Scientists compiling historical records of atmospheric composition and climate variation reconstructed the following dataset for three distinct 40-year epochs, relative to a pre-industrial baseline:
| Epoch | Atmospheric CO2\text{CO}_2CO2 range (ppm) | General CO2\text{CO}_2CO2 trend | Temperature anomaly range (∘C^\circ\text{C}∘C) | General temperature trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880–1920 | 291 to 303 | Increasing | −0.12-0.12−0.12 to −0.28-0.28−0.28 | Decreasing |
| 1920–1960 | 303 to 317 | Increasing | −0.28-0.28−0.28 to −0.03-0.03−0.03 | Increasing |
| 1960–2000 | 317 to 369 | Increasing | −0.03-0.03−0.03 to +0.39+0.39+0.39 | Increasing |
Describe the mechanism by which greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, contribute to the greenhouse effect and lead to an increase in global air temperature.
Using only the data provided in the table, evaluate the evidence for and against the theory that an increase in atmospheric CO2\text{CO}_2CO2 concentration causes an increase in global air temperatures.
49 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Biology 7.3 Biodiversity and the effect of human interaction on ecosystems, covering 7.3.1 Biodiversity, 7.3.2 Waste management, 7.3.3 Land use, 7.3.4 Deforestation, 7.3.5 Global warming, and 7.3.6 Maintaining biodiversity. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.