Table of Contents
How do greenhouse gasses absorb heat?
Greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, etc.) are transparent to visible light, but opaque to infrared radiation. That means the sunlight travels through them but the heat is blocked by them. That is how greenhouse gases trap heat.
Do greenhouse gases reflect or absorb heat?
Some of this solar radiation is reflected by the Earth and the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), absorb heat and further warm the surface of the Earth. This is called the greenhouse effect.
How do greenhouse gases absorb infrared radiation?
Greenhouse Gases. Radiation from the sun is absorbed by the earth as radiant visible light. The infrared radiation strikes a molecule such as carbon dioxide and causes the bonds to bend and vibrate – this is called the absorption of IR energy. The molecule gains kinetic energy by this absorption of IR radiation.
What are the two greenhouse gases most responsible for absorbing infrared light in Earth’s atmosphere?
Water and carbon dioxide are gases that absorb and emit infrared light. These gases are transparent to visible light and absorb and give off infrared light.
How do greenhouse gases keep the earth warm GCSE?
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb heat energy and prevent it escaping into space. This keeps the Earth warmer than it would be without these gases. Greenhouse gases are not a bad thing in themselves, but too much of them in the atmosphere leads to an increase in the greenhouse effect and global warming.
How do greenhouse gases absorb longwave radiation?
Larger aerosol particles in the atmosphere interact with and absorb some of the radiation, causing the atmosphere to warm. The heat generated by this absorption is emitted as longwave infrared radiation, some of which radiates out into space.
Why do greenhouse gases hold longwave radiation?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is also an important greenhouse gas. It has a long lifetime in Earth’s atmosphere. Carbon dioxide strongly absorbs energy with a wavelength of 15 μm (micrometers). This makes carbon dioxide a good absorber of wavelengths falling in the infrared radiation region of the spectrum.