| how does the atmosphere regulate the earths temperature? | the suns heat energy passes down towards the earth in a form of light rays. It passes through the atmosphere and hits the surface of the earth. some of the energy is absorbed by the earth but most of it is either re emitted or reflected back into the atmosphere towards space. some radiation does make it back to space. but most of it hits particles of gas in the atmosphere which will absorb all of the energy. after a short delay the particles will then re emit the energy in random directions. This means that some of the energy will be re emitted to space and some towards the earth and some will be absorbed by other gas particle and re emit the energy over and over again. which means the heat energy stays close to earth far longer then if there was no atmosphere and that is the process that keeps the earth at a warm and stable temperature. |
| what what molecules does this happen with? | carbon dioxide methane and water |
| what are the gasses in the atmosphere called? | greenhouse gasses |
| what is responsible for global warming? | the greenhouse gasses. |
| what are the consequences of global warming? | droughts, hurricanes and floods will become more common and more severe we refer to this change as climate change. another consequence is sea level rising one way there is sea level rising is because the hot weather is causing ice to melt which will then float in the ocean and another way the sea level rises is when the water in the ocean warms up the water expands and its volume will increase making the sea level rise even more. this can cause seasonal flooding and submersion of entire islands/coastal towns. |
| what else will climate change have an impact on? | climate change can also have a more general impact on the wild organisms across the world as temperatures and rainfall patterns change species that were perfectly adapted to their environment might not be able to survive anymore in some cases species might be able to adapt to new conditions or migrate to other regions where the conditions are a bit better. an example of this is that some species are now moving towards the poles where its a lot cooler. unfortunately, some species can adapt or move to other regions fast enough and biodiversity is likely to fall dramatically in the next couple of decades |
