greenhouse effect none like it hot. three primary gases which absorb infrared (ir) energy:
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Three primary gaseswhich absorb infrared (IR) energy:
Why is it warmer on acloudy night than on a clear night?
Clouds (H2O) absorb infrared energy radiated by the Earth. On a clear night, the infrared energy escapes
back into space.
- Caused by the greenhouse effect (which is necessary for life on Earth)- Average global temperatures are increasing- Glaciers are melting- Ocean levels are rising (can lead toflooding of coastal cities)- Warming is natural (alternates with ice ages)- Humans are speeding up the process withincreased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2)
Greenland Ice Sheet Melt Zones Shown in Red
Mountain Glaciers
- Ice Ages are cyclic.
-The last major one occurred
~12,000 years ago
-The exact cause of what triggers an ice age is not known, but there
are many contributing factors (ex. solar output, distance of
the Earth from the sun, position and height of the continents,
ocean circulation, and the composition of the atmosphere).
Why is the ozonelayer important?
It protects the Earth from UV which damages crops andcauses cancer in humans.
El Niño
A warming of thePacific Ocean.
Winters in US:West = Stormy
South = Cold, wetNortheast = warmer
El Niño
A warming of thePacific Ocean.
Winters in US:West = Stormy
South = Cold, wetNortheast = warmer
La NiñaA cooling of the Pacific Ocean.
Dry in southeast. Cool, wet in northwest.
La NiñaA cooling of the Pacific Ocean.
Dry in southeast. Cool, wet in northwest.
El Nino is a warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean, and La Nina is a cooling of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
They affect the weather conditions of a large area (not just one place) for a period of several years (not a short time).
They can better predict what will happen to the weather patterns by knowing about the climate.