4.1 (The Atmosphere & Greenhouse Gases)

• CLOSEST layer to Earth’s surface (about 16-20 km or 7 miles high) • Weather occurs here • All greenhouse gases are located here – The Greenhouse Effect occurs here • Pressure and temperature decrease with altitude Troposphere “Tropo-” means change

• SECOND layer of Earth’s atmosphere – Extends from Earth’s surface up to about 50 km or 31 miles high • Airplanes fly here • “Good” ozone (O3) exists here – Absorbs ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun’s rays that cause cancer

• THIRD highest layer of Earth’s atmosphere – Extends from Earth’s surface up to about 80 km or 50 miles high • Burning meteors or “shooting stars” are seen in this layer

• Extends from the top of the mesosphere to about 700 km or 440 miles high • Auroras (E.g. Northern Lights) are found here Thermosphere “Therm-” means heat

– mostly Nitrogen (78%); – some Oxygen (21%); – 1% Other Gases * Greenhouse gase

Measures how much heat energy 1 ton of gas emissions will absorb over a given period of time.

Most important contributor to human caused global warming. Abundance ● 82% Source/Causes of Increase ● Combustion of fossil fuels (like coal and oil) to generate electricity Global Warming Potential ● GWP = 1 Lifespan ● Some absorbed quicker by oceans, some remans thousands of years.

Traps a lot of heat. The 2nd most important contributer to global warming out of all greenhouse gases. Abundance ● 10% Source/Cause of Increase ● Natural gas released from fossil fuels and cattle Global Warming Potential ● GWP = 25 Lifespan ● 12 years

Comes from factories, power plants, and plant fertilizer. Damages ozone layer. Abundance ● 6% Source/Cause of Increase ● Car exhaust and synthetic fertilizers Global Warming Potential ● GWP = 300 Lifespan ● 115 years

NOT created in nature. They damage the protective ozone layer. Abundance ● 3% Source/Cause of Increase ● Replaced ozone layer-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in aerosol sprays Global Warming Potential ● GWP = +1,000 Lifespan ● 300 years

BLOCKS HEAT from escaping so it gets WARMER. This causes more water to evaporate.

• Close to the ground • Acts as a greenhouse gas • Formed by burning gas in cars and factories.

Stratosphere (sunscreen) b/c this layer absorbs UV radiation from the sun that cause cancer

Troposphere b/c it’s the closest to earth

Troposphere (blanket) b/c (GHGs) warm Earth by absorbing heat + slows the rate energy leaves

Troposphere b/c lots of heat gets in the troposphere which the EGC is too much heat

CFCs b/c the source/cause of increase is aerosol sprays which has CFC

Something that naturally keeps the climate controlled and balanced. Ex: latitude, altitude, winds, ocean, currents, etc.

• The light that gets reflected is a lower frequency or longer wavelength. • reflected in the greenhouse that is also called heat

• ENTERS the glass of a greenhouse. • Light we can SEE. • Medium wavelengths

• Causes skin cancer • Short wavelengths

A description of atmospheric conditions near Earth’s surface in a specific location at a specific time. Temperature, Precipitation, Solar radiation (UV index), air pressure

A description of the average weather conditions found in a particular place over a long period of time or trends that happen in a larger region. number of days above/below freezing & avg. amounts of precipitation