Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming Quiz

Understanding the Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

• The greenhouse effect is the normal trapping of the earth's heat in the lower atmosphere due to the conversion of light into heat as it strikes the earth's surface.
• Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and CFCs, trap heat in the atmosphere, regulating temperature.
• Concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen from 315 parts per million (ppm) in 1960 to 391 ppm in October of 2012, with pre-Industrial Revolution levels at 280 ppm.
• The average global temperature has fluctuated over time, with evidence of ice ages and warming cycles.
• Global warming can have natural causes such as volcanic activity and changes in the sun's intensity, as well as human causes like burning fossil fuels and waste decomposition.
• The rise in concentration of greenhouse gases can lead to an enhanced greenhouse effect, magnifying the greenhouse effect.
• Human causes of increased greenhouse gas concentrations include combustion of fossil fuels and increased animal waste production from livestock.
• The increased level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may lead to continued warming, and it remains to be determined if the earth will enter a cooling cycle.
• The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has natural fluctuations, historically measured to be between 200 and 280 ppm.
• The graph shows the relationship between carbon dioxide concentrations and earth temperatures, indicating natural causes for the cycling.
• Human actions, such as burning fossil fuels for energy production and transportation, are the primary contributing factors to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations.
• The decomposition of trash also contributes to increased methane gas in the atmosphere, with human actions being the primary contributing factors.