EDS 1021 Week 8 Interactive ActivityAtmospheric Greenhouse Effect Objective Using a simulation, apply the scientific method to investigate the atmospheric greenhouse effect and its role in atmospheric energy transfer.Background Reading Before attempting the activity, review “The Greenhouse Effect” in Chapter 19 of The Sciences, as well as the website Global Climate Change (NASA), to gain some background on the atmospheric greenhouse effect and its role in both atmospheric warming and climate change. The video NASA's Earth Minute: Gas Problem (YouTube, 1:24) provides a short descriptive summary of the important points. Introduction to the Simulation 1. After completing the background reading for this assignment, go to “The Atmospheric Greenhouse Effect” simulation on the PhET simulations website at: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/legacy/greenhouse. Click the play arrow on the simulation graphic to run the web-based simulation or click DOWNLOAD to run the simulation locally on your device. Simulation requirements: This interactive simulation is optimized for use on computers (MACs or PCs) and may not run on some tablets, notebooks, cell phones, or other devices. Running the simulation will require an updated version of  Java software (free). If you do not or are not sure if you have Java on your computer, go to  the Java Website. If you cannot get the simulation to run, consult The PhET Simulation Troubleshooting Guide on the course website. 2. Explore and experiment on the three different tabs (areas) of the simulation. While experimenting, think about how the energy transfer processes involved in the atmospheric greenhouse effect are being visualized in the simulation. Greenhouse effect tab – Observe the effects of greenhouse gases on both incoming (solar) radiation and outgoing terrestrial (infrared) radiation and atmospheric temperature. Yellow stars simulate photons of incoming solar energy (visible radiation), while red stars simulate photons of outgoing terrestrial energy emitted from Earth’s surface (infrared radiation). The term photon describes a “packet” of electromagnetic radiation. You can simulate atmospheres with different concentrations of greenhouse gases at different times in Earth’s history, or manually adjust the concentration of greenhouse gases, and observe the effect on atmospheric temperature. Clouds may also be virtually placed in the atmosphere to observe their effects on air temperature. Glass layers tab – Create a “greenhouse” by adding glass panes to the atmosphere and observing the effect of a virtual glass ceiling on atmospheric temperature. Photon absorption tab –Experiment to determine the preference of different atmospheric gas molecules to absorb a certain type of radiation by shooting infrared or .

1. EDS 1021
Week 8 Interactive ActivityAtmospheric Greenhouse
Effect
Objective
Using a simulation, apply the scientific method to investigate
the atmospheric greenhouse effect and its role in atmospheric
energy transfer.Background Reading
Before attempting the activity, review “The Greenhouse Effect”
in Chapter 19 of
The Sciences, as well as the website
Global Climate Change (NASA), to gain some
background on the atmospheric greenhouse effect and its role in
both atmospheric warming and climate change. The video
NASA's Earth Minute: Gas Problem (YouTube, 1:24)
provides a short descriptive summary of the important points.
Introduction to the Simulation
1.
After completing the background reading for this
assignment, go to “The Atmospheric Greenhouse Effect”
simulation on the PhET simulations website at:
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/legacy/greenhouse.
Click the
play arrow on the simulation graphic to run the web-
based simulation or click
DOWNLOAD to run the simulation locally on your
device.
Simulation requirements: This interactive simulation
is optimized for use on computers (MACs or PCs) and may not
run on some tablets, notebooks, cell phones, or other devices.
Running the simulation will require an updated version of
Java software (free). If you do not or are not sure if you
have Java on your computer, go to
the Java Website. If you cannot get the simulation to
run, consult

2. The PhET Simulation Troubleshooting Guide on the
course website.
2. Explore and experiment on the three different tabs (areas) of
the simulation. While experimenting, think about how the
energy transfer processes involved in the atmospheric
greenhouse effect are being visualized in the simulation.
Greenhouse effect tab – Observe the effects of greenhouse gases
on both incoming (solar) radiation and outgoing terrestrial
(infrared) radiation and atmospheric temperature. Yellow stars
simulate photons of incoming solar energy (visible radiation),
while red stars simulate photons of outgoing terrestrial energy
emitted from Earth’s surface (infrared radiation). The term
photon describes a “packet” of electromagnetic
radiation. You can simulate atmospheres with different
concentrations of greenhouse gases at different times in Earth’s
history, or manually adjust the concentration of greenhouse
gases, and observe the effect on atmospheric temperature.
Clouds may also be virtually placed in the atmosphere
to observe their effects on air temperature.
Glass layers tab – Create a “greenhouse” by adding glass panes
to the atmosphere and observing the effect of a virtual glass
ceiling on atmospheric temperature.
Photon absorption tab –Experiment to determine the preference
of different atmospheric gas molecules to absorb a certain type
of radiation by shooting infrared or visible radiation at the
molecules.
3. After getting oriented to the simulation, follow the steps
below to perform four different experiments.
Before beginning, be prepared to write down hypotheses

