Unit C Section 2.3

Question 1

Why is carbon dioxide not a considered a pollutant?

Answer 1

since it is naturally present in the air

Question 2

Why is Earth considered to be a natural greenhouse?

Answer 2

• Some gases in the atmosphere act like glass in a greenhouse.
• They trap heat from the Sun’s radiant energy.
• This heat keeps Earth at temperatures that allow living things to live, grow, and reproduce

Question 3

What are the atmospheric gases that trap

heat called?

Answer 3

greenhouse gases

Question 4

What are greenhouse gases?

Answer 4

• Water vapor,
• carbon dioxide,
• methane,
• nitrogen oxides

Question 5

The Greenhouse

Effect:

Answer 5

• When radiant energy from the Sun reaches Earth’s
  surface, much of it is reflected back into space
  -But some of this energy is trapped near Earth’s surface by a layer of gases that act like the glass in a
  greenhouse.

Question 6

What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?

Answer 6

• The enhanced greenhouse effect results from the greater concentration of gases trapping even more heat.
• this increases overall temperatures on Earth

Question 7

What contributes to enhancing the greenhouse effect?

Answer 7

-human activities such as burning fossil fuels and clearing land

Question 8

What is global warming:

Answer 8

This temperature increase worldwide

Question 9

What can global warming lead to?

Answer 9

Global warming may lead to climate change

Question 10

What can occur due to climate change?

Answer 10

MORE…..

• violent storms,
• flooding of coastal areas from melting icecaps,
• greater ranges in the spread of diseases.

Question 11

Which gases contribute most to enhance the greenhouse effect?

Answer 11

-After water vapor, carbon dioxide is the gas that contributes most to the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Question 12

What causes global warming:

Answer 12

• caused at least partly by human activities.

- Natural events such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires may also be part of the cause of global warming

Question 13

The Enhanced

Greenhouse Effect Phases:

Answer 13

• Human activities are generating more greenhouse gases, so many scientists have concluded that more heat is being trapped.
• This means that Earth’s surface temperature will continue to rise.
• This worldwide increase is called global warming.

Question 14

How is the ozone layer in the atmosphere good for us?

Answer 14

• absorbs ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the Sun.

- By absorbing this radiation, the ozone layer protects organisms on Earth from damaging UV rays.

Question 15

How far is the ozone layer away from the Earth’s surface?

Answer 15

-The ozone layer is a natural formation of ozone 15 to 50 km above Earth’s surface

Question 16

What have scientists noticed about the ozone layer?

Answer 16

-they have noticed that this layer has become thinner, allowing more UV radiation to reach Earth’s surface.

Question 17

What are “holes” in the ozone layer?

Answer 17

Very thin parts of the layer that are considered holes

Question 18

Thinning ozone layer means

Answer 18

More harmful UV (ultraviolet) radiation on Earth.

Question 19

What are the harmful effects of UV radiation:

Answer 19

• Increase of human skin cancer
• Increase of cataracts
• cause plankton to die (disrupt the food chain)

Question 20

How is carbon dioxide being reduced in the atmosphere?

Answer 20

carbon dioxide is being captured and injected

into depleted oil reservoirs for enhanced oil recovery

Question 21

What is causing thinning of the ozone layer:

Answer 21

• is caused by our use of chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Question 22

What are CFCs used on?

Answer 22

• refrigerators,
• aerosol
• cans for products such as hair spray, and fire extinguishers.

Question 23

What is the process for the thinning of the Ozone layer?

Answer 23

• CFCs travel from the lower atmosphere to the upper atmosphere.
• UV radiation breaks them down into substances, such as chlorine, that destroy ozone.
• Chlorine atoms react with the ozone molecules to form oxygen molecules (O2(g)
• One chlorine atom can remove 100 000 ozone molecules.

Question 24

What happens to the ozone layer in the South pole?

Answer 24

• cold temperatures cause ice particles to form in the upper atmosphere.
• These ice particles speed up the reaction that removes the ozone molecules