The Greenhouse Effect Flashcards

1
Q

How much of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide ?

A

0.04%

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2
Q

How much of the atmosphere is methane ?

A

0.0002%

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3
Q

What are the three greenhouse gasses ?

A

Water vapor, carbon dioxide and methane

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4
Q

How does energy from the sun travel to the earth ?

A

Short wave length radiation
Eg ultraviolet light and visible light

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5
Q

What happens to the radiation that hits the earth ?

A

Some of the short wavelength radiation reflects back into space but most of it passes easily through the atmosphere

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6
Q

Why does short wave length radiation reflect back and most of it pass easily through atmosphere?

A

Short wave length radiation does not interact strongly with the gas molecules in the atmosphere

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7
Q

How is the energy of the radiation absorbed ?

A

When it reaches the surface of the earth

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8
Q

How does the surface of the earth radiate the energy ?

A

Long wavelength radiation such as infrared
Some of this interacts with the green house gas molecules in the atmosphere meaning some of it is absorbed

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9
Q

What happens to the trapped long wave length radiation ?

A

Because it’s trapped in the atmosphere it causes the temperature of the atmosphere to increase

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10
Q

What does the greenhouse effect do ?

A

Keep the temperature of earth warm enough to support life
Without it the earth would be too cold to support most life

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