Name _____________________________________________ Date _________________ Period _______
Climate C.H.A.N.G.E. Quiz #2
Greenhouse Effect & CO2
1.) Describe how a greenhouse works.
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2.) List the five greenhouse gases.
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3.) Which greenhouse gas is most abundant in Earth’s atmosphere? __________________
4.) Define albedo: __________________________________________________________________
5.) Explain why urban areas generally have a higher average temperature than rural areas.
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6.) Determine which greenhouse gas is being described based on the natural and anthropogenic
sources listed.
A. Gas #1: _________________________
Natural Sources: oceans, soils, oxidation of ammonia in the atmosphere
Anthropogenic Sources: biomass burning, raising cattle
B. Gas #2: _________________________
Natural Sources: animal and plant respiration, ocean-atmosphere exchange
Anthropogenic Sources: fossil fuel combustion
C. Gas #3: _________________________
Natural Sources: wetlands, termites
Anthropogenic Sources: raising cattle, biomass burning, rice agriculture
7.) Much of the data on the graph (provided by NOAA) below dates back to before thermometers
were invented. What is the term used to describe preserved physical characteristics of the past
which can be used as an indirect measure of climate? ___________________
NOAA
8.) Why is carbon dioxide concentration on Earth higher during winter months and lower during
summer months?
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9.) List three alternative energy sources.
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10.) Use the space below to explain how the Greenhouse Effect works. Discuss the interactions
between electromagnetic radiation from the sun, greenhouse gases, and Earth. A quality
response will include a diagram to accompany your response.
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ANSWER KEY
1.) Some of the sun’s rays can go through the glass of a greenhouse. Those rays that pass through
are absorbed and re-emitted in the form of infrared radiation, which cannot pass through the
glass causing an increase in the temperature. Also wind and precipitation is blocked out.
2.) Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, ozone, and nitrous oxide.
3.) Water vapor
4.) Albedo: Reflective power of a surface.
5.) Urban areas have more pavement than rural areas and therefore they have a low albedo, which
means a lot of the sunlight is absorbed as opposed to being reflected.
6.) Gas #1: Nitrous Oxide
Gas #2: Carbon Dioxide
Gas #3: Methane
7.) Proxy
8.) During the summer months, there is lots of vegetation that is able to do photosynthesis to take
up a lot of CO2. In the winter time, most of that vegetation is dormant and therefore no
photosynthesis is taking place, meaning there is excess CO2 in the atmosphere.
9.) Geothermal, wind, solar, biomass burning
10.) The sun emits electromagnetic radiation. Some of the radiation is blocked by greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere while some (visible, radio, some infrared an some ultraviolet) passes through
the atmosphere to the surface of Earth. The Earth is warmed by this electromagnetic radiation.
Earth then gives off heat in the form of infrared radiation. This heat expands and rises.
Greenhouse gases absorb this heat and reradiate it in all directions, some of it going back
towards Earth causing an increase in surface temperature.