Heating the Atmosphere Honors Earth Science
Of the sun’s rays that enter our atmosphere, … 20% are absorbed (gamma, x-rays, UV) 30% are reflected 50% of the sun’s rays are not used to heat the earth!
Only 50% of the sun’s rays heat the earth!
How is the atmosphere heated? 1.The sun heats the ground. 2.The ground heats the atmosphere. 3.The greenhouse effect helps to trap the heat in the atmosphere along with the clouds.
The sun heats the ground, the GROUND heats the ATMOSPHERE!
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
The Greenhouse Effect
The Greenhouse Effect is… the trapping of heat in the troposphere by certain gases in the atmosphere. The Greenhouse Effect is a natural process that is vital to the earth!
Greenhouse effect gives +32°C warming and allows for liquid H 2 O to exist on the planet. Without the Greenhouse Effect, average earth temperature would be a cool, -17 ° C!
What are greenhouse gases? 1.methane = cattle and other animals, …………… human waste, etc.
Methane … the gas we pass.
2. water vapor = plants (transpiration), evaporating water, erupting volcanoes
Water Vapor If a desert and a rain forest are the same temperature during the day, would they be the same temperature at night? Why or why not?
Water Vapor Water vapor traps heat in the atmosphere. The more water vapor in the air, the more heat that is trapped. So… The desert is cooler at night than the rainforest because it has less water vapor in the air.
3. carbon dioxide = animals breathing, factories, burning fossil fuels, forest fires, erupting volcanoes, etc.
Carbon Dioxide Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere. The more carbon dioxide that is in our atmosphere, the warmer the atmosphere could become.
The Carbon Cycle
If the Greenhouse Effect is natural and necessary, what’s the worry? CO 2, CH 4, N 2 O, CFC’s, O 3, H 2 O vapor
Atmospheric CO 2 Data Ice Core Data Direct Measurements, Hawaii
Recent Global Warming
Resources eat.budget.jpghttp:// eat.budget.jpg