Team: 18
School: Monte del Sol
Area of Science: Atmospheric Physics
Proposal: Although water is necessary for life, it actually may be our leading downfall when it comes to climate change. Water vapor contributes to climate change because it is a greenhouse gas, as it absorbs longwave radiation and returns it back to the Earth. Rising atmospheric temperatures evaporate more water from the surface of the Earth, which adds more water vapor to the atmosphere, amplifying these increased atmospheric temperatures. In this project, we will examine the relationship between the amount of water vapor, temperature, and altitude in the atmosphere. In phase one, we will use our school greenhouse to simulate the atmosphere where a balloon would launch and collect data. In this environment, we will create varying conditions in order to collect data that leads to an algorithm representing the relationship between water vapor and temperature in the atmosphere. We will program an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express microcontroller in Python that uses a BME680 sensor to measure temperature and humidity in the air. In phase two of our experiment we will create a Python simulation to include altitude with the temperature and humidity that we got from phase one. Both phases will inform our analysis of the role of water vapor in the atmosphere and determine the threshold amount that impacts the greenhouse effect.
Team Members:
Sponsoring Teacher: Rhonda Crespo