Modeling Carbon Dioxide with a Bathtub
This video describes how small changes in emissions can cause significant changes in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Peter Carter
For more information about the "Climate Bathtub" model, as described by John D. Sterman and Linda Booth Sweeney:
- "Understanding Public Complacency About Climate Change: Adults' mental models of climate change violate conservation of matter" (2007) by John D. Sterman and L. Booth Sweeney. Climatic Change, 80, 213-238.
- "Bathtub Dynamics: Initial Results of a Systems Thinking Inventory" (2000) by L. Booth Sweeney and John D. Sterman. System Dynamics Review, 16, 249-294.
- "Risk Communication on Climate: Mental Models and Mass Balance" (2008) by John D. Sterman. Science, 24 October 2008: Vol. 322 no. 5901 pp. 532-533.
Graphics that describe the bathtub and carbon cycle:
- Carbon Bathtub diagram from National Geographic (December 2009)
- Carbon cycle diagram from the Department of Energy (without numbers)
- Carbon cycle diagram from the Department of Energy (with numbers)
- Carbon cycle diagram from the IPCC
- Carbon cycle diagram from NASA
