,BLG1501 Assignment 2 (COMPLETE ANSWERS)
Semester 1 2025 (225234) - DUE 11 April 2025; 100%
TRUSTED Complete, trusted solutions and
explanations….WE WISH YOU A GOOD LUCK
Question 1 1.1 Write explanatory notes on the greenhouse
effect. CO2, water vapour, sulphur dioxide and other greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere intercept and absorb radiant energy
emitted by the earth and reflect it back towards the earth. This
process causes some of the solar energy to be retained.
Thegreenhouse effect is believed to have contributed to the
present global warming. (Study Unit 16.4)
Explanatory Notes on the Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the
Earth's surface. Without this phenomenon, our planet would be
too cold to sustain life as we know it. However, the increasing
concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) due to human
activities has been linked to global warming, leading to changes
in global climate patterns. Below is a detailed breakdown of the
greenhouse effect, its mechanism, and its role in global
warming:
1. The Mechanism of the Greenhouse Effect:
Solar Radiation: The Sun emits solar radiation, which
includes visible light, ultraviolet light, and infrared
radiation. A portion of this energy reaches the Earth’s
surface, where it is either absorbed or reflected. The Earth
absorbs much of the incoming solar radiation and converts
, it into heat energy, raising the temperature of the Earth's
surface.
Radiation from the Earth’s Surface: As the Earth’s
surface warms up, it emits this absorbed energy in the form
of long-wave infrared radiation (heat energy) back into
the atmosphere. This is the energy that the greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere interact with.
Role of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs): Greenhouse gases
such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), water vapor (H₂O),
methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), along with
sulfur dioxide (SO₂), play a crucial role in trapping this
long-wave infrared radiation. These gases have the ability
to absorb and re-radiate infrared radiation in all directions,
including back toward the Earth's surface.
Heat Trapping: The gases act like the glass of a
greenhouse, which allows sunlight in but prevents heat
from escaping. As the infrared radiation is absorbed by
these gases, they warm up and in turn, radiate heat back to
the Earth's surface and to the lower layers of the
atmosphere. This leads to an overall warming effect.
Radiative Forcing: The process of gases absorbing and re-
emitting infrared radiation is known as radiative forcing.
This process results in an energy imbalance, where more
energy is trapped than is radiated back into space, thereby
warming the Earth's surface.
2. Key Greenhouse Gases:
Carbon Dioxide (CO₂): CO₂ is the most significant
greenhouse gas in terms of human influence. Its levels in
the atmosphere have dramatically increased due to the
Semester 1 2025 (225234) - DUE 11 April 2025; 100%
TRUSTED Complete, trusted solutions and
explanations….WE WISH YOU A GOOD LUCK
Question 1 1.1 Write explanatory notes on the greenhouse
effect. CO2, water vapour, sulphur dioxide and other greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere intercept and absorb radiant energy
emitted by the earth and reflect it back towards the earth. This
process causes some of the solar energy to be retained.
Thegreenhouse effect is believed to have contributed to the
present global warming. (Study Unit 16.4)
Explanatory Notes on the Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the
Earth's surface. Without this phenomenon, our planet would be
too cold to sustain life as we know it. However, the increasing
concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) due to human
activities has been linked to global warming, leading to changes
in global climate patterns. Below is a detailed breakdown of the
greenhouse effect, its mechanism, and its role in global
warming:
1. The Mechanism of the Greenhouse Effect:
Solar Radiation: The Sun emits solar radiation, which
includes visible light, ultraviolet light, and infrared
radiation. A portion of this energy reaches the Earth’s
surface, where it is either absorbed or reflected. The Earth
absorbs much of the incoming solar radiation and converts
, it into heat energy, raising the temperature of the Earth's
surface.
Radiation from the Earth’s Surface: As the Earth’s
surface warms up, it emits this absorbed energy in the form
of long-wave infrared radiation (heat energy) back into
the atmosphere. This is the energy that the greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere interact with.
Role of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs): Greenhouse gases
such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), water vapor (H₂O),
methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), along with
sulfur dioxide (SO₂), play a crucial role in trapping this
long-wave infrared radiation. These gases have the ability
to absorb and re-radiate infrared radiation in all directions,
including back toward the Earth's surface.
Heat Trapping: The gases act like the glass of a
greenhouse, which allows sunlight in but prevents heat
from escaping. As the infrared radiation is absorbed by
these gases, they warm up and in turn, radiate heat back to
the Earth's surface and to the lower layers of the
atmosphere. This leads to an overall warming effect.
Radiative Forcing: The process of gases absorbing and re-
emitting infrared radiation is known as radiative forcing.
This process results in an energy imbalance, where more
energy is trapped than is radiated back into space, thereby
warming the Earth's surface.
2. Key Greenhouse Gases:
Carbon Dioxide (CO₂): CO₂ is the most significant
greenhouse gas in terms of human influence. Its levels in
the atmosphere have dramatically increased due to the
