Dear Diary,
Today, we learnt about chemistry of global climate change.
Interesting fact: for every L of pertrol used, over 2kg of carbon dioxide is release from your vehicle’s exhaust, contributing to global warming and greenhouse effect!
This week’s AE…
- Understanding Earth’s balance is essential to understanding the issue of global warming. For example, the solar energy striking Earth’s surface averages 168 watts per square ater (W/m2), but the energy leaving Earth’s surface averages 390 W/m2. Why isn’t earth cooling rapidly?
Ans: even though the amount of energy emitted is double the amount received, earth does not cool rapidly as the atmosphere retains much of the emitted heat energy.
- Decide and explain where the statement is correct or incorrect. Explain
Ans: The quote is not justified and its meant to make fun of people who are ignorant about global warming and don’t know the difference between weather and climate. Just because there are particular seasons in regions that are cold, like winter, it does not mean that the earth is getting cooler. The difference between weather and climate is the measure of time.
Climate describes the typical and average weather a region will have over long period f time, like 30 years or more.
This is why scientists use climate for statistics about earth’s temperature and whether it’s getting warmer or colder.
Weather on the other hand isn’t reliable and it’s nothing more than the condition of the atmosphere over a short period of time.
- One of the first radar devices developed during World War II used microwave radiation of a specific wave range that triggers the rotation of water molecules. Why was the design not successful?
Ans: The design is not successful due to several reasons. Firstly, it heats up the air around the machine, also it caused diseases in the operators of the radar. Lastly, absorption of microwave radiation by water in the atmosphere interferes with the detection of intended objects.
- Now that you have studied air quality (unit1), stratospheric ozone depletion (unit 2), and global warming (unit 3), which do you believe poses the most serious problem for you in the short run (pick one and explain)? In the long run (pick one and explain why)?
Ans: It depends a little on geography. Air quality will likely be the most serious short term concerns of most students, especially those that lives in and around large cities. The ozone hole is probably too far removed to directly have impact on most students. Depending on their perceptions of the degree of seriousness for climate change, that will likely be the most serious long-term concern.
Signing off,
Group 23!