Weather and You: The Greenhouse Effect

These flashcards cover the main vocabulary and concepts related to the greenhouse effect and infrared radiation as discussed in the lecture.

Infrared Radiation

Energy that we cannot see, associated with heat.

Greenhouse Effect

A phenomenon where certain gases in the atmosphere trap infrared radiation, preventing it from escaping back to space.

Night Vision Eye-Drops

Developments that allow mammals to see infrared light normally invisible, enhancing eyesight.

Atmosphere

A layer of gases surrounding a planet, crucial for trapping energy radiating from the Earth.

Carbon Dioxide

A major greenhouse gas that traps infrared radiation, contributing to the greenhouse effect.

Methane

Another significant greenhouse gas that is efficient at absorbing and re-emitting infrared radiation.

Water Vapor

A greenhouse gas that plays a key role in trapping heat in the atmosphere and is one of the strongest absorbers of infrared radiation.

Insolation

Incoming solar radiation received by the Earth.

Gases Trapping Infrared Radiation

Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor that prevent heat from escaping into space.

Daily Average Temperature

The average temperature measured over a full day.