SEV2b The Greenhouse Effect

The Greenhouse Effect

SEV2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to construct explanations of  stability and change in Earth’s ecosystems. 

b. Analyze and interpret data to determine how changes in atmospheric chemistry (carbon  dioxide and methane) impact the greenhouse effect.

Multiple Select

What happens to the light energy from the sun when it hits the Earth's surface?

Check all that apply.

• It is absorbed

• It is reflected back to space

• It is trapped by greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere

A greenhouse stays warm inside, even during the winter. In the daytime, sunlight shines into the greenhouse and warms the plants and air inside. At nighttime, it's colder outside, but the greenhouse stays pretty warm inside. That's because the glass walls of the greenhouse trap the Sun's heat. When it gets too hot for the plants a window can be opened to let out the heat.

Multiple Choice

The greenhouse effect is caused by

• more heat arriving at the Earth from the sun

• the Earth releasing more heat at night

• gases in the air trapping heat released by the Earth

The atmosphere has 5 layers. We live in the troposphere and the stratosphere contains the ozone layer where greenhouse gases are.

Our Atmosphere

Multiple Choice

In which layer of the atmosphere does weather occur?

• Mesosphere
• Thermosphere
• Stratosphere
• Troposphere

We need greenhouse gases in order for the earth to be warm enough for us to live on.

​

​Gives Life

Multiple Choice

Without the Greenhouse Effect the Earth would be

• warmer 

• colder

• temperature would not change

The Ozone Layer

The ozone layer is found in the
stratosphere.

It covers the entire planet and protects life on earth by absorbing harmful ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation from the sun.

Multiple Choice

Where is the ozone located?

• troposphere
• stratosphere
• mesosphere
• thermosphere

Multiple Choice

Why is the Ozone important to life on Earth?

• The Ozone reflects all the Ultra Violet radiation

• The Ozone absorbs all the heat that come up from the Earth.

• The Ozone provides all the oxygen to Earth.
• The Ozone protects the Earth’ s atmosphere and the life on Earth from harmful radiant energy emitted by the sun   

A greenhouse traps the sun's heat
and keeps plants warmer than they
would be without the greenhouse.
Greenhouse gases do the same
thing for the earth.

Meet the Greenhouse Gases

Multiple Choice

Cutting down large forests (deforestation) can result in:

• little to no changes

• more homes for animals

• less plants to absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas

​This comes from evaporation and transpiration in the water cycle. It blocks heat from escaping the atmosphere. As Earth heats up more water vapor traps more heat.

​​Water Vapor - H₂O

This is part of the carbon cycle. We breathe this out and plants take it in. It is also produced through decay. We burn fossil fuels which takes carbon from reservoirs and quickly releases it into the atmosphere which gets warmer.

Carbon Dioxide - CO₂

Methane is released from decaying plants in wetlands, rice paddies, and cow burps. Methane traps a lot of heat and is a large cause of global warming.

Methane - CH₄

Ozone in the stratosphere helps block radiation from the sun. In the troposphere, at ground level, it is dangerous to our health.

​​Ozone - O₃

This is produced by bacteria in the soil and ocean as part of the nitrogen cycle. Unfortunately it is also produced in factories, power plants, and fertilizer. It damages the ozone layer.

Nitrous Oxide - N₂O

These are not naturally created. CFCs were the propellent in aerosols. They damage the ozone layer and are now banned by the Montreal Protocol.

Chlorofluorocarbons - CFCs

Multiple Choice

Which of the following are greenhouse gases?

• Carbon dioxide
• Methane
• Water vapor
• All answers are correct

Multiple Choice

Which of the following gases, released by animals as a waste product of digestion, can add to global warming?

• Carbon Dioxide
• Methane
• Chlorofluorocarbon
• Nitrogen

In 1760 there was scientific and technology revolution that turned a farming culture into an industrialized, urban one. This was powered by burning coal which released CO₂ and soot into the atmosphere.

​Industrial Revolution

Multiple Choice

At what point in human history did global carbon dioxide levels start to rise?

• World War I

• World War II

• The Industrial Revolution

• The invention of the car

Greenhouse gases have increased since the Industrial Revolution.
It has impacted the temperature of the earth.

Multiple Choice

The graph shows us that

• the earth temperature is always increasing

• the earth's temperature has steadily increased since 1900

• the earth's temperature is steadily rising since the 1960s

• the earth's temperature decreased during the 19th and 20th centuries

Multiple Choice

The highest gaseous pollutant is

• methane

• nitrous oxide

• carbon dioxide

• fluorinated gases

Multiple Choice

Which of the following removes carbon from the atmosphere?

• Combustion
• Respiration
• Photosynthesis
• Death

Multiple Choice

Which one of these does not add CO₂ to the atmosphere?

• cooking with gas
• planting trees
• burning wood
• riding in a bus

Multiple Choice

Which one is a greenhouse gas?

• O2

• N2

• CO2

• P4

Multiple Choice

Which Greenhouse Gas is found the most in our atmosphere

• Methane

• Oxygen

• Water Vapor

• Carbon Dioxide

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the best conclusion that can be made from this graph?

• atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been decreasing since 1960
• Hawaii has a lot of carbon dioxide
• humans have been working hard to decrease carbon dioxide levels
• atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased steadily since 1960

Multiple Choice

What do scientists believe will happen if we do not reduce the number of Greenhouse Gases in the atmosphere

• An Ice Age

• Nothing

• Global Cooling

• Global Warming

Multiple Choice

Gas in Earth's atmosphere that absorbs most of the damaging high-energy UV radiation from the Sun is known as

• atmosphere

• climate

• ozone

• air pressure

Multiple Choice

The area of human activity responsible for the highest greenhouse gas emissions is

• energy supply

• transport

• agriculture

• industrial