3 minutes and 37 seconds in length.

atmosphere - air
biosphere - life