Edexcel IGCSE Chemistry 复习笔记 2.3.5 The Greenhouse Effect

• When shortwave radiation from the sun strikes the Earth’s surface it is absorbed and re-emitted from the surface of the Earth as infrared radiation
• Much of the radiation, however, is trapped inside the Earth’s atmosphere by greenhouse gases which can absorb and store the energy
• Carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour are gases that have this effect
• Increasing levels of carbon dioxide, although present in only a small amount, is causing significant upset to the Earth’s natural conditions by trapping extra heat energy
• This process is called the enhanced greenhouse effect

Greenhouse gases trap some of the Sun's radiation causing the Earth to warm up

Carbon dioxide

• Sources: Combustion of wood and fossil fuels, respiration of plants and animals, thermal decomposition of carbonate rocks and the effect of acids on carbonates