In order to develop a deeper understanding of the
greenhouse effect and global warming, students had to
learn about the individual components (solar energy,
infrared energy, greenhouse gases, etc.), and understand the
relationships between them. Two of the main relationships
among the individual components highlighted in the unit
are that higher albedo levels indicate a higher level of
reflectivity from the Earth’s surface leading to increased
reflection of solar energy, less IR emission, and lower
temperatures, and that greenhouse gases reflect infrared
energy back to the Earth’s surface, causing the Earth’s
temperature to increase. Some students developed an
understanding of the relationship between greenhouse
gases, infrared energy and the Earth’s temperature. Very
few understood the relationship between albedo and the
Earth’s temperature.