Greenhouse Gases and Human Activities

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1/5/2011 MUA MESS

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[GREENHOUSE GASES AND HUMAN ACTIVITIES]

Table of Content Concentrations Greenhouse Gases Interactions between Greenhouse Gases Different Greenhouse Gases Ozone Depletion Halocarbons Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect GWP of Greenhouse Gases Ways of Reducing Greenhouse Gas Production

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1) What is concentration? Give an example regarding gases in the atmosphere and the way to measure it. Concentration is the amount of a particular substance in a specific amount of another substance, or the measure of the amount of one substance within a mixture. An example of this can be the measurements of concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. These measurements indicated that levels of greenhouse gases had been increasing steadily in recent decades. Parts per million (ppm) is the measure of the number of parts of one substance relative to one million parts of another substance. The concentration of carbon dioxide in Earths atmosphere increased from an average of about 315 parts per million in 1960 to about 370 parts per million in 2000. This meant that out of one million units of atmosphere, 370 are carbon dioxide, while 999,700 are from other atmospheric gases. 2) What are greenhouse gases? List the different greenhouse gases and explain how they are removed from the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are gases in the Earths atmosphere that absorbs and prevents the escape of radiation as thermal energy, which leads to Global Warming. Examples of greenhouse gases are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen, and ozone. These gases are removed from the atmosphere by a process called sink. Sinks can be natural or can be caused by human activities. Greenhouse Gases Being Emitted 3) Explain how does water vapour, carbon dioxide, and methane (greenhouse gases) enter the atmosphere, and through sinks, how they are removed from the atmosphere? Water vapour enters the atmosphere by evaporation. The rate of evaporation depends on the temperature of the air and oceans. The higher the temperature, the higher the rate of evaporation is. This relationship can stop water vapour from entering the atmosphere, or allow it to enter the atmosphere. A warmer atmosphere leads to an increase in the rate of evaporation; increased evaporation leads to more water vapour in the atmosphere; and more water vapour absorbs more thermal energy and produces a warmer atmosphere. Carbon Dioxide enters the atmosphere through animal respiration and the combustion of fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas, coal, etc. Deforestation also increases the amount of carbon
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dioxide in the atmosphere by clearing large areas of trees, which are important carbon sinks. Carbon Dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by plants when they convert it into stored carbon during photosynthesis. Phytoplankton and oceans also play important roles in absorbing carbon dioxide produced from the burning of fossil fuels before it reaches the atmosphere. Methane enters the atmosphere through digestive processes in cattle, which is a major natural source of it. It also enters the atmosphere through wetlands, decomposing garbage landfills, processing coal and natural gas, and tanks of liquid manure production. Many people have made campaigns to stop methane production by convincing people to eat kangaroo and camel meat instead of beef since their digestive systems do not produce methane. 4) Explain the interaction between water vapour and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it would warm-up Earths atmosphere. As explained before, an increase of warmth in Earths atmosphere means that the rate of evaporation will increase, leading to an increase of water vapour in the atmosphere. This makes a type of chain reaction in the atmosphere. The opposite can occur also. This takes place when there is less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading to a decrease in the rate of evaporation. This drop in the rate of evaporation means that there will be less water vapour in the atmosphere, and that there will be a cooler atmosphere. 5) Give five sources of Nitrous Oxide. Nitrous Oxide is found in Damp tropical soils Oceans Chemical fertilizers Manure Sewage treatment Vehicle exhausts.

6) What is Ozone? Explain how ozone is depleted in the atmosphere. Ozone (O3) is a greenhouse gas that is composed of three atoms of oxygen; it is commonly found in a concentrated layer in the stratosphere. The main cause of ozone depletion is the addition of human-made gases that contain chlorine. The depletion of the ozone layer results in an increase in the amount of ultraviolet light that reaches Earths surface. As ozone is a greenhouse gas, reduced levels of it will result in the stratosphere to be cool. This cooling will lead to the formation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). Within these clouds, chemical
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reactions result in the formation of free chlorine. The chlorine reacts with ozone and breaks apart the ozone, further reducing the amount of ozone in the stratosphere. 7) Explain Halocarbons. Halocarbons are greenhouse gases that are not made from natural resources, but rather are made from industrial processes. Halocarbons are a large group of chemicals formed from carbon and one or more halogens, such as chlorine, fluorine, or iodine. The best-known halocarbons are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Their main use is as solvents, cleaners, and coolants in refrigerators and air-conditioners. As well as absorbing infrared radiation, CFCs break apart ozone molecules in the upper atmosphere. This reaction has led to the depletion of the ozone layer and the formation of the ozone hole over the Antarctic. Since CFCs remain in the atmosphere for so long, they continue to damage the ozone layer. 8) What is the Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect? Explain the greenhouse gas concentrations before and after the Industrial Revolution. The Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect is the increased capacity of the atmosphere to absorb and prevent the escape of thermal energy because of an increase in greenhouse gases introduced by human activities. The following is the greenhouse gas concentration before and after the Industrial Revolution. Greenhouse gas Carbon Dioxide Methane Nitrous Oxide CFCs Level before 1750 280 ppm 700 ppb 270 ppb 0 ppt Current Level 384 ppm 1745 ppb 314 ppb 533 ppt Increase since 1750 104 ppm 1045 ppb 44 ppb 553 ppt

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9) What is Global Warming Potential? Which greenhouse gases should we be most concerned about? Global Warming Potential (GWP) is the ability of a substance to warm the atmosphere by absorbing thermal energy. A greenhouse gas that we should be most concerned about depends on three things; The concentration of the gas in the atmosphere The ability of the gas to absorb heat The length of time the gas remains in the atmosphere

Carbon Dioxide has a GWP of 1, and has a small atmospheric lifetime. Methane has GWP of 25, and lives in the atmosphere for about 12 years. Nitrous Oxide has a GWP of 298, and lives in the atmosphere for 115 years. CFCs account for almost 2 percent of all greenhouse emissions made by human activities. Since they remain in the atmosphere indefinitely, (basically forever) concentrations of these gases increase as long as emissions continue. Their GWP is an enormous 4750-5310. Fortunately, many nations have banned the production and use of CFCs.

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10) What are the different ways of reducing Greenhouse Gas Productions? Explain. The different ways for reducing Greenhouse Gas Productions are; Conserving Electricity Improve home-heating efficiency Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle Electricity comes to our homes from power plants. These power plants burn coal and other fossil fuels according to your needs. The burning of fossil fuels is a source of greenhouse gases. You can reduce these emissions by simply replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs. Furthermore, you can reduce emissions by just conserving energy, such as turning off lights, televisions, computers, heaters, and other appliances when you are not using them. Most home furnaces and boilers burn natural gas and oil. This gives out greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions can be reduced by lowering the thermostat setting and improving insulation. Modern furnaces are more energy-efficient than older furnaces. Its better to be intouch with modern technology. As people always say: Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle. You might be confused how more garbage can cause greenhouse emissions? Actually, garbage causes a good amount of greenhouse emissions. This is because first of all, producing those products (garbage) took energy. Moreover, garbage buried in landfill produces methane, and garbage burned in an incinerator produces carbon dioxide. The less garbage you produce, the fewer greenhouse gases you produce.

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