Earth's Atmosphere

Light Interactions with Earth's Atmosphere

• Visible light reaches Earth's surface, while infrared light is trapped as heat, due to the atmosphere's characteristic of selectively absorbing and scattering different wavelengths of light.

Greenhouse Gas Production

• Human activity responsible for the largest production of greenhouse gases is the burning of fossil fuels.

Carbon Dioxide Increase

• The burning of fossil fuels increases the quantity of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere.

Photosynthesis and Climate Change Mitigation

• Photosynthesis removes CO2 from the atmosphere, but it is not a significant factor in mitigating climate change.
• Planting new trees helps mitigate climate change by removing CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.

Tree Cooling Effects

• Trees cool us down through evapotranspiration, which is the process of releasing water vapor into the air.

Albedo Comparison

• Snow has the highest albedo, meaning it reflects the most sunlight back into the atmosphere.

False Statement about Greenhouse Gases

• The false statement is that greenhouse gases only trap heat, when in fact, they also trap moisture and other gases.

Carbon Cycle Components

• Respiration is the component of the carbon cycle that does not add CO2 to the atmosphere.

Sea Level Rise Cause

• Sea levels rise due to the melting of glaciers and ice caps, as well as the thermal expansion of seawater.

Human Activities and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• The human activity that releases the most greenhouse gases is the burning of fossil fuels.

List of Greenhouse Gases

• The list of greenhouse gases includes: CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor.