SNC 2DA

Date: __________________

The Greenhouse Effect

Read pages 338 - 342
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
The Greenhouse Effect is a natural process whereby gases and clouds absorb
_______________________ emitted from Earths surface and radiate it, heating the atmosphere and
Earths surface.
1. The radiation from the sun is absorbed by Earths surface, becoming
______________________ which then warms up the Earth.
2. It then emits lower energy infrared (IR) radiation and is trapped by the gases in Earths
atmosphere.
3. The gases then radiate the energy equally in _____________________________, which
means that half of the radiation gets sent back toward Earths surface.

Greenhouse Gases: any gases in the atmosphere (water vapour, carbon dioxide, and methane) that
absorbs lower energy infrared radiation.
The most important greenhouse gases are _____________________ and ________________________.
Other less significant gases are __________________, _______________, and
________________________________.
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide causes up to the quarter of ______________________________________________ on
earth.
Natural sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide include _________________________,
_________________________, and ___________________________________.
The _______________________ is the movement of carbon through living things, the lithosphere,
atmosphere, and hydrosphere.
Living things and oceans are important to _______________________, that absorbs carbon dioxide and
stores carbon in a different form.
Plants capture carbon dioxide during _____________________________.

When trees decompose and burn, carbon is released back to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. In the
ocean, carbon dioxide dissolves and forms _______________________________________, which sinks
to the bottom of the ocean.
Water Vapour
About ________________________ of the earths natural greenhouse effect is caused
by water vapour.
Water evaporates more when it is heated, and warmer air holds more water vapour.
Therefore, when temperature increases more liquid water becomes water vapour. Water vapour
traps energy, so the Earth becomes warmer.
Feedback loop: A process in which the result acts to influence the ______________________________.
Cause: high temperature
Effect: more water vapour
Original Cause: warming Earth further
Positive feedback: _________________ original Cause
Negative feedback: ___________________ original Cause.
Methane
Although there is much less methane than carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, a molecule
of methane can absorb more thermal energy than a molecule of carbon dioxide can.
It comes from both natural and human sources.It is produced naturally by biological
processes such as __________________________________ in swamps and animal digestion.
Before the industrial age, the concentration of methane in the atmosphere was 0.700
ppm but has now increased to 1.785 ppm.
Ozone
It exists naturally in the atmosphere where it forms a layer protecting Earths surface from
the suns higher energy UV radiation.
In lower down in the ________________________, ozone acts as a greenhouse gas.It
changes quickly and contributed to the greenhouse effect.
Nitrous Oxide
Almost 300 times more effective than a molecule of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
Before the industrial age, the concentration of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere was 270
ppb. It has since risen to 321 ppb. It is produced naturally by the
________________________________________________.
How Greenhouse Gases Trap Infrared Radiation?
Nitrogen gas and oxygen consist of __________________________________ (diatomic)
and they can only vibrate back and forth. They cannot absorb
___________________________________.
Water, carbon dioxide and methane consists of _______________________________
and have different types of atoms. Nitrous oxide also has three atoms.
The atoms in these molecule can vibrate and wiggle in many ways and absorb different
types of energy. Therefore, when infrared energy reaches water vapour, carbon dioxide or
methane, these molecules trap the infrared energy and re-radiate it back out in every direction.

HW: Pg. 342 #1,2,5,6,7

You can do it!
-Agatha Park