Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect Explained
1. What is the greenhouse effect?
When gases in Earth's atmosphere capture the heat from the Sun, the process is known as the greenhouse effect. Why is this process important for our planet?
2. What is good about the greenhouse effect? (Give at least two reasons.)
How does the greenhouse effect contribute to making Earth a habitable place for living organisms?
3. What is the most important greenhouse gas in the troposphere?
Which gas plays a crucial role in enhancing the greenhouse effect in the Earth's lower atmosphere?
4. What is global warming? How is it different from the greenhouse effect?
Explain the difference between global warming and the greenhouse effect, and how human activities contribute to global warming.
5. What is the cause of the increase in the mean global temperature?
What factors are responsible for the gradual warming of the Earth's surface since the pre-industrial era?
Answers:
Let's delve into the explanations:
The greenhouse effect is a natural process where greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap heat from the Sun, leading to a warming effect on the planet. This phenomenon helps maintain Earth's temperature at a level suitable for life to thrive.
One of the advantages of the greenhouse effect is that it prevents drastic temperature fluctuations, creating a stable climate for ecosystems to flourish. Additionally, it allows for the presence of water in its liquid form, essential for various life forms to exist.
The most important greenhouse gas in the troposphere is carbon dioxide (CO2). It is a significant contributor to the greenhouse effect due to its ability to trap heat and persist in the atmosphere for extended periods.
Global warming refers to the long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature, primarily caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels. While the greenhouse effect is a natural process, global warming results from the intensified greenhouse effect caused by the rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes, have significantly increased the concentrations of greenhouse gases like CO2 in the atmosphere. This enhanced greenhouse effect traps more heat, leading to the observed global warming trend since the industrial revolution.