Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change

What are greenhouses used for? Why are they used?

• to grow plants

• they are much warmer than the outside, so they are easier to grow, especially during the winter or spring

What is the Greenhouse effect?

• some sunlight from solar radiation that hits the earth is reflected

• some becomes heat

• CO₂ and other gases in the atmosphere trap heat, keeping the earth warm

• Probably more good that not good, part of what makes Earth the “goldylocks” of planets

Natural Greenhouse Effect:

• keeps our atmosphere livable - without it Earth would be near 0 degrees F

• sun’s energy is absorbed by Earth’s land and water

• land and water give off energy in a different form - infrared radiation

• greenhouse gasses trap infrared radiation (heat) and keep our atmosphere warm

• not all greenhouse gasses trap heat in the same way

Human Enhanced Greenhouse Effect:

• major greenhosue gases = H₂O (water vapor) CO₂ (carbon dioxide), CH₄ (Methane), O₃ (Ozone), N₂O (Nitrous Oxide)

• humans are adding to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels

• this makes the Earth a lot hotter

• less heat escapes into space

For every million air particles, how many are carbon dioxide?

425

What is the Albedo Effect?

• ability of a surface to reflect away solar radiation

  • light colored surfaces have a high Albedo (snow glaciers)

  • dark colored surfaces have a low Albedo )oceans, pavement)

  • high Albedo = more radiation will be reflected away

  • low Albedo = less radiation will be reflected away

What will happen to our poles because of the Albedo effect?

• the poles are white from snow, so they are colder

• as the dark ocean warms, it melts the ice, and as the ocean gets bigger, it just speeds up the process

• climate change in the poles is about 4x faster than anywhere else