Activity Required Week 10 • How does a reduction in CO2 emissions affect the global surface temperature? If other GHG levels are constant, then increasing CO2 emissions increases global surface temperature. This response will not be immediate, but, increased total CO2 levels will lead to an increased peak temperature which will then come down to a stable level over several thousands of years. At the same way, decreasing emissions will not have an immediate decrease in the temperature, although the total will be less than in the first case, and will lead to an eventual peak that is lower than in the first case. • What happens when you add clouds or glass panes? Adding clouds decrease the temperature due to albedo effect, it reflects back the sunlight into the atmosphere. However adding glass panes increase the temperature because the short wave incoming energy enters through the glass panes and heats up then the furniture, curtains metal etc., heat up and this heat which is of long wavelength cannot pass through the windows again and that is why our homes and buildings are warmer. • Do all gases contribute to the greenhouse effect? Which ones do? Which ones do not? Some Green house gases that are found in the atmosphere are H2O vapor which is the most abundant GHG, Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitric oxide, Nitrous Oxide, Ozone, Hydrocarbons and Chlorofluorocarbons. Whereas gases like, Carbon monoxide,N2, Oxygen, Argon, , Nitrogen are not classified as green house gases. • How do photons interact with atmospheric gases? Photons represent energy. When their wavelength puts them just outside the visible range, they excite green house gases and may get sent out into space or back to the surface of the earth. The ones that get sent back to the surface of the earth are reflected again by a warming surface. So the photons go back and forth dumping heat between the earths surface and the atmosphere, until they reach a long enough wavelength when they leave in the end.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 22:27:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015