The Greenhouse Eff ect

Option Project IB Chemistry 2010By: LV131738

The Greenhouse Effect

E.3.1 Describe the greenhouse effect.E.3.2 List the main greenhouse gases and their sources, and discuss their relative effects.E.3.3 Discuss the influence of increasing amounts of greenhouse gases on the atmosphere.

E.3.1 DESCRIBE THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT.

What is the greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect is when the Earth’s atmosphere traps all of the sun’s radiation.It is caused by atmospheric gases that allows the sunlight to pass through but will absorb it as it is being reflected by the earth’s atmosphere.

LIST THE MAIN GREENHOUSE GASES AND THEIR SOURCES, AND DISCUSS THEIR RELATIVE EFFECTS.

What gases are involved? Where does it come from?

Methane (CH4): derives from anaerobic decay, cattle farming, rice fields, and petroleum/natural gas productionCarbon Dioxide (CO2): emitted through combustion of fossil fuels/biomass, the decay of plants/animals, oxidation of soil, forest fires, organic decay, volcanoes, deforestation, etc.Nitrous Oxide (N2O): comes from fertilizers and bacterial activity; forests, grasslands, and oceans; burning of fossil fuels/biomass, etc.Ozone (O3 gas): pollutant smog is the main contributor of O3 gas

Chlorfluorocarbons (CFCs): aerosol spray propellents, cleaning solutions, refrigerators,etc.

How does it affect the environment?

Increased amounts of all these gases is believed to account for the increasing global temperature (global warming) and earth’s greenhouse effect Deforestation is not thought as a cause of the greenhouse effect, but it is in fact one of the main contributors of carbon dioxide. (Less trees = more CO2 = increased greenhouse gases)

E.3.3 DISCUSS THE INFLUENCE OF INCREASING AMOUNTS OF GREENHOUSE GASES ON THE ATMOSPHERE

What happens when the amounts of greenhouse gases keep increasing?

The greenhouse gases cause the atmosphere to trap the heat instead of releasing it to spaceCurrently, the atmosphere traps about 90% long wave energy that is supposed to be emitted to spaceSome scientists believe the greenhouse effect is the cause of an increase in global temperatureA recent study show that the greenhouse gases cause the earth’s temperature to be at 15°C ( 59°F) instead of - 18°C ( -0.3°F), like it was supposed to be.

Credits

"greenhouse effect." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 29 Jan. 2010. <Dictionary.comhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/greenhouse effect>. Pidwirny, M. (2006). "The Greenhouse Effect". Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. Date Viewed. http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7h.htmlhttp://media.photobucket.com/image/earth%20ice%20cream/mmarti105/5e31d250.jpg?o=1http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ga-He/Greenhouse-Effect.htmlPidwirny, M. (2006). "The Greenhouse Effect". Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. January 31 2010. http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7h.html