Greenhouse Gases Flashcards
All 6 cards in this deck
Name the three greenhouse gases you must know for AQA Chemistry.
Water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane.
Why are greenhouse gases in the atmosphere important for life on Earth?
They maintain temperatures on Earth high enough to support life.
What are the steps of the greenhouse effect?
e.g. radiation arriving from the Sun- Short wavelength radiation from the Sun passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by the Earth's surface.
- The Earth's surface re-radiates energy as long wavelength (infrared) radiation.
- Greenhouse gases absorb this long wavelength radiation and re-radiate some of it back towards Earth, keeping the surface warm.
Which wavelength of radiation do greenhouse gases absorb?
Long wavelength (infrared) radiation, re-radiated from the Earth's surface.
True or false? Nitrogen and oxygen are greenhouse gases.
False. The greenhouse gases are water vapour, carbon dioxide and methane; nitrogen and oxygen are not.
True or false? The greenhouse effect is entirely caused by human activity.
False. The greenhouse effect is natural and necessary for life; human activity increases greenhouse gas amounts and so increases the effect.