Climate Science Flashcards
How is the power of a wind turbine calculated?
By multiplying the voltage by the current
What are power, current and voltage measured in?
Power= milliwatts, Current= milliamps, Voltage= volts
What are all greenhouse gases?
Molecules with three or more atoms
What are some examples of greenhouse gases?
Water vapour, methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide
What is infrared radiation?
A type of radiation that is invisible to human eyes, but we can feel as heat
Rank the electromagnetic spectrum from longest to shortest wavelength?
Radio, microwave, infrared, visible light, x-ray, gamma
What is renewable energy?
Energy from a source that can be naturally replenished and not depleted within a human lifetime, such as wind or solar energy
Why is the Greenhouse Effect the main contributor to global warming?
Because we have been emitting more greenhouse gases from factories, which burn fossil fuels
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
The process where some of the infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface is trapped by greenhouse gases, which helps moderate temperatures and enable life to evolve on Earth
What contributes to increased greenhouse gases in the family?
Deforestation, burning of fossil fuels and use of farmland for ruminant animals
What happens during wind power?
Wind energy is converted into electricity by wind turbines, which uses kinetic energy to spin the blades and create electricity
What happens during solar power?
Solar panels convert the rays of the sun into electricity by creating electrons in silicon cells using the photons of light from the sun
What are the advantages of wind energy?
It is renewable, cheap to run and good for remote areas
What are the disadvantages of wind energy?
It is costly to manufacture, relies on inconsistent winds, can be visually ugly and very noisy
What are the advantages of solar energy?
It can be stored in batteries, has no moving parts and is very quiet
