Climatologists monitoring historical climate patterns compiled data on atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2\text{CO}_2CO2) concentrations and average global air temperature anomalies relative to a 1951–1980 baseline:
| Historical Epoch | Atmospheric CO2\text{CO}_2CO2 concentration (ppm) | Global CO2\text{CO}_2CO2 trend | Global temperature anomaly range (∘C^\circ\text{C}∘C) | General temperature trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940–1975 | 311 to 331 | Increasing | +0.05+0.05+0.05 to −0.08-0.08−0.08 | Decreasing |
| 1975–1995 | 331 to 361 | Increasing | −0.08-0.08−0.08 to +0.25+0.25+0.25 | Increasing |
| 1995–2015 | 361 to 401 | Increasing | +0.25+0.25+0.25 to +0.68+0.68+0.68 | Increasing |
Describe the mechanism by which greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide cause 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.