2.2. Is the climate warming?

What is the evidence that the Earth is getting warmer?

For a brief overview of weather and climate, watch the video "Introduction to Climate Change" (http://greenninja.org/climate-science-%20101/introduction-to-earths-climate-system/) and use these questions to guide your viewing:
a. Briefly explain why understanding climate is so difficult.

b. How do the rates of natural climate variability compare to rates of change observed during the recent past?

c. Pause the video at 13:15. Compare and contrast the patterns shown in the four graphs presented here. What conclusion does the narrator reach, based on the information represented by these graphs? Record your response in the Lesson 2 Response Form.

To continue your investigation, read p. 3-4 of the document CCE&C booklet and go to NASA's Global Climate Change website (http://climate.nasa.gov/%20) to explore the “Evidence” and “Climate Time Machine” (found under “Interactives”) sections.

d. Synthesize information from the Climate Change: Evidence and Causes booklet and the NASA web site to write a 2-3 paragraph summary of the lines of evidence for a warming planet. Record your summary in the Lesson 2 Response Form.