Think Green, Teach Green!

A Greenhouse Effect
Humans have been producing energy with fossil fuels, such
as gasoline and coal, for the last few centuries. We have
also been producing what are called greenhouse gases
when we burn these fuels. Greenhouse gases such as
methane and carbon dioxide are produced when fossil fuels
are consumed. These greenhouse gases accumulate in the
atmosphere. They trap the heat from the sun. This causes
the average global temperature to rise. Scientists believe
that humans are rapidly altering the climate of our world
through the production of greenhouse gases.
In this experiment you are going create a greenhouse effect.
Materials:
2 glass jars that are the same size and that have tight lids
8 ice cubes
2 thermometers
cold water
1 transparent plastic bag, large enough to fit around one glass jar.
Procedure:
1) Fill each jar full with equal amounts of cold water.
2) Add 4 ice cubes to each jar.
3) Put a thermometer in each jar if it will fit. If not, you can take the temperature of the
water at the end.
4) Screw the lid on tightly.
5) Put the plastic bag around one of the jars. Make sure that the bag is partially inflated
so that the plastic is not tightly wrapped around the jar. Make sure the bag is tied
tightly so that air does not escape.
6) Put both jars in direct sunlight for 45 minutes.
7) Measure the temperature of each jar. Record the temperature below.
Temperature F

Temperature C

Jar without plastic bag

Jar with plastic bag

2009 abcteach.com

Think Green, Teach Green!

A Greenhouse Effect
Name _____________________________________ Date _______________________
Answer these questions in complete sentences.
1. Which jar had the higher temperature?
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2. Why do you think the temperature of one jar was higher if they were both in the sun
for the same amount of time?
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3. If the jar represents Earth, the water in the jar represents the oceans, and the ice
cubes represent the polar ice caps, what would the plastic bag represent in this
experiment?
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4. What happened to the ice cubes? Do you think the same thing could happen to the
polar ice caps on Earth?
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2009 abcteach.com

Think Green, Teach Green!

A Greenhouse Effect
Name _____________________________________ Date _______________________

Answer this question using information from the text and your own
experience/research/understanding/etc.
What is happening in the diagram above, and how would this affect the climate of
Earth?
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2009 abcteach.com

Think Green, Teach Green!

A Greenhouse Effect
Answers
Short Answer
1. The jar with the plastic bag around it should have a higher temperature.
2. The bag trapped some of the suns heat and light energy and therefore warmed the
water in the jar more quickly.
3. The plastic bag correlates to greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane,
and water vapor.
4. The ice cubes should have melted. The same thing is happening on Earth right now
with the polar ice caps and the land-based ice on Greenland.

Essay
Answers should include that the radiation from the sun (or its heat) is trapped by
the excess greenhouses gases that humans have produced such as carbon dioxide and
methane. Humans produce these greenhouse gases when they burn gasoline and coal
for energy. When the radiation from the sun is trapped in Earths atmosphere by the
greenhouse gases, this leads to the greenhouse effect. This causes an increase in the
average temperature of the world, which has the effect of changing the global climate,
also known as global warming.

2009 abcteach.com