The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

So now we can begin to understand why carbon dioxide is not as harmless as it once seemed. As shown in Table 11.4, CO2 is the most important of the greenhouse 

No dipole moment change. Does not absorb infrared light. 

Dipole moment changes producing an oscillating electric field. Absorbs infrared light of frequency 2349 cm-i. 

Greenhouse gas Major human sources Radiative forcing (watts/meter ) Estimated contribution to greenhouse warming, % 

Carbon dioxide (CO2) Combustion of coal gasoline, fiiel oil, natural gas deforestation 1.66 63 

---

Over recent years, scientists have become aware of a reduction in the amount of ozone in our atmosphere and of the formation of ozone holes in the stratosphere (Figure 11.5). The reduction of ozone in our atmosphere has led to an increased risk of skin cancer as more harmful ultraviolet radiation has reached the surface of the Earth. This is a different type of problem from the greenhouse effect and associated global warming, which is caused mainly by an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. For a further discussion of the greenhouse effect and global warming see p. 212. 

Discuss this statement in terms of the greenhouse effect and global warming. 

Excess carbon dioxide is thought to be one of the causes of the greenhouse effect and global warming (see Unit 7.4). Burning up too much fossil fuel can have an adverse affect on our atmosphere and environment. 

See An Environmental Perspective The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming,... 

CO2 and H2O are waste products, and CO2 may contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming. The really important, unseen product is heat energy. That is why we use this reaction in our furnaces ... 

Ideal Gas Concept Measurement of Gases Boyle s Law Charles s Law Combined Gas Law A Clinical Perspective Autoclaves and the Gas Laws Avogadro s Law Molar Volume of a Gas Gas Densities The Ideal Gas Law An Environmental Perspective The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming... 

When Faraday died in 1867, his successor John Tyndall (famed for the Tyndall effect, and also as the first person to describe the greenhouse effect and global warming) wrote a brilliant biography entitled Faraday as Discoverer". Tyndall was a fine stylist and wrote with mellifluous charm. I should like to draw to your attention a passage in that book, which has particular resonance for this occasion when this Symposium honours Volta s name ... 

H2O). Fossil fuels are a major source of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide as such, their use contributes to the greenhouse effect and global warming. 

---