Greenhouse effect/ Climate Change

Question 1

Why are greenhouse gases important (without an excess of them?)

Answer 1

• Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere maintain temperatures on Earth high enough to support life.

Question 2

What are the 3 greenhouse gases?

Answer 2

• Wate vapour
• Carbon dioxide
• Methane

Question 3

Describe the greenhouse effect.

Answer 3

• Energy travels from sun to Earth as SWR ie. ultraviolet/ visible light.
• Some SWR reflects back to space.
• Most SWR passes through atmosphere (SWR doesn’t interract strongly with gas molecules in atmosphere.)
• Energy (from SWR) is absorbed surface of Earth.
• Surface of Earth emitts energy as LWR ie. infrared.
• LWR is absorbed by GG molecules.
• Energy trapped in atmosphere.
• Temp of atmospere = up!

Question 4

What 2 human activities increase the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere?

Answer 4

• Burning of fossil fuels
• Deforestation of rainforests

Question 5

What are the 2 ways deforestation increases amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere?

Answer 5

1.) Growing trees in rainforests can no longer absorb CO₂.
2.) The trees are often burnt: burning forests releases large amounts of CO₂.

Question 6

What are the 3 different ways humans burn different fossil fuels?

Answer 6

• Coal: Electricity
• Petrol/ Diesel: To power cars
• Gas: Heat our homes

Question 7

What 2 human activities increase the amount of methane in the atmosphere?

Answer 7

1.) Agriculture ie. growing rice in flooded, paddy fields.
2.) When cattle ie. cows pass wind.

Question 8

What is the result of levels of CO₂ and CH₄ increasing?

Answer 8

• The temperature of atmosphere is rising as more energy from the sun is trapped. ie. more greenhouse gas molecules to absorb energy.

Question 9

Give 4 potential effects of climate change.

Answer 9

1.) Rising temp = ⊺ melting of polar ice sheets/ glaciers =⊺ sea levels.
2.)⊺ sea levels = More flooding of low- lying areas.
3.) More severe weather ie ⊺ storms in UK.
4.) ⊺ temp = change distribution of animals ie. insects (change distribution of insect- bourne disease ie. malaria.)

Question 10

What is a major cause of climate change?

Answer 10

• An increase in average global temperature

Question 11

What do many scientists believe about climate change?

Answer 11

• Many scientists believe that human activities will cause the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere to increase at the surface and that this will result in global climate change.

Question 12

Why do many scientists think human activties that release greenhouse gases cause climate change?

Answer 12

• It is peer- reviewed.
• Scientists can cristice any false claims ie. with poor evidence or bias can be discarded.

Bias = let’s not speak about bears

Question 13

What does peer- reviewed evidence of climate change mean?

Answer 13

• Evidence of climate change is shared between scienstists to check for any false claims.

Question 14

Why is there a problem in the public’s understanding of climate change?

Answer 14

• Climate change is very complex to model.
• = simplified models on media,
• Speculation and opinions on media that are only based on parts of the evidence, which may be biased.

Question 15

What should scientists do to avoid speculation about climate change on the media?

Answer 15

• They must work harder to communicate the ideas around climate change to the general public.

Question 16

Give an uncertainty about climate change evidence.

Answer 16

• We cannot predict with certainty how much the temp of atmosphere will increase.
• This leads to speculation in the media.