Theme 1 : sea level rise

Sea level has risen from 10 to 20cm during the 20th century and researchers predict it will rise
even more during the 21st century.

Experiment 1 : When ice melts

There are two different types of snow: continental (or land) ice and sea ice.
Continental ice/land ice
Continental ice is shaped by snow that piles up over several hundreds or thousands of years. Ice
shelves are glaciers which extend across areas of ocean and are therefore floating. Icebergs are
formed when a part of an ice shelf breaks and floats freely in the ocean.
Sea ice
Sea ice appears when the ocean freezes over.

Research question : Does the melting of sea ice or continental ice or both cause sea
levels to rise ?
Hypothesis : Try to answer to the question
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Experiment :
Container 1
- Place the stone(s) on one side of the container
- Place five ice cubes on top of the stones.
- Fill the container with water so that the stones are not entirely covered.
- Mark the water level with a marker. Be accurate!
- Which type of ice does this container represent? Place the correct label next to the container.
complete the schema with ice and water level
At the beginig At the end

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Observation (you will complete it when ice melts totally) :

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Container 2
- Place the stone(s) on one side of the container.
- Place five ice cubes in the container, not on the stone(s).
- Fill the container with water until the ice cubes float.
- Mark the level with a piece of tape/post-it. Be accurate!
- Which type of ice does this container represent? Place the correct label next to the container.
complete the schema with ice and water level
At the beginning At the end

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Oservation …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Wait for the ice to melt. During this time realize the second experiment.
When the ice cubes have melted, write your observations.
Analyze your findings by answering the question.
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Experiment 2 : When water gets warmer

Research question: How does the temperature interfere?
- Bring the water to the boil in the kettle.
- Carefully, fill one container to 3/4 full with hot water.
- Fill half the other container with cold water and add five ice cubes.
- Fill the test tube with colored water and close it with the perforated cap and mark the level of
water.
- Place the test tube vertically in the container with hot water for a couple of minutes, and see
what happens.
Complete the Schema on the right

Observation : ……………………………………………………………….
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- Place the test tube in the container with cold water and ice, and see
what happens after few minutes.
Observation :
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- You can repeat the last steps several times

Conclusion : What happens when water gets warmer ? ……………………………………………

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To conclude on this theme: What are the two causes of sea rising level due to climate change ?
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Theme 2 Albedo and acidification

About Albedo
When solar radiation reaches the Earth, part of the
energy is absorbed by the surface, while the rest of
the energy is reflected back into space.

Albedo (=A) is the percentage of incoming sunlight

that is reflected, rather than absorbed by a surface.

Experiment 1 :
You have metal plates (black and white) sticked on polystyrène
- 2 thermometers (embedded in polystyrene under each metal plates)

Which surface do you think will be the fastest to warm up? Formulate your scientific hypothesis
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- Switch on the lights and start the stopwatch.

- Measure the temperature of each plate every 30 seconds and write it down on the table.

- Switch off the lights after 2.5 minutes.

- Analyse your results :
Is there a difference between the two plates ? If there is one, Describe it.
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How con you explain it ? ……………………………………………………………………………..
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Ocean acidification
Oceans also play an important role in the carbon cycle. Because carbon dioxide (CO2) is
soluble in water. The oceans currently absorb around a third of man-made emissions of CO2
(roughly 22 million tons a day) so if it wasn’t for the oceans, climate change would be far worse.
The absorption of CO2 changes the acidity of the upper layers of the oceans. The acidity of a
liquid is measured in pH.
A solution with pH greater than 7 is known as basic; less than 7, it is acidic.
We can estimate pH with a special paper (pH paper) which changes of colour when pH changes.

Experiment 2 : Can we make it more acidic ?

Research question : What is the effect of CO2 absorption on the pH of water?
- Drop around 10mL of cold water in each beaker.
- In one beaker, blow during one minute in the water.
- In the same time realize the pH test in the two beaker :
- prepare two pieces of pH paper in a little plate
- take the solution with a pipet (you have two pipets, one for each beaker)
- drop in the same time two drops of liquid on each pH paper
- Compare immediately the results and look at the pH colouring scale
Observation : ………………………………………
Analyze : Which gas do you blow ? …………………………………………………………………….
What is the effect of carbon dioxyd on pH water ?
Will increasing emission of CO2, increase or decrease the acidity of the ocean over the next
century ? Explain. …………………………………………………………………..

