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Climate Change

Climate Change. Greenhouse Effect and Greenhouse Gases. Let’s Review Climate…. Let’s Review Solar Energy…. The Electromagnetic Spectrum. The Greenhouse Effect.

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Climate Change

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  1. Climate Change Greenhouse Effect and Greenhouse Gases

  2. Let’s Review Climate…

  3. Let’s Review Solar Energy…

  4. The Electromagnetic Spectrum

  5. The Greenhouse Effect • The Earth is kept warm because certain gases in the atmosphere (water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, for example) trap outgoing radiation from Earth. • Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and Earth’s average temperature would be about 60ºF colder (about -5ºF) • Because they warm our world like a greenhouse, these gases are referred to as greenhouse gases

  6. Earth’s Energy Budget • 30% of incoming solar radiation is reflected back into space • 77% by clouds and atmosphere, 23% by surface • Albedo is an object’s ability to reflect radiation • Lighter colored surfaces (snow, ice) REFLECT more radiation, higher albedo • Darker-colored surfaces (blacktop, forest) ABSORB more radiation, lower albedo • Greenhouse gases absorb heat energy that would normally radiate back into outer space • Increasing the amount of GHGs will absorb more radiation, thus average global temperatures will RISE as a result

  7. Have you ever gotten into a car that has been sitting in the sun for a while with it’s windows closed? Why does this happen?

  8. The atmosphere acts like a huge glass chamber around the Earth. Why? • The atmosphere acts like a big glass chamber because it allows light and heat in and allows light and only SOME heat to leave. (like a car in the summer) Energy from the sun (EMS) Once solar energy passes through the class, its wavelength changes and can no longer escape back through the glass. This energy is infrared wavelengths (heat) which causes the surfaces and air inside the glass box to heat up.

  9. A solar oven from a pizza box??

  10. What makes Greenhouse gases special? This diagram shows the relative importance of the major human-produced greenhouse gases to current warming. CO2 is the most important followed in descending order by methane, CFCs, ozone and nitrous oxide. • Not every gas in our atmosphere has the ability to absorb heat and radiate it back as infra red radiation • A greenhouse gas is a gas composed of molecules that absorb and radiate infrared radiation from the sun.

  11. So what are the greenhouse gases and where do they come from?

  12. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally and are emitted to the atmosphere through natural processes • Other greenhouse gases (e.g., fluorinated gases) are created and emitted solely through human activities. • Some (like carbon dioxide) are emitted through both natural and human activities.

  13. Nature vs. Man

  14. What Are the Sources of Man-Generated Greenhouse Gases?

  15. Charles Keeling • In forests CO2 goes up and down naturally with plants photosynthetic patterns • In cities CO2 levels vary due to human activities such as traffic and industry • This means that human activities CAN affect CO2 levels

  16. Measuring Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere • We can obtain Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels from ice cores taken from deep in glaciers around the earth

  17. Describe the trend that you notice in the graph • The concentration of Carbon dioxide has steadily increased over the past 50 years

  18. Why do we need greenhouse gases in moderate amounts? (what would happen if they weren’t there) The greenhouse gases reflect some solar radiation (like infared) back to the earth which makes it warm. Without them the earth would be very cold.

  19. Why does it get very hot inside a car that is sitting in the summer sun with the windows rolled up? The solar energy (light and heat) can get in through the windows, but only the light can escape. The heat can not escape.

  20. What are greenhouse gases that occur naturally in the atmosphere? Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide and Water Vapor

  21. What greenhouse gases have been produced in large quantities by humans? Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, CFCs

  22. What is the relationship between carbon dioxide, people and global warming? Carbon dioxide is produced in huge quantities by people to produce energy and fuel cars. The rapid increase in the burning of fossil fuels means a rapid increase in carbon dioxide. This also matches a rapid increase in global temperature

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