AP®︎ Environmental Science: Topic 9.3 Flashcards

An atmospheric gas that absorbs and re-emits outgoing infrared radiation; the principal greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and CFCs

Natural process in which greenhouse gases absorb and re-emit outgoing infrared radiation, slowing energy loss and keeping Earth’s surface about 33°C warmer and habitable

Additional warming caused when increased concentrations of long-lived greenhouse gases further slow the loss of infrared energy to space

Greenhouse gas released naturally by respiration, decomposition, oceans, volcanoes, and fires and by fossil-fuel combustion, deforestation, biomass burning, and cement production; its GWP is 1

Greenhouse gas produced mainly by anaerobic decomposition, ruminants, manure, landfills, rice paddies, wetlands, and fossil-fuel leakage; its GWP exceeds CO₂’s but is below N₂O’s and CFCs’.

Natural greenhouse gas that cycles rapidly through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation; its short atmospheric residence time means it does not accumulate and is not a major direct driver of long-term climate change

Greenhouse gas produced naturally by microbial nitrogen transformations and increased mainly by fertilizers, manure, agricultural soils, industry, and combustion; its GWP is below CFCs’ but above methane’s and CO₂’s

Long-lived synthetic carbon-, chlorine-, and fluorine-containing gases formerly used as refrigerants, propellants, foam-blowing agents, and solvents; they have the highest GWP in the required ranking

Warming caused by a given mass of gas relative to the same mass of CO₂ over a specified period; CO₂ = 1, and the required ranking is CFCs > N₂O > CH₄ > CO₂.