Experiment 3 : The sad fate of sea shells

Research question
What is the impact of a low pH in water on the shells of marine organisms which are made from
calcium?
-Take two beakers
-- Put one shells in each beakerl.
- In one beaker Pour water over the shells until they are entirely covered, it’s the reference shell.
- In the other beaker Pour vinegar over the shells until they are entirely covered.
What do you observe when you pour vinegar over the shells?
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Compare the reference shell to the shell that has spent a few minutes in the vinegar
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Analysis.
Shell are made with calcium carbonate.
What is vinegar? Is it an acidic or a basic solution? .........................................................................
What happens to the calcium carbonate when you pour vinegar over it? ……………………………
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What effect does it have on the thickness of the shell? ………………………………………………
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What causes the effervescence? ………………………………………………………………………..
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Are organisms with a calcium skeleton or shell threatened by acidification of the oceans? ………
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Theme 3 : About carbon dioxyd

Experiment 1 : How can we know if there is carbon dioxyd ?

Drop lime water in a test tube

Blow slowly with the straw in lime water until you see it has changed.
Observation :…………………………………………………………………………………..
Schematize :

blowing

Conclusion : answer to the question …………………………………………………………………

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Experiment 2 : When coal burns
Protect glasses are obigatory for this experiment
Light the burner
Heat the piece of coal until it’s a little red (incandescent)
Put it fastly in the container of dioxygen
Observation : ……………………………………………………………………………………………
Analysis : What has been formed by this chemical reaction ?
drop lime water in a test tube as you’ve already done in experiment 1
Place the tube of the syringe in the bottom of the container, replace the lid
to close as you can the container (see drawing).
Aspire the gas with the syringe
Remove the tube from the container and puit it in lime water (see drawing)
Presse slowly the piston of the syringe to make bublle.
Observe lime water : ……………………………………………………………………………………….

Conclusion : What is formed when you burn coal ? …………………………………………………

Thinking about global warming : Electricity and carbon dioxyd
Lots of countries use fossil energy to produce électicity.
Why in these conutries using an electrical car is not very ecological ? …………………………..
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Lignite is brown coal

Compare the part of fossil resources in electricity production in

the different countries. ……………………………………………..
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 Theme 4 : Hydrogen car
How can we produce hydrogen ?
For now, most of hydrogen producted is from fossil resources.
You can produce hydrogen ecollogically if you have green electricity doing electolysis of water.
Water is a molecula which is composed of two atoms of hydrogen aon one atom of oxygen
Its formula is H2O.
If you make electricity pass through water, you obtain dihydrogen (hydrogen gas) and dioxygen
(oxygen gas).
The equation is 2H2O→2H2+ O2. So there is twice more dihydrogen produced than dioxygen

Fisrt start charging the hydrogen car by connecting the solar cell to the hydrogen cell.
When it’s charging, do experiment 1.

Experiment 1 : Electrolysis of water

Observe the dispositive
Find the tube with hydrogen, Find the tube with dioxygen.
Take the tube with oxygen. Plug it with your thumb and get it out of water.
Light a piece of wood and make it only incandescent (red)
Put in the test tube of dioxygen
Observation : ……………………………………………………………………………………………
Rince your hand
What is th property of dioxygen ? ……………………………………………………………………..
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Take the tube of hydrogen.
Plug it with your finger and get it out of water.
Approach a lighted match to the tube, get off your thumb approach closely the match.
If you don’t observe anything put immediatly the inverted tube in the water and then try again.
Observation : ………………………………………………………………………………………….
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Rince your hand
What is the property of hydrogen ? ………………………………………………………………….

Experiment 2 : Hydrogen car

If the car is charged. Connect the car wire to the hydrogen cell and observe.
What is produced when the car runs ? ……………………………………………………………..
Why is this car ecological ? ……………………………………………………………………………
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