The Chemistry of Earth's Atmosphere

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Greenhouse Effect Noun

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[green-hows uh-fekt]

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Greenhouse Effect

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The process where certain atmospheric gases trap heat from the sun, warming a planet's surface above its expected temperature.

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Example: Solar radiation from the sun warms the Earth, and the atmosphere, filled with greenhouse gases like CO2, traps some of that heat, keeping the planet warm.

Front

Greenhouse Gas Noun

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[green-hows gas]

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Greenhouse Gas

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A gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, contributing to the warming of the atmosphere.

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Example: This diagram shows how greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, like CO₂, trap heat that is radiated from Earth, causing the planet to warm.

Front

Energy Budget Noun

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[en-er-jee buj-it]

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Energy Budget

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The accounting of the balance between incoming energy from the Sun and the outgoing energy from the Earth's systems.

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Example: This diagram shows Earth's energy budget. Solar energy from the sun is partly reflected by clouds and the surface, and partly absorbed by the surface.

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Solar Radiation Noun

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[soh-ler rey-dee-ey-shuhn]

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Solar Radiation

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Radiant energy emitted by the sun, primarily in the form of visible light, that travels through space to Earth.

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Example: The Sun sends out energy as radiation, which travels through space to the Earth, providing the light and heat that drives weather and climate.

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Infrared Radiation Noun

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[in-fruh-red rey-dee-ey-shuhn]

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Infrared Radiation

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Long-wavelength radiation emitted by Earth's surface after it absorbs sunlight, which is readily absorbed by greenhouse gases.

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Example: This diagram shows the electromagnetic spectrum, positioning infrared radiation between visible light and microwaves, illustrating it has a longer wavelength than visible light.

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Wavelength Noun

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[wevy-lengkth]

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Wavelength

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The distance between successive crests of a wave, a property that determines the type of electromagnetic radiation.

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Example: This diagram shows a wave and marks the wavelength as the distance from one peak (crest) to the next, illustrating its measurement.

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Atmospheric Window Noun

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[at-muh-sfer-ik win-doh]

Back

Atmospheric Window

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A range of wavelengths where outgoing infrared radiation can pass through the atmosphere directly into space with minimal absorption.

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Example: This diagram shows that Earth's atmosphere blocks most radiation, but allows certain types, like visible light and radio waves, to pass through to the surface.

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Global Warming Potential Noun

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[gloh-buhl wor-ming poh-ten-shuhl]

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Global Warming Potential

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A measure of the heat-trapping capacity of a greenhouse gas over time, relative to that of carbon dioxide.

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Example: This chart shows that different greenhouse gases trap different amounts of heat. Global Warming Potential (GWP) compares them to carbon dioxide (CO2=1).

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Atmospheric Lifetime Noun

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[at-muh-sfer-ik lahyf-tahym]

Back

Atmospheric Lifetime

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The average time a molecule of a specific substance, such as a greenhouse gas, remains present in the atmosphere.

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Example: This bar chart shows that different gases, like methane and carbon dioxide, remain in the atmosphere for different lengths of time.

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Chlorofluorocarbons Noun

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[klor-oh-floor-oh-kahr-buhns]

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Chlorofluorocarbons

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A class of synthetic compounds that are potent greenhouse gases and also cause the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer.

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Example: This image shows the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, a direct result of atmospheric damage caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).