Which molecule contributes to the greenhouse effect?

Answer 1

CO2

Methane

Answer 2

Carbon dioxide prevents heat escaping from Earth's atmosphere into outer space. As the amount of carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere, so the earth gets warmer.

A:When heat energy is transferred from the sun to earth, some of it is absorbed by the planet and some some energy is reflected back into outer space,keeping earths' temperature steady. but when the ratio of CO2 in the atmosphere increase, the sun rays reflected from earths' surface hit layers of CO2 in the atmosphere and get trapped inside the planet...which eventually leads to increasing the temperature of the earth.

The most radically high values show the atmospheric content of CO2 to have changed from 0.03% to 0.037% over the past 150 years. carbon dioxide has never been observed to cause temp change and has always followed temperature change. The current warming trend started about 10,200 years ago as did the start of the rise in CO2 levels. Man started using fossil fuels about 200 years ago.

Answer 3

There are several substances that cause the greenhouse effect and they are called greenhouse gases. The main greenhouse gases are:

CO2 (Carbon Dioxide)

N2O (Nitrous Oxide)

O3 (Ozone)

CH4 (Methane)

CFC (Chlorofluorocarbon)

H2O (Water Vapor)

A:

There are four primary greenhouse gases. They are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorocarbons. There are others, but these are the ones of greatest concern.

Answer 4

There are 4 main greenhouse gasses. Their contributions to the greenhouse effect are:

• water vapour 36 - 72%
• carbon dioxide 9 - 26%
• methane 4 - 9%
• ozone 3 - 7%

Water vapour has the largest contribution to the greenhouse effect. It is mostly emitted naturally which means there is little humans can do about it.

Carbon dioxide is also emitted naturally but also by humans. Nature emits about 97% of all carbon dioxide emissions and we humans contribute the remaining 3%. But nature not only emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it also re-captures and stores it. In fact, it re-captures and stores more then it emits. This process is called the Carbon Cycle and with it earth for millions of years has been able to keep the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere more or less in balance.

But that has changed since we humans started to add additional carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by burning ever increasing amounts of fossil fuels (primarily oil, natural gas and coal). Contrary to the natural Carbon Cycle, we humans only add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, we do not re-capture nor store it.

So even when the human contribution to carbon dioxide is small (3%), they are having a negative effect as the overall amount of carbon dioxide in the air increases. Over the last 120 years the level of carbon dioxide in the air has experienced a similar increase as one which in the past took the earth between 5,000 and 20,000 years. As a result, global temperature is rising very fast.

See links below for more info.

Answer 5

Carbon dioxide absorbs solar infrared radiation (heat from our sun).

Answer 6

Carbon Dioxide