BIO-8 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Transpiration, Wind Direction, Intertropical Convergence Zone
Document Summary
Section 1: earth is warmed by the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse effect: the process of solar radiation striking the earth, being converted to infrared radiation, and being absorbed and re-emitted by atmospheric gases. Greenhouse gases are those that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation and contribute to the greenhouse effect. These gases comprise only a small fraction of the atmosphere. H2o and co2 are the two most prevalent greenhouse gases, derived from the transpiration of plants. Other gases, such as nitrous oxide (n2o), methane (ch4), and ozone (o3) are naturally derived and contribute to the greenhouse effect. The naturally occurring greenhouse effect is beneficial to organisms. The conc. of co2 has increased over the past two centuries due to combustion of. Agriculture, landfills, and fossil fuels combustion have also increased concentrations of ch4 and n2o. Humans have produced unnatural gases (e. g. , chloroflurocarbons) that exist at low concentrations but absorb relatively more infrared radiation and persist in the atmosphere for hundreds of years.
