Why is carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas?

Introduction

The heat from the sun is reflected from the earth's surface and goes back into space. This heat is absorbed by various gaseous elements in the atmosphere as it returns to space.

In this way they increase temperature of atmosphere. These gaseous elements in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases.

Now carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. This is because carbon dioxide, like many other gaseous elements in the atmosphere, can absorb light from the sun.

This increases the average temperature of the earth's surface. This is why carbon dioxide is called greenhouse gas.

 

How does CO2 increase the average temperature of the earth?

 

The thermal energy of sunlight causes the warming of the atmosphere adjacent to the earth's surface.

However, carbon dioxide gas plays an important role in increasing the temperature of the atmosphere.

The visible or little extent of ultraviolet rays coming from sunlight that fall on the earth's surface has a wave length 400-750 nm. 42% of this sunlight is absorbed by the atmosphere, land and sea.

34% of the incident light rays is reflected from the earth's surface and goes back into space and 23% is used to evaporatethe water and drive the water vapor for the water cycle.

 It also spends a little less than 1% to move the air and keeps the seawater flowing and 0.023% is spent on photosynthesis.

However, the light rays reflected from the earth's surface go back into space, is an infrared ray with long wavelengths. Its wavelength is 7750 nm.

 

Now the C = O bond of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is able to absorb this infrared ray. As a result, not all of the energy radiated from the earth's surface can be returned in the space.

Consequently the average temperature (15ᵒC) of the earth increases. This is called global warming.

It has been found that the role of carbon dioxide gas alone in increasing the average global temperature is 50%. Hence carbon dioxide is a very much important green house gas.

 

 

 

 

• Why is carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas?
• Why carbon dioxide is called a greenhouse gas?
• Is carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas?
• How does CO2 increase the average temperature of the earth?

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Read more:Various sources of carbon dioxide emissions