© PROJECT LEARNING TREE | Carbon & Climate E-Unit | The Carbon Cycle
Grades
6
-
8
Carbon Cycle in Action
Name: Date:
Selected Green Space:
Date
Estimated amount
land covered by trees
(0%, 25%, 50%, 75%,
or 100%)
Estimated amount
of carbon stored
(high, medium, low,
or none)
Changes to landscape
since previous date
Today
Earliest
Available Data
Instructions:
1. Choose a green space near your home or school.
Look up your selected location on Google Earth.
2. Use the Historical Imagery Tool ( ) to
investigate changes in this location over time.
3. Fill in todays date in the first box on the line
provided.
4. Identify the earliest available data set for this
green space, and enter that date into the last row
of the chart.
5. Choose two additional dates that are evenly
spaced between the first and last date.
6. Using these four dates, complete the following
chart and answer the questions on the next page.
1 of 2
2 of 2
Carbon Cycle in Action
© PROJECT LEARNING TREE | Carbon & Climate E-Unit | The Carbon Cycle
1
What happened to the amount of carbon stored? Explain any changes.
2
What do you suggest should be done to the area to maximize carbon storage?
3
Describe elements of the carbon cycle you see in action in this area.
Answer the following questions using the data you have collected.
Refer to Project Learning Tree’s Carbon & Climate e-unit for more hands-on activities for students that show the carbon
cycle in action. Go to www.plt.org/curriculum/e-unit/carbon-and-climate/.
Grades
6
-
8