Greenhouse Gases & the Greenhouse Effect

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms and facts about greenhouse gases, the greenhouse effect, climate change mechanisms and their global impacts.

Short-Wave Radiation (SWR)

Solar energy in the visible/near-visible range that easily passes through Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the surface.

Long-Wave Radiation

Infra-red heat energy re-radiated upward from Earth’s surface after it absorbs sunlight.

Greenhouse Effect

Warming that occurs when atmospheric gases absorb outgoing long-wave radiation and re-emit it in all directions, keeping heat near Earth’s surface.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG)

Any atmospheric gas that can absorb and re-radiate heat, thereby contributing to the greenhouse effect.

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)

A GHG made of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms; small in concentration but large in climate impact.

Methane (CH₄)

A potent GHG composed of one carbon and four hydrogen atoms; produced from decomposition, cattle, rice paddies, landfills and fossil-fuel production.

Water Vapour

The most abundant GHG; increases as the atmosphere warms but persists only a few days.

Nitrous Oxide (N₂O)

A GHG emitted from fertilizers, fossil-fuel combustion and biomass burning; has a long atmospheric life.

Pre-Industrial CO₂ Level

About 270 parts per million (ppm) in the mid-19th century before large-scale fossil-fuel use.

Current CO₂ Level

Exceeded 400 ppm in 2015 and continues to rise due to human emissions.

Methane Atmospheric Lifetime

Approximately 12 years before it is removed by chemical reactions.

Nitrous Oxide Atmospheric Lifetime

Roughly 114 years, much longer than methane.

CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs, PFCs

Synthetic chlorine and/or fluorine compounds with very high heating power and lifetimes ranging from <1 to thousands of years.

Global Warming Potential (GWP)

A measure of how much heat a GHG traps in the atmosphere over 100 years relative to CO₂ (CO₂ = 1).

GWP of Nitrous Oxide

About 265 times stronger than CO₂ over a 100-year period.

GWP of CFC-12

Approximately 10,200—one of the highest among common GHGs.

GWP of HFC-23

Roughly 12,400, making it extremely powerful at trapping heat.

GWP of Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF₆)

Around 23,500—the highest listed in the lecture notes.

Nitrogen & Oxygen in Air

Compose most of the atmosphere but do not absorb heat and therefore do not cause the greenhouse effect.

Earth Without Greenhouse Effect

Would be below the freezing point of water, making life as we know it impossible.

1.5 °C Limit

The temperature rise target scientists say must not be exceeded to prevent catastrophic health and climate impacts.

Sea-Level Rise Since 1880

Approximately 8 inches (0.2 m) so far, largely from melting land ice and thermal expansion.

Projected Sea-Level Rise by 2100

Likely 1–6.6 feet (0.3–2 m) depending on emission scenarios.

Melting Glaciers & Ice Sheets

Add freshwater to oceans, contributing to sea-level rise and loss of coastal land.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

UN body created in 1988 by WMO and UNEP to assess scientific knowledge on human-caused climate change.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

UN agency that, together with UNEP, founded the IPCC.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

UN agency focused on the environment; co-creator of the IPCC.

Kyoto Protocol

1997 UN treaty to limit greenhouse-gas emissions; entered into force on 16 Feb 2005 with 192 signatory countries.

Short-Wave vs Long-Wave Path

Short-wave sunlight enters easily; long-wave heat has difficulty escaping because it is absorbed by GHGs.

Climate System Components

Atmosphere, hydrosphere (oceans), cryosphere (ice & snow), lithosphere (rock chemistry) and biosphere (soil, vegetation, biodiversity).

Cryosphere

Portion of Earth composed of ice and snow, highly sensitive to warming.

Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect

Strengthening of the natural greenhouse effect due to rising human-made GHG emissions.

Bond Vibration

Molecular motion that occurs when multi-atom gases absorb heat, enabling them to trap infrared radiation.

Minimum Atoms for Heat Absorption

Gas molecules need three or more atoms to vibrate and absorb infrared energy effectively.

Cities at Risk of Submersion

Places like Tokyo, Mumbai, New York City and others that could face major flooding from rising seas.

Sea-Level Rise Impacts

Land loss, forced migration, industrial damage and new land-use issues.

Arctic Sea-Ice Loss

Decline in both extent and volume observed from 1980 to 2012, illustrating rapid polar warming.

Greenhouse Gas Lifespan

The time a gas stays in the atmosphere—ranging from days (water vapour) to millennia (some CFCs).