Greenhouse Gases And Climate Change Flashcards
What do greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide methane and water vapour act as
An insulating layer in the earths atmosphere
allows the Earth to be warm enough to support life
What does a greenhouse gases absorb
They don’t absorb the incoming short. Wavelength radiation from the Sun but they do absorb the long wavelength radiation that reflects back of the Earth
What do they do after they’ve absorbed the wavelength radiation
They radiate it in all directions including back towards earth
What is longwave radiation
Thermal radiation so results in warming of the surface of the Earth
this is the greenhouse effect
Human activities that affect the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Deforestation fewer trees less CO2 remove from the atmosphere via photosynthesis
Burning fossil fuels carbon that was locked up in these fuels is released as CO2
Agriculture more farm animals produce more methane through the digestive processes
Creating waste more landfill sites in more ways from agriculture means more CO2 and methane released by decomposition
Is increasing carbon dioxide linked to colour change
Human activity is cause an increase that will lead to climate change and evidence has been peer reviewed
however there are so many variables and people believe it’s biased
Dangerous consequences of climate change
An increase in global temperature could lead to polar ice caps melting causing a rising sea levels increasing flooding in coastal areas and coastal erosion
Changes in rainfall patterns the amount time in distribution may cause some regions to get too much or too little water this changes along with temperature may affect the availability of certain regions to produce food
Frequency and severity of storms increases
Changes in temperature in the amount of water available in a habitat may affect wild species leading to differences in the distribution
