Greenhouse Effect Flashcards
(11 cards)
What is the greenhouse effect?
The natural process by which greenhouse gases trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere, keeping the planet warm enough to sustain life.
Which gases are the main greenhouse gases?
Carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), water vapor (H₂O), and ozone (O₃).
How does the greenhouse effect work?
The Sun’s energy reaches Earth as shortwave radiation. Earth absorbs it and re-emits it as longwave infrared radiation, which greenhouse gases absorb and re-radiate, warming the atmosphere.
How does CO₂ enter the atmosphere?
Mainly from fossil fuel combustion, cement production, deforestation, and respiration.
Why is water vapor the most abundant GHG but not the cause of enhanced warming?
Water vapor amplifies warming as a feedback effect but is not directly added by human activities in large amounts.
How do greenhouse gases trap heat?
They absorb infrared radiation emitted by Earth and re-radiate it in all directions, including back toward Earth’s surface.
What’s the difference between the greenhouse effect and global warming?
The greenhouse effect is a natural process; global warming refers to the observed long-term rise in Earth’s average temperature due to increased GHGs.
How can the greenhouse effect be reduced?
By reducing fossil fuel use, using renewable energy, conserving forests, increasing energy efficiency, and promoting carbon sequestration.
What is a carbon sink?
A natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs and stores more CO₂ than it releases—like forests, soils, and oceans.
Why is the greenhouse effect essential to life?
Without it, Earth’s average temperature would be about -18°C, making it too cold to sustain life as we know it.
How does the greenhouse effect relate to the carbon cycle?
Human disruptions to the carbon cycle (e.g., fossil fuel burning) increase atmospheric CO₂, intensifying the greenhouse effect.
