Chapter 2: Energy Entering and Leaving Earth’s System Lesson PDF/Earth's Changing Climate/… · Chapter 2 Question - Why do temperatures on Earth increase when the amount of carbon

Chapter 2: Energy Entering and Leaving

Earth’s System

ECC: 2.1.1 WARM-UP

The water level will depend on the

amount of water coming in and the

size of the hole. If the hole is very

large, the water level will be low.

However, if the hole is very small

and the water fast flowing, the water

level might even rise and overflow.

LW: 2.1.2 ENERGY TOKEN PHYSICAL MODEL

Both temperature and energy absorbed by the surface INCREASE when the

amount of carbon dioxide or methane increases. Chapter 2 Question -Why do temperatures on Earth increase when the amount of carbon

dioxide or methane in the Earth system increases?



For the Warm-Up today, you thought

about water entering and leaving a

bucket at the same time and what that

means about the water level in the

bucket. This is similar to energy entering

and exiting the Earth system. If we know

something about energy entering and

exiting, we can figure out how the

energy in the Earth system might

change.


When we are thinking about energy in the Earth system, what we really care about is the amount of energy absorbed by the surface. The energy moving

through the atmosphere might look like it is in the Earth’s system, but this

energy is traveling—it cannot affect Earth’s climate until it is absorbed. The

arrows only show energy entering and exiting.


When we are thinking about energy in the Earth system, what we really care about is the amount of energy absorbed by the surface. The energy moving

through the atmosphere might look like it is in the Earth’s system, but this

energy is traveling—it cannot affect Earth’s climate until it is absorbed. The

arrows only show energy entering and exiting.


You will do an activity that will help answer the Investigation Question. You will keep track of energy

entering and exiting the Earth system, and see how that affects energy absorbed by the surface and the

temperature.

model: an object, diagram,

or computer program that

helps us understand

something by making it

simpler or easier to see



Each pair will set up their model with 10 energy tokens at the

surface and 10 in outer space.

Energy Entering: Slide three energy tokens down through the atmosphere to the surface.

Energy Exiting: Take away three energy tokens by sliding them up through the atmosphere to outer

space.

Repeat Energy Entering/Energy Exiting: Repeat entering and exiting three more times.

Tally Energy Results: Record the final energy at the surface (10) and that it stayed the same.

Run Tests #2 and #3, making changes to either

energy entering or exiting.

For these tests they need to choose an amount of

energy to enter or leave.





This video will reinforce ideas you just investigated

with the Energy Token Model.

You can see that a system is stable even as

something flows into and out of the system. But if a

change happens either to the flow into the system or

the flow out of the system, that changes what’s in the

system. Many scientists consider when a system with

inputs and outputs will be stable and when it will

change, and thinking this way can help us with our

questions about climate change, too.

A change to either the amount of energy entering or

exiting the Earth system affects how much energy is

absorbed by the surface.

What happened when more energy entered than

exited?

Both energy at the surface and temperature

increased

What happened when less energy entered than

exited?

Both energy at the surface and temperature

decreased

LW: 2.1.3 INVESTIGATING ENERGY IN THE SIM

Now we will run tests in a more complex model—the Sim. We’ll

see what happens with energy entering and exiting the Earth

system when we make specific changes to the Sim.




3 TESTS- 1 in which they make no change

- 1 in which they increase either carbon dioxide or methane

- 1 in which they increase sunlight

Before you run the tests in the Sim, you will predict how temperature will

change and whether more energy will enter than exit, less energy will enter

than exit, or if an equal amount will enter and exit

Discuss as a pair and record prediction.





SHARE

No Change - Energy entering is equal to energy exiting.

Increase Carbon Dioxide - More energy entered than exited.Increase Methane - More energy entered than exited.

Increase Sunlight - More energy entered than exited.

In the case of No Change, the system is stable. Even though energy is moving

around a lot, the amount entered is balanced by the amount leaving, and

temperature stays the same. When you increase carbon dioxide or methane,

the system is NOT stable, so temperature changes and the amount of ice

changes.You will be looking at evidence in

the next lesson to help determine

what, if any, effect sunlight is

having on our current changing

climate.


LW: 2.1.4 REFLECTING ON ENERGY

In the investigations you did in the Sim, you investigated some

scenarios where Earth was getting warmer and observed the

differences between energy entering and exiting. Now you need to

apply what you learned to a different situation—a time when Earth is

getting colder.



Between the years 1200 and 1600, global average temperature decreased

(Earth got colder). Which do you think is true about the energy that entered

and exited the Earth system during that time?

B. Less energy entered than exited.

Explain your answer.

I know this because when less energy enters than exits the system, there is less

energy absorbed by the surface, causing temperatures to decrease.

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Chapter 2: Energy Entering and Leaving Earth’s System Lesson PDF/Earth's Changing Climate/… · Chapter 2 Question - Why do temperatures on Earth increase when the amount of carbon