4.3 Study Guide Flashcards
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
What are greenhouse gases?
What is a positive feedback loop?
What is a negative feedback loop?
What is the effect of greenhouse gases?
Why is the Greenhouse Effect important?
How have humans affected the Greenhouse Effect?
What do ice cores tell us about the patterns of CO2 and temperature for the past 800,000 years?
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
The process by which heat is trapped in Earth’s atmosphere by greenhouse gases. This process warms the Earth’s surface and lowers the atmosphere. The heat is captured and retained by the greenhouse gases.
What are greenhouse gases?
The gases that trap infrared radiation light (heat) in the atmosphere before releasing it. Examples: Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and Water Vapor.
What is a positive feedback loop?
A feedback loop in which the feedback amplifies the original change. Ex: A produces B, which creates A.
What is a negative feedback loop?
A feedback loop in which the output of the system acts to restrict the effects of the initial disturbance. Conditions could also be kept at a set point. Ex: A produces B, which reduces the amount of A.
What do greenhouse gases do?
Greenhouse gases capture and retain the heat that is released by the earth back towards space. The greenhouse gases absorb this heat and trap it in the atmosphere. This raises the temperature on earth because more heat is being trapped inside of our atmosphere.
Why is the greenhouse effect important?
The greenhouse effect is important because it provides an explanation as to why the Earth’s temperature is rising. This rising temperature results in the climate changing all around the planet. It also leads to sea levels rising because the glaciers and ice caps are melting. The greenhouse effect is having an impact on the climate system on Earth, which makes if very important.
How have humans affected the greenhouse effect?
Humans have affected the greenhouse gas effect by burning fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The increase in these gases causes more heat from the sun to be trapped in Earth’s atmosphere. This increases the temperature of Earth’s surface. Humans have also affected climate change by cutting down trees. Removing trees means that there are less plants to perform photosynthesis, which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Livestock also negatively affects the greenhouse effect. These animals produce methane gas, which also traps heat in Earth’s atmosphere.
What do ice cores tell us about the patterns of CO2 and temperature for the past 800,000 years?
Ice cores tell us that the concentration of carbon dioxide is higher today than it has been over the last 800,000 years. An increase in heavy isotopes in ice cores indicates that the temperature has risen over the last 800,000 years. Scientists use gas chromatographies of ice core samples to determine the concentration of CO2 during the time each layer was formed.
Using the diagram on the water vapor climate change feedback cycle, make a prediction on how an increase in fossil fuel emissions would affect the amount of atmospheric water vapor.
An increase in fossil fuel emissions would lead to an increase in temperature. This increase in temperature would lead to an increased rate of evaporation. The increased evaporation would lead to an increase in the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere.
Analyze the diagram on the water vapor climate change feedback cycle. Is this cycle a positive, or negative feedback cycle?
This cycle is a positive feedback cycle. The temperature increases due to increased emissions. This leads to an increase in atmospheric water vapor. This increase in water vapor ultimately results in the temperature increasing, completing the positive cycle.
