An Analysis of Solar Activity vs. Atmospheric CO2 on Earth's Surface Temperature & the Effect of Excess CO2 on Flora

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective is to analyze if CO2 or solar activity has more influence on the Earth's increasing surface temperatures. I conducted an experiment to determine the effect of excess CO2 on plants. Methods/Materials To analyze the relationship between solar activity, Earth's surface temperatures, and atmospheric CO2, I used data from NASA (temperature), The Royal Belgium Observatory (Sunspot Number) and Berkeley Earth (CO2). I imported the yearly data(1880 to present) from these organizations into Microsoft Excel and graphed & analyzed the data. To simulate the effect of high CO2 levels on plants, I used 2 greenhouses, 4 tomato seedlings, soil, 1 bowl, baking soda, vinegar, fenugreek and turnip seeds. I placed 2 tomato seedlings and half of the seeds in each greenhouse. To create excess CO2, I mixed baking soda and vinegar in the bowl, placed it one of the greenhouses, and sealed it. The experiment lasted for one week. Results The data demonstrates that Earth's temperatures conformed to solar activity until CO2 levels started to rise rapidly, overtaking solar activity as the dominant factor. Contrary to my hypothesis, the plants in the excess CO2 greenhouse did not fare well. The tomato seedlings wilted; the seeds' germination was delayed and stunted compared to the control greenhouse. Conclusions/Discussion The correlation between the number of sunspots and Earth's temperature is very clear. Once the carbon dioxide levels started rising, the global temperatures started reflecting CO2 levels rather than the sunspot cycle. The results of this research indicates that once the carbon dioxide levels are stabilized, the temperature patterns will again start to reflect the sunspot cycle. While excess CO2 initially improved the rate of growth of live plants, in was not sustained throughout the experiment; excess CO2 also delayed the germination of the seeds.

Competition history

• CSEF 2013 Environmental Science · Entry S1195

Resources

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