Greenhouse gases how does it work

ACS-Hach Programs Learn about financial support for future and current high school chemistry teachers. Although this nomenclature is misleading, it is in such common use that we use it here as well. Swedish chemist and Nobel Laureate Svante Arrhenius focused on this topic, posing it as the first question in his landmark paper.

Now, over a century later, the mention of greenhouse gas usually evokes thoughts of carbon dioxide CO 2. CO 2 is an important greenhouse gas, and along with water vapor, keeps the Earth warm enough to support life as we know it. But there are many other gases as well as substances like aerosol particles that have roles in atmospheric warming and some of them have been emitted into our atmosphere largely as a result of human activity.

They include methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and halogenated gases. Higher concentrations of atmospheric CH 4 are also caused by changes in land and wetland use, pipeline losses and landfill emissions. The use of fertilisers can also lead to higher N 2 O concentrations.

Agriculture is estimated to be the main driver for around 80 per cent of deforestation worldwide. Source: Pixabay. Cement manufacture contributes CO 2 to the atmosphere when calcium carbonate is heated, producing lime and CO 2. Estimates vary, but it is widely accepted that the cement industry produces between five and eight per cent of global anthropogenic CO 2 emissions, of which 50 per cent is produced from the chemical process itself and 40 per cent from burning fuel to power that process.

The amount of CO 2 emitted by the cement industry is more than kg of CO 2 for every kg of cement produced. Aerosols are small particles suspended in the atmosphere that can be produced when we burn fossil fuels. Other anthropogenic sources of aerosols include pollution from cars and factories, chlorofluorocarbons CFCs used in refrigeration systems and CFCs and halons used in fire suppression systems and manufacturing processes. Aerosols can also be produced naturally from a number of natural processes e.

For example, sulphate aerosols from fossil fuel combustion exert a cooling influence by reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth. Aerosols also have a detrimental impact on human health and affect other parts of the climate system, such as rainfall. Discovering Geology introduces a range of geoscience topics to school-age students and learners of all ages. Climate is the pattern of weather of an area averaged over many years. We can only show whether climate change has occurred after decades of careful measurements and analysis.

Temperature rises can affect agriculture, sea levels and the frequency of extreme weather incidents. We can study past climate change by looking at the evidence in rocks, fossils and changes in the landscape. Burning fossil fuels like coal and oil puts more carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. NASA has observed increases in the amount of carbon dioxide and some other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Too much of these greenhouse gases can cause Earth's atmosphere to trap more and more heat. This causes Earth to warm up.

Just like a glass greenhouse, Earth's greenhouse is also full of plants! Plants can help to balance the greenhouse effect on Earth. All plants — from giant trees to tiny phytoplankton in the ocean — take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. The ocean also absorbs a lot of excess carbon dioxide in the air. Unfortunately, the increased carbon dioxide in the ocean changes the water, making it more acidic. This is called ocean acidification. They radiate the heat back to the Earth's surface, to another greenhouse gas molecule, or out to space.

There are several different types of greenhouse gases. The major ones are carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gas molecules all are made of three or more atoms. The atoms are held together loosely enough that they vibrate when they absorb heat. Eventually, the vibrating molecules release the radiation, which will likely be absorbed by another greenhouse gas molecule.

Most of the gas in the atmosphere is nitrogen and oxygen, which cannot absorb heat and contribute to the greenhouse effect. Some heat is absorbed by greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and then radiated to space A. Some heat makes its way to space directly B.