Topic 4

Question 1

Which two are the most significant greenhouse gases?

Answer 1

CO2 and water vapour

Question 2

What processes releases CO2?

Answer 2

Cell respiration and combustion of fossil fuels

Question 3

How is water vapour formed?

Answer 3

By evaporation from the oceans and transpiration in plants

Question 4

How is CO2 removed from the atmosphere?

Answer 4

By photosynthesis and by being dissolved into oceans

Question 5

How is water vapour removed from the atmosphere?

Answer 5

By rain and snow

Question 6

Why does the temperature drops so much more quickly at night in areas with clear skies than in areas with cloud cover

Answer 6

Water continues to retain heat after it condenses to form droplets of liquid water in clouds. The water absorbs heat energy and radiates it back to the Earth’s surface and also reflects the heat energy back

Question 7

What are the other 2 greenhouse gases you need to know about?

Answer 7

Nitrogen oxide and methane

Question 8

What emitts methane?

Answer 8

Marshes/ water logged sites, fossil fuel extraction and ice caps melting

Question 9

What releases nitrogen oxide?

Answer 9

Bacteria in some habitats, vehicle exhausts and agriculture

Question 10

What two prominent gases are NOT greenhouse gases?

Answer 10

Oxygen and nitrogen because they do not absorb long wavelength radiation

Question 11

What type of radiation is absorbed by the earths surface?

Answer 11

Short wavelength from the sun and then re-emitts it as long

Question 12

What type of radiation is the long radiation that is emitted?

Answer 12

Infrared with a peak wavelength of 10,000 nm

Question 13

When the earth re-amitts the long wavelength radiation what is it absorbed by?

Answer 13

Greenhouse gases

Question 14

Most of the solar radiation is what?

Answer 14

U.V.

Question 15

What percent of solar radiation reaches earth?

Answer 15

70-75

Question 16

What were the co2 concentrations until the late 18th century?

Answer 16

260-280 ppm

Question 17

What is the correlation between the co2 concentrations at the start of the industrial revolution and global temperatures?

Answer 17

Increasing

Question 18

When was the main impact of the industrial revolution?

Answer 18

second half of the 20th century – combustion of coal, oil, natural gas increased

Question 19

What should we do about oppositions to climate change?

Answer 19

Evaluate them based on reliable evidence as not all sources can be trusted

Question 20

What are species?

Answer 20

Groups of organisms that can potentially interbreed to produce fertile offspring

Question 21

What are hybrids and why are they infertile?

Answer 21

Hybrids are when two different species produce offspring that are infertile

Question 22

What is a population?

Answer 22

Group of the same species living in the same area at the same time