Global Atmospheric CO₂ Concentration (800,000 Year Timeline)

• This resource displays global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration data in the form of an interactive chart and a table.

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.

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.