How can we be environmentally responsible citizens? Green house effect

Green House effect- Diagram

Green house effect. Definitions: “The trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet's surface” “warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmosphere; caused by atmospheric gases that allow sunshine to pass through but absorb heat that is radiated back from the warmed surface of the earth.” “The greenhouse effect is a process by which radiative energy leaving a planetary surface is absorbed by some atmospheric gases, called greenhouse gases.” “The process by which a planet is warmed by its atmosphere.” “The Greenhouse Effect is attributable to the increasing consumption of fossil fuels, particularly oil and coal, that increases emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 restricts the sun's heat from escaping from the atmosphere, thus giving rise to global warming.” “The insulating effect of atmospheric greenhouse gases (e.g., water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, etc.) that keeps the Earth's temperature about 60"F warmer than it would be otherwise.”

My definition: “Sun’s warmth being trapped in the lower atmosphere, caused by atmospheric gases, making the earth 60f warmer, than it is regularly.”

What are green house gases? Many chemical compounds found in the Earth’s atmosphere act as “greenhouse gases.” These gases allow sunlight to enter the atmosphere freely. When sunlight strikes the Earth’s surface, some of it is reflected back towards space as infrared radiation (heat). Greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation and trap the heat in the atmosphere. Over time, the amount of energy sent from the sun to the Earth’s surface should be about the same as the amount of energy radiated back into space, leaving the temperature of the Earth’s surface roughly constant. Many gases exhibit these “greenhouse” properties. Some of them occur in nature (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide), while others are exclusively human- made (like gases used for aerosols).

Green house gases are made out of: Water Vapor: Water vapor is water in its gaseous state-instead of liquid or solid Carbon dioxide: A colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration. It is naturally present in air (about 0.03 percent) and is absorbed by plants in photosynthesis Methane: A colorless odorless gas used as a fuel Nitrous oxide: A colorless gas with a sweetish odor, prepared by heating ammonium nitrate. It produces exhilaration or anesthesia when inhaled and is used as an anesthetic and as an aerosol propellant Ozone: A colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light. It differs from normal oxygen (O 2 ) in having three atoms in its molecule (O 3 ) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) : Any of a class of compounds of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, and fluorine, typically gases used chiefly in refrigerants and aerosol propellants. They are harmful to the ozone layer in the earth's atmosphere owing to the release of chlorine atoms upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation

Methane : Ozone: Carbon Dioxide: Nitrous Oxide: Water Vapor: Chlorofluorocarbons: Natural Gases (pictures, and names)