Earth's Temperature Over Time
Provided by: Paleontological Research Institution|Published on: June 8, 2022|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Videos
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics
Authors: Paleontological Research Institution
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This short video uses graphs of global temperature over various time scales to show the changes in the Earth's rate of warming at different times in Earth's history.
- The studies used to illustrate this change use data from fossils, Antarctic ice cores, measurements from satellites, and predictive models.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The information comes from a variety of scientific articles that are cited throughout and at the end of the video.
- Scientific and mathematical terms are explained in parentheses throughout the video.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should be comfortable reading and interpreting graphs.
- It may help to pause the video for each graph and description so students have time to read the statements.
Differentiation
- This would be a great resource to show in a science class when talking about global warming,
- A possible extension activity could be to investigate how scientists are able to use data from fossils and ice cores to estimate climate conditions in Earth's history.
- Some related resources are Global Climate Change Model: Making Predictions About Future Climate, this video called How NASA Satellites Help Model the Future of Climate, and this interactive Climate Contributions resource.
This 3-minute video presents reconstructions of Earth's historical temperature record ranging from hundreds of millions of years ago to the past 140 years and presents short descriptions and citations for the reconstructions. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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