Greenhouse Gases and Climate change

Question 1

Amongst other factors, what allows the earth to be warm enough to support life

Answer 1

Green house gases - like co2 , Ammonia + Water vapour act like an insulating later in the earths atmosphere

Question 2

All particles absorb certain frequencies of radiation. What do green house gases absorb and what do they not absorb? What is the green house effect

Answer 2

Green house gases don’t absorb the incoming short wavelengths radiation from the sun - but they do absorb the long wave length radiation that gets reflected back off the earth, then they re-radiate it in all directions - including back towards the earth

The longwave radiation is thermal radiation so it results in warming of the earths surface = green house effect

Question 3

What forms of human activity affect the amount of green house gases in the atmosphere??

Answer 3

• Deforestation = fewer trees = less co2 in removed from the atmosphere via photosynthesis
• Burning fossil fuels = carbon that was locked up in these fuels released so co2 released
• Agriculture = More farm animals produce more methane through their digestive processes
• Creating waste = more landfill sites and more waste from agriculture means more co2 and methane released by decomposition of waste

Question 4

what is the average temperature of the earths atmosphere?

Answer 4

The earths temperature varies naturally, but recently the average temperature of the earths atmosphere has been increasing. More scientist believe that extra co2 from human activity is causing this increase and will lead to climate change

Evidence for this has been peer-reviewed , the info = reliable

Question 5

Why is it hard to fully understand the earths climate? and what does it lead to?

Answer 5

its complex and there are many variables that its hard to make a model that isn’t oversimplified

led to speculation, particularly in the media and biased w minimum info

Question 6

What are some of the predictions about the consequences of climate change and why have they been made??

Answer 6

• policy-makers can make their decision now
  increase in global temp = polar ice caps melting -> rise in sea levels, flooding in coastal area and coastal erosion
• Changes in rain fall pattern may cause regions to have too less or too much water
• Changes in temperature -> affect ability for some regions to produce food
• Freq and severity of storms may also increase
• Changes in temperature and amount of water -> affect wild species leading to differences in distribution