Greenhouse Effect Flashcards
What type of radiation does earth’s surface emit after absorbing radiation from the sun?
IR radiation
What are the characteristics of greenhouse gases that affect their contribution to global warming?
Ability to absorb IR, abundance in the atmosphere, atmospheric lifetime, wavelength range of IR it absorbs
Which greenhouse gas has the largest impact on global warming?
CO2
Order N2O, CO2, CH4 and CFC-11 in order of increasing global warming potential
CO2, CH4, N2O, CFC-11
What is the current estimated rate of increase in temperature?
0.02C/yr or .2C/decade
What are some consequences of global warming?
Expansion of oceanic water, melting of polar ice caps, glacial melting, increase in extreme weather events, change in amount and distribution of precipitation, commercial crop failure
What effect does UV light have on O2 in the atmosphere?
Changes it to O radicals
Provide the equation for O2 reacting with UV light
O2 -UV-> 2O•
UV radiation is characterized in what types?
UV-A, UV-B, UV-C
What is the reaction between O• and O2
O• + O2 –> O3
What are the two ways Ozone reacts in the atmosphere to re-form O2?
O3 -UV-> O2 + O•O3 + O• –> 2O2
Name the two primary pollutants of the 20th century that caused the most global warming
Chlolfluorocarbons (CFCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)
What makes CFCs a cause of ozone reduction?
They pass through the atmosphere without reacting until they are radiated with UV light to produce Cl•, which catalyzes the decomposition of Ozone
What are some replacements for CFCs?
Hydrocarbons (HCs), Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), fluorocarbons (FCs)
What are the ups/downs to HCFC usage?
C-H bond makes them more reactive. H-Cl still poses a risk to ozone
