What is up with CO2?

1870

2005

Temperature is the average kinetic energy

Motion and the phases of matter

Solid Liquid Gas

Types of Motion

Available and Absorbed Solar Energy

O= C =OO= C =O

Greenhouse Gases

Infrared Radiation Emitted

Infrared Radiation Absorbed by Greenhouse

Gases

Some Infrared Radiation Emitted to Space

Greenhouse Gases Emit Infrared Radiation Up and

Down

Some Infrared Radiation Emitted to Space

Infrared Radiation Absorbed by Earth

http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/sims.php?sim=The_Greenhouse_Effect

GapMinder

• http://www.gapminder.org/

Increasing Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases

E E

% Transmittance

100% Light

Single Wavelength

20% Light

Atm Concentrations and Warming

GasPre-1750

(ppb)Current

(ppb)

Global Warming Potential

Increased Radiative Forcing(W/m2)

CO2 280,000 383,900 1 1.66

CH4 700 1731 25 0.48

N2O 270 320 298 0.16

O3 25 34 n.a. 0.35

CCl3F 0 0.244 4,750 0.063

CCl2F2 0 0.538 10,900 0.17

Recent Greenhouse Gas Concentrations: cdiac.ornl.gov/pns/current_ghg.html

100 200 300 400 500 1000 2000 5000 10,000 50,000

Wavelength (nm)

In a sense, CO2 closes the window

trapping heat!

Conclusion• More CO2, then more trapped heat!

• As Infrared light is absorbed by CO2, it is emitted up and down equally.

• The more CO2, then the more infrared energy send back down to the ground.

• In a sense recycling, infrared energy.

• More CO2, more acid, less shell, less shellfish.