3. and observations for the experiments.Experiments
Experiment 1: The Atmospheric Greenhouse Effect and
Temperatures Through History
In this experiment, you will observe the atmospheric greenhouse
effect and how different concentrations of greenhouse gases at
different times in Earth’s history affected atmospheric
temperature.
Before completing the experiment,
write down a
hypothesis,based on your current understanding, that
predicts the correlation between the concentration of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and atmospheric
temperature.
1.
Experiment setup: click on the
Greenhouse Effect tab at the top of the simulation
screen.
2.
Experiment procedure:
a. Click
Reset All at the bottom right of the screen. Click
Yes in the box that pops up.
b. In the
Greenhouse Gas Composition box, move the slider to
none. The simulation will run automatically for an
atmosphere with
no greenhouse gases.
c. As the simulation runs, carefully observe the number and
paths of both
sunlight photons (also called solar, or visible radiation)

4. and
infrared photons (also called terrestrial, or infrared
radiation), and the change in temperature on the
thermometer. If needed, slow the simulation down in
order to accurately observe what is happening.
Write down your observations.
d. Allow the simulation to run until the thermometer settles on a
temperature (when the atmosphere reaches
equilibrium).
Record this temperature. This is the equilibrium
temperature of an atmosphere with
no greenhouse gases or
clouds. Note that the temperature may fluctuate slightly
once it reaches equilibrium, so do not be concerned about the
exactness of your recorded temperature.
e. Click the button for
Today in the
Atmosphere During... box.
The simulation will now illustrate the atmospheric
greenhouse effect and resulting atmospheric temperature for
today’s atmosphere.
f. As the simulation runs, again carefully observe the number
and paths of both
sunlight photons and
infrared photons, and the change in temperature on the
thermometer. If needed, slow down the simulation in order to
accurately observe what is happening. Note the difference in
photon paths for the atmosphere with greenhouse gases
compared to without.
Write down your observations.
g. The greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are:
water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane(CH4), and
nitrous oxide (N2O). “PPM” is the abbreviation for

5. “parts per million.”
Record thegreenhouse gas composition values for
CO2, CH4,N2O, and
H2O.
h. Allow the simulation to run until the thermometer settles on a
temperature (when the atmosphere reaches
equilibrium).
Record this temperature. Note that the temperature may
fluctuate slightly once it reaches equilibrium, so do not be
concerned about the exactness of your recorded temperature.
i. Click the button next to
Ice Age in the
Atmosphere During... box. The simulation will now
illustrate the atmospheric greenhouse effect and resulting
atmospheric temperature during an ice age.
j. Repeat the above steps
f through h to make observations and record the
equilibrium temperature for the atmosphere during an ice age.
Experiment 1 - Results and Conclusions
1. Based on your observations while conducting the experiment,
formulate a written discussion that describes the effect of
a. The atmosphere (with or without greenhouse gases) on
incoming energy from the sun
b. Atmospheric greenhouse gases on outgoing Earth energy
2. Compare the observed values of equilibrium temperature for
each of the simulated atmospheres in Experiment 1. Then,
formulate a written statement that generalizes the effect of
greenhouse gases on the atmosphere’s equilibrium temperature.
Experiment 2: The Effect of Clouds on Atmospheric
Temperature
In this experiment, you will observe the effect of clouds on

6. atmospheric temperature.
Before completing the experiment,
write down a
hypothesis,based on your current understanding, that
predicts the effect of clouds on atmospheric temperature.
1.
Experiment setup: click on the
Greenhouse Effect tab at the top of the simulation
screen.
2.
Experiment procedure:
a. Repeat steps
a through d in
Experiment 1. (Note that the equilibrium temperature
should be the same as the one recorded in step d of Experiment
1).
b. In the
Options box next to
Number of Clouds, place
three clouds into the atmosphere by clicking the
up arrow three times, so that
“3” is showing.
c. As the simulation runs, carefully observe the number and
paths of both
sunlight photons and
infrared photons, as well as the change in temperature
on the thermometer. If needed, slow down the simulation in
order to accurately observe what is happening.
Write down your observations.
d. Again, allow the simulation to run until the thermometer
settles on an equilibrium temperature. This is the equilibrium
temperature of an atmosphere with

7. no greenhouse gases and
with clouds.
Record this temperature.
Experiment 2 - Results and Conclusions
1. Based on your observations while conducting the experiment,
formulate a written discussion that describes the effect of
clouds on
a. Incoming energy from the sun
b. Outgoing Earth energy
2. Develop a written statement describing the effect of clouds
on the equilibrium temperature of the atmosphere.
Experiment 3: Glass Layers
In this experiment, you will observe what happens to the air
temperature in a
real greenhouse, by placing virtual glass panes in the
atmosphere.
Before completing the experiment,
write down a
hypothesis,based on your current understanding, that
predicts the effects of the glass panes on atmospheric
temperature.
1.
Experiment setup: click on the
Glass Layers tab at the top of the simulation screen.
2.
Experiment procedure:
a. Click
Reset All on the right side of the screen. The simulation
will start running automatically for an atmosphere with
no greenhouse gases and
no panes of glass in the atmosphere.

8. b. As the simulation runs, carefully observe the number and
paths of both sunlight photons (visible radiation) and infrared
photons (terrestrial radiation), and the change in temperature on
the thermometer. If needed, slow the simulation down in order
to accurately observe what is happening.
Write down your observations.
c. Allow the simulation to run until the thermometer settles on
an equilibrium temperature. This is the equilibrium temperature
of an atmosphere with
no greenhouse gases or glass panes.
Record this temperature. (It should be the same as the
one recorded in step d of Experiment 1.)
d. In the
Options box, next to
Number of Glass Panes, place
one glass pane into the atmosphere by clicking the
up arrow once so that
“1” is showing.
e. Repeat
step b above.
f. Again, allow the simulation to run until the thermometer
settles on an equilibrium temperature. This is the equilibrium
temperature of an atmosphere with
no greenhouse gases and
one glass pane.
Record this temperature.
Experiment 3 - Results and Conclusions
1. Based on your observations while conducting the experiment,
formulate a written discussion that describes the effect of glass
panes on
a. Incoming energy from the sun

9. b. Outgoing Earth energy
2. Based on your discussion above, explain why the term
greenhouse is used to describe the effect of atmospheric
gases, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, on atmospheric
temperature.
NOTE: If you are not entirely sure of the meaning of the term
greenhouse, do some research on the topic before
formulating your explanation.
Experiment 4: Photon Absorption
In this experiment, you will determine which gases in our
atmosphere are greenhouse gases by “shooting” photons of both
visible and infrared radiation at gas molecules and observing
their reaction.
Before completing the experiment,
write down a
hypothesis,based on your current understanding, that
predicts how each gas molecule will react when photons of
visible or infrared energy are shot at it.
1.
Experiment setup: click on the
Photon Absorption tab at the top of the simulation
screen.
2.
Experiment procedure:
Construct a table like the one below. Complete the following
steps to complete the table.
a. Click the button next to
CH4 in the
Atmospheric Gases box. A methane gas molecule now
sits in the middle of the screen.

10. b. Click the button next to
Infrared Photon, underneath the photon gun.
c. Using the slider underneath the gun, shoot 50 infrared
photons at the molecule at a
slow enough speed that allows you to observe what is
happening while counting off the 50 photons at the same time.
d. As photons are emitted from the gun, observe that some of
the photons pass through the molecule, and some are absorbed
by the molecule. It will be obvious when a photon is absorbed
by the molecule. As you count off the 50 photons,
make a tick mark on a piece of paper each time a photon
is absorbed.
e. Out of the 50 photons shot at the molecule,
tally up the number of photons that
were absorbed by the molecule, and record this
value.
f. With the gun still loaded with
infrared photons, repeat steps
c through e above for the other four gases in the
Atmospheric Gases box -
CO2, H2O, O2 and N2.
g. Click the button next to
Visible Photon, underneath the photon gun, to load the
gun with visible photons to shoot at the gas molecules.
h. With the gun now loaded with
visible photons, repeat steps
c through e above for
all five of the gases in the
Atmospheric Gases box -
CH4, CO2, H2O, O2 and N2.
Gas Molecule

11. # of Infrared Photons Absorbed (out of 50)
# of Visible Photons Absorbed (out of 50)
CH4 (methane)
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
H2O (water vapor)
O2 (oxygen)
N2 (nitrogen)
Experiment 4 - Results and Conclusions
1. Based
only on your observations while conducting the
experiment, formulate a written discussion that describes how
oxygen and
nitrogen (the two primary components of Earth’s
atmosphere) interacted with both incoming solar radiation and
outgoing Earth radiation.
2. Based
only on your observations while conducting the
experiment
and the known properties of a greenhouse gas:
a. Identify which gases tested are greenhouse gases and explain
how this was determined.
b. Identify which
one of the gas tested is the most effective at “doing its
job” as a greenhouse gas and explain how this was determined.

12. Activity Submission
1.
Create a document containing a report for each
experiment. Your document should contain four paragraphs, one
for each experiment.
a.
Title each paragraph with the corresponding name for
each experiment, as it is stated in the headings for the
experiments above (e.g., Experiment 1: The Atmospheric
Greenhouse Effect and Temperatures Through History).
b. For each experiment report:
i. Clearly and succinctly present your hypothesis for the
experiment.
ii.
Based on the information prompted for in the
experiment’s
Procedure and
Results and Conclusions section, clearly and succinctly
summarize your observations, results, and conclusions for the
experiment, and include any data collected and calculations
made.
iii.
Clearly and succinctly evaluate the correctness of your
hypothesis based on the information presented in part ii above.
c. Include your full name and the date you completed the
activity at the top of the document.
2. Submit your document (in either
.docx or .pdf file
format) as instructed in the assignment location within
the Canvas course.