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Grade 9 · Science · Earth and Space Science

9th grade Climate change: the measurements and the models worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

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Climate change: the measurements and the models

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Mauna Loa yearly CO₂ (NOAA)

    YearCO₂ (ppm)
    1960316.9
    1980338.8
    2000369.7
    2020414.2
    2024424.6

    Note: Yearly means rounded to 0.1 ppm.

  2. Using the table, what was Mauna Loa's yearly CO₂ in 1960, by Ari's reading (NOAA)?

    • About 424.6 ppm
    • About 369.7 ppm
    • About 316.9 ppm
    • About 338.8 ppm

  3. Using the table, which listed year is the first with CO₂ above 400 ppm, by Bo's reading (NOAA)?

    • 1980
    • 2000
    • 2020
    • 1960

  4. NOAA: CO₂ was 280 ppm or less before the mid-1700s. How does the 2024 global average of 422.7 ppm compare, by Kira's reading?

    • About 150% higher
    • About the same as then
    • About 50% higher
    • About 50% lower

  5. Global temperature anomaly (NASA GISTEMP, vs 1951–1980)

    YearAnomaly (°C)
    1880−0.17
    1950−0.17
    19800.26
    20000.39
    20201.01
    20241.28

  6. Using the table, what does the 2024 value mean, by Jun's reading (NASA)?

    • The world averaged about 1.28 °C in 2024
    • About 1.28 °C warmer than the 1951–1980 average
    • About 1.28 °C warmer than the year 2023 was
    • About 1.28 °C colder than the 1951–1980 average

  7. Using the table, which listed year was warmest, by Luz's reading (NASA)?

    • 1980
    • 2024
    • 2020
    • 1880

  8. Using the table, how did 1880 compare with the 1951–1980 average, by Milo's reading (NASA)?

    • Right at the average
    • About 0.17 °C warmer
    • About 17 °C cooler
    • About 0.17 °C cooler

  10. What does IPCC AR6 say about human influence on warming, by Noah's reading?

    • It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the air, ocean and land
    • The warming comes mainly from natural drivers like the Sun
    • Human influence has had no measurable effect on the warming so far
    • Scientists cannot yet tell whether warming is happening on land or sea

  11. IPCC AR6: from 1850–1900 to 2010–2019, about how much warming was human-caused, best estimate, by Pia's reading?

    Use the picture in question 7.

    • About 1.07 °C
    • About 0 °C
    • About 0.1 °C
    • About 10.7 °C

  12. Projected warming in 2081–2100 vs 1850–1900 (IPCC AR6)

    ScenarioBest estimate (°C)Very likely range (°C)
    SSP1-1.9 (very low emissions)1.41.0 to 1.8
    SSP1-2.6 (low)1.81.3 to 2.4
    SSP2-4.5 (intermediate)2.72.1 to 3.5
    SSP3-7.0 (high)3.62.8 to 4.6
    SSP5-8.5 (very high)4.43.3 to 5.7

    Note: Projections, not measurements.

  13. In IPCC AR6, what is a projection, by Tala's reading?

    • A promise of one exact future temperature for each place
    • A measurement of next year's global temperature
    • A record of past temperatures taken from ice cores
    • A model estimate of the future under a stated emissions scenario

  14. Using the table, what is the very likely range under SSP5-8.5, by Esme's reading?

    • 2.1 to 3.5 °C
    • 3.3 to 5.7 °C
    • Exactly 4.4 °C
    • 1.0 to 1.8 °C
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9th grade Climate change: the measurements and the models worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Read climate measurements and model projections. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can read the Mauna Loa CO₂ record and the NASA temperature anomaly record, and compute changes and rates per year or per decade.
  • I can state the IPCC AR6 finding: it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land, with natural drivers near zero.
  • I can read a projection as a model result for a named emissions scenario with a range, not a measurement or a single number.

Standard: HS-ESS3-5

Words to know

anomaly: A difference from an average, like 1.28 °C above 1951–1980

ppm: Parts per million: CO₂ molecules per million air molecules

trend: The long-run change across decades, not one year

main driver: IPCC: responsible for more than 50% of a change

scenario: An assumed path of future emissions, like SSP2-4.5

projection: A model estimate of the future under one scenario, with a range

Common mistakes

Your child read an anomaly as a temperature. NASA GISTEMP values are differences from the 1951–1980 average; a negative value means cooler than that average.

Your child judged the trend from one year or one season. NOAA measures trends over decades: about 0.06 °C per decade since 1850 and 0.20 °C since 1982.

Your child misnamed the main cause. IPCC AR6: it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land; natural drivers changed temperature by −0.1 to +0.1 °C.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with climate change: the measurements and the models?

Your child read an anomaly as a temperature. NASA GISTEMP values are differences from the 1951–1980 average; a negative value means cooler than that average.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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