Historic CO2 Concentration (800,000 Years)
Data, Graphs, and Maps
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics
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 →
Provided by Our World in Data
What it is
- This resource displays global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration data in the form of an interactive chart and a table, going back 800,000 years.
- The increase over the last 200 years is striking in comparison to historic levels.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This interactive resource provides two different ways for students to explore data (chart and table).
- The data and the chart can be downloaded.
- The site explains how the data was collected.
Additional Prerequisites
- There are multiple layers of data to explore and navigate. Teachers should familiarize themselves with the various capabilities of the interactive. For instance, selecting the "play" arrow will move through the chart/table to show how the data has changed over time.
- Because the interactive provides so many options for viewing the data, students may need clear instructions as to which dataset to explore.
Differentiation
- As part of a science history lesson, this interactive could be used to explore the technological advancements that may have led to changes in CO2 in the atmosphere.
- This interactive also lends itself to exploring ratios and percentages, so it could be used during math lessons.
- Earth science teachers can share this resource with students and ask them to think about how scientists were able to gather data about atmospheric CO2 from hundreds of thousands of years ago. After the discussion, teachers can show this video on how scientists use ice cores to understand the history of the atmosphere.
From the scientist review
Datasets used contain estimates of the global atmospheric concentration of CO2 from ice core samples (Dome C core). This resource is recommended for teaching students long-term trends of global CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.
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