Lesson 5 of 6 · Climate
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🌋 Rock RealmFeedback Loops in the Climate System
Feedback Loops in the Climate System.
🎯 Your mission
Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.
⚡ The twist
Weather isn't random — it's just complicated.
Mind = Blown
🌊 The deepest part of the ocean is deeper than Mount Everest is tall.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you observe: what shape will it leave?
What You'll Learn
Melting ice exposes dark ocean, which absorbs more sunlight and melts more ice — a positive feedback that amplifies the original change. Negative feedbacks damp change instead. Which loops dominate is what makes climate prediction hard.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- two trays
- white and black paper
- water
- thermometers
- lamp
- stopwatch
Safety First
- The lamp gets hot — keep it clear of the trays and unplug it before moving it.
- Keep water well away from the lamp's cable and any socket.
Steps
Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.
Measure the temperature rise under a lamp of a white tray and a black tray of water over ten minutes. Use the difference to explain the ice-albedo feedback quantitatively.
Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.
Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2Melting sea ice speeds further melting because open ocean has:
Where you see this in real life
This is shaping the ground you walk on, slowly, every single day.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Find a rock outside and try to guess how old it is.
For the dinner table
“What's the slowest change you can think of?”
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Feedback Loops in the Climate System
Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.
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