Classroom Questions

Questions for ‘How hot can our planet get? Earth’s climate history holds clues’

Montage of illustrations showing various times in our planet's history, from its fiery origins, through the dawn of life, dinosaurs and, finally, the present day. The final image shows a skyscraper surrounded by rising waters with a silhouette of a black sun on a red sky, indicating the perhaps unprecedented effects of climate change.

Earth’s climate has changed again and again over its more than 4-billion-year history. Humans will determine the next phase of climate change.

Andy Lovell

By Science News Explores

To accompany ‘How hot can our planet get? Earth’s climate history holds clues’

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

  1. What is the role of a thermostat in a home? How might a thermostat respond if the temperature increases above its set point? How might a thermostat respond if the temperature decreases below a set point?
  2. Come up with one example of how some aspect of our planet — such as the atmosphere, oceans or the life forms that dwell here — helps to regulate Earth’s climate. As the global temperature rises, give two examples of changes related to your chosen aspect that would result from that temperature increase.

During Reading:

  1. What was Theia? What role did Theia play in Earth’s history?
  2. Point out one reminder of Theia we might see in our night sky.
  3. Approximately what was the duration of the Archean Eon in billions of years?
  4. Briefly explain how the process of chemical weathering can remove carbon dioxide, CO2, from the atmosphere.
  5. As the climate cools, how does the rate of chemical weathering tend to change? How does the rate of chemical weathering change as the Earth’s climate warms up?
  1. Describe the role of volcanoes in the carbon cycle. How can volcanoes change carbon from one form to another?
  2. As more of Earth’s surface becomes covered in ice, the climate tends to cool. Explain why.
  3. Contrast the average global temperature during the early Permian Period with average temperatures today.
  4. Give one specific example of a global change that was caused by the formation of Pangaea.
  5. Approximately what percentage of marine species died out during the Permian extinction?
  6. What does PETM stand for?
  7. By how much have CO2 levels in the atmosphere increased over the last 200 years? Provide your answer in parts per million, or ppm.

After Reading:

  1. What is a cause-and-effect relationship? Give one example of a cause-and-effect relationship, either from this story or something you just came up with. A feedback loop is a special type of cause-and-effect relationship. Give one example of a feedback loop mentioned in this story. Use this example to explain what sets a feedback loop apart from a non-feedback loop cause-and-effect relationship.
  2. Imagine someone tells you that climate change is not a serious problem today because Earth’s average global temperatures have been higher in the past. Point to one part of their statement that is factually accurate. Despite this factual accuracy, what might they misunderstand about the climate change issue? Briefly summarize what you might say to them to address their misunderstanding. Point to information from this story to support your response.