What is the greenhouse effect? Is it the same as the ozone hole issue?
Frequently Asked Global Change QuestionsNo, they are two different (but related) issues.The greenhouse effect issue concerns the warming of the lower part of the atmosphere, the troposphere (the layer in which temperature drops with height; it is about 10-15 kilometers thick, varying with latitude and season), by increasing concentrations of the so-called greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and others) in the troposphere.
Related QuestionsWill penguins be affected by the ozone hole?
Frequently Asked Questions About Ozone to the Environmental ...To our knowledge there are no studies concerning UV-B effects on penguins. As their eyes are exposed to a lot of UV due to the high reflectivity of snow and a marked enhancement during the ozone hole, investigation into the impact on penguins is desirable. The fact that penguins are visual predators, eating krill or fish in the water column, would make any eye damage an important issue for survival.
Related QuestionsIs global warming connected to the hole in the ozone layer?
Global Warming FAQGlobal warming and ozone depletion are two separate but related threats. Global warming and the greenhouse effect refer to the warming of the lower part of the atmosphere (also known as the troposphere) due to increasing concentrations of heat-trapping gases. By contrast, the ozone hole refers to the loss of ozone in the upper part of the atmosphere, called the stratosphere.
Related QuestionsIs There an Ozone Hole over the Arctic?
Frequently Asked Questions about OzoneSignificant reductions in ozone content in the stratosphere above the Arctic have been observed during the late winter and early spring (January-March) in 6 of the last 9 years. However, these reductions, typically 20-25%, are much smaller than those observed currently each spring over the Antarctic (the ozone hole). The difference between ozone content in the two polar regions (see figure below) is caused by dissimilar weather patterns.
Related QuestionsWhat does the ozone hole have to do with climate change?
Global Warming FAQs - Understanding Climate Change - Frequen...First, it's important to know that ozone plays two different roles in the atmosphere. At ground level, "bad ozone" is a pollutant caused by human activities; it's a major component of health-damaging smog. The same chemical occurs naturally in the stratosphere, and this "good ozone" acts as a shield, filtering out most of the ultraviolet light from the Sun that could otherwise prove deadly to people, animals, and plants.
Related QuestionsWhat is the ozone hole?
Ozone Hole FAQThe "ozone hole" is a loss of stratospheric ozone in springtime over Antarctica, peaking in September. The ozone hole area is defined as the size of the region with total ozone below 220 Dobson units (DU). Dobson Units are a unit of measurement that refer to the thickness of the ozone layer in a vertical column from the surface to the top of the atmosphere, a quantity called the "total column ozone amount." Prior to 1979, total column ozone values over Antarctica never fell below 220 DU.
Related QuestionsQuestions and Answers: Frequently Asked Questions about Air ...The ozone hole is a well-defined, large-scale destruction of the ozone layer over Antarctica that occurs each Antarctic spring. The word "hole" is a misnomer; the hole is really a significant thinning, or reduction in ozone concentrations, which results in the destruction of up to 70% of the ozone normally found over Antarctica.Related Questions
What does the greenhouse effect have to do with global warming?
Global Warming FAQThe "greenhouse effect" refers to the natural phenomenon that keeps the Earth in a temperature range that allows life to flourish. The sun's enormous energy warms the Earth's surface and its atmosphere. As this energy radiates back toward space as heat, a portion is absorbed by a delicate balance of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere—among them carbon dioxide and methane—which creates an insulating layer.
Related QuestionsWhat is the greenhouse effect?
BM&F | Brazilian Mercantile & Futures Exchange - FREQUENTLY ...It is a phenomenon caused by the accumulation of certain gases in the atmosphere, known popularly as greenhouse gases or GHGs, which hold heat within the surface of the Earth and contribute to its warming. The Kyoto Protocol states that the following GHGs should be regulated: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), perfluorocarbon (PFC), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
Related QuestionsFaqThe earth is surrounded by its gas atmosphere mainly composed of oxygen and nitrogen but also of other gases including carbon dioxide, (C02) methane (NH4), nitrous oxides, water vapour and other gases of industrial origin. An intrinsic property of these other gases is to absorb the energy of the sun radiations captured by the earth and reemitted in the atmosphere, mainly during the night.Related Questions
REACH - Frequently Asked Questions - ADB.orgSome gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, play an important role in the energy balance of the Earth. Without these gases, the surface temperature of the Earth would be about 35 degrees Celsius lower. This process is called the greenhouse effect and the gases involved are called greenhouse gases.Related Questions
Carbon Planet Global Warming FAQThe main gases in the Earth's atmosphere, nitrogen and oxygen, are almost completely transparent to the sun's rays. But water vapour, carbon dioxide and other gases form a blanket around the Earth, trapping heat. This process is known as the greenhouse effect.Related Questions
FAQs - SWCCIP - Our South WestThe Sun's warmth heats the surface of the Earth, which in turn radiates energy back to space. Some of this radiation, which is nearly all in the infrared spectrum, is trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases. For instance, water vapour strongly absorbs radiation with wavelengths between 4 and 7 micrometres, and carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbs radiation with wavelengths between 13 and 19 micrometres. The trapped radiation warms the lower atmosphere, or troposphere.Related Questions
Climate Cure 2025: Global Warming FAQThe greenhouse effect is an elevation in the surface temperature that occurs when certain heat-absorbing "greenhouse gases," particularly CO2 and water vapor, are present in the atmosphere. It is a natural phenomenon -- the Earth has had a greenhouse effect for billions of years. Without it, the oceans would be totally frozen and life would not exist on Earth!Related Questions
When Did the Antarctic Ozone Hole First Appear?
Frequently Asked Questions about OzoneThe observed average amount of ozone during September, October, and November over the British Antarctic Survey station at Halley, Antarctica, first revealed notable decreases in the early 1980s, compared with the preceding data obtained starting in 1957. The ozone hole is formed each year when there is a sharp decline (currently up to 60%) in the total ozone over most of Antarctica for a period of about three months (September-November) during spring in the Southern Hemisphere.
Related QuestionsWhat causes the ozone hole?
FAQWe earthlings have damaged the ozone layer with chemicals (called chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs) that are used in refrigerators and air conditioners. This has been proved by a long series of measurements from space and on the ground. In fact, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to three atmospheric scientists for having discovered and explained this link.
Related QuestionsIs the ozone hole getting bigger?
FAQIt isn't really a "hole", but a large decrease in the total amount of ozone overhead. It is truly a large decrease over Antarctica at certain times of the year, but there are significant general reductions in ozone elsewhere, including the Northern Hemisphere. The "hole" and the general reductions elsewhere are not getting better yet. We expect that things will improve, starting early in the next century.
Related QuestionsGreenhouse Gas Reporting & Reduction Strategies - Freque...Greenhouse gases cause the earth’s surface to warm by letting in energy from the sun, but trapping heat emitted from the planet’s surface. This natural warming, or greenhouse effect, is what sustains life – without some GHGs in our atmosphere, surface temperatures would be 0°F.(1) Since industrialization, humans have rapidly increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere through fossil fuel combustion and deforestation.Related Questions
Climate Crisis FAQThe greenