The Greenhouse Effect...

On the first day of camp (Antarctica), we will discuss the natural greenhouse effect which helps make our planet livable. The model I've built will show Antarctica (the big ice chunk...dyed blue to see easier) and a nearby village of monopoly houses. Antarctica naturally melts during the summer and re-freezes during winter with the natural greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere (represented by the plastic tub with holes; which allow some of the sun's radiation/heat to return to space). However, as we add more greenhouse gases (which we will talk about each cause represented by a photo and which gases are emitted as a result) they act like a blanket (hence the safety pinning of pictures onto the red blanket). This blanket of extra greenhouse gases holds in the heat that otherwise would escape from earth. Then I will leave it up to the students to hypothesize what occurs as a result….will the ice melt faster with the added layer of greenhouse gases? And what might happen to the sea level as a result?....This lesson will be accompanied by the book “ Why are the Ice Caps Melting?” and we will also discuss ways/ideas that we can do to make a daily difference in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.