Can human activities change the climate?
Yes!
Describe the greenhouse effect.
The sun's energy reaches the Earth where the surface is heated. Some heat is radiated into space, but some is absorbed by gases which radiate it back to Earth.
What are gases that absorb heat leaving Earth's surface called?
Greenhouse Gases
Name three greenhouse gases.
Carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor
What is the temperature in space?
-270*C
Why do we need greenhouse gases?
Our atmosphere would not retain heat without them.
What happened after 1800 that increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
The industrial revolution
What is a fossil fuel?
Energy-rich substances formed from the remains of organisms
What is the source of most of the carbon dioxide that humans put into the atmosphere?
Burning fossil fuels
What is global warming?
The gradual increase of the temperature of Earth's atmosphere
What is a source of methane?
Mining and processing of coal and petroleum, livestock, agriculture such as rice cultivation, landfill use, and the burning of biomass
What is a climate model?
Complex computer programs that predict temperature, precipitation, and other atmospheric conditions
What are three effects of climate change?
Droughts and desertification, changes to the biosphere, and regional changes in temperature
What happens to sea levels as glaciers melt?
The sea level rises.
What is desertification?
The process of some lands becoming deserts due to severe droughts
What may happen to an organism that cannot adapt to climate changes?
It may go extinct.
