HOW THE GASES EFFECT THE EARTH?

 

1. Water vapor

• Increase as the Earth's atmosphere warms, but so does the possibility of cloud and precipitation, making these some of the most important feedback mechanism to the greenhouse effect

2. Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

• released through respiration & volcano eruption and deforestation, burning fossil fuels

3. Methane

• a hydrocarbon gas produced from decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture and ruminant digestion

4. Nitrous Oxide

• produced by soil cultivation practices, especially the use of commercial & organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production and biomass burning.

5. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

• synthetic compounds entirely of industrial origin used in a number of applications, but now largely regulated in production and release to the atmosphere by international agreement for their ability to contribute to destruction of the ozone layer.

Causes for rising emission of the gases.

1. Burning coal, oil and gases produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide

2. Cutting down forests (deforestation)

• Trees help to regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. So when they are cut down, that beneficial effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere adding to the greenhouse effect.

3. Increasing livestock farming

• Cows & sheep produce large amount of methane when they digest their food

4. Usage of fertilizers containing nitrogen produce nitrous oxide emission

5. Fluorinated gases produce a very strong warming effect, up to 23000 times greater than CO2. Thankfully these are released smaller quantities and are being phased down by EU regulation

In spite the fact that greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is absorbed by the planet's forests and oceans through photosynthesis and other processes, these decreases of natural carbon can’t keep up with our rising emissions. The resulting buildup of greenhouse gases is causing an unnervingly fast warming worldwide. During the 20th century, it is estimated that the earth’s average temperature rose by about 1 degree Fahrenheit. If that does not sound like much to you, think of it this way: When the last ice age ended and the northeastern United States was covered by more than 3,000 feet of ice, average temperatures were just 5 to 9 degrees cooler than they are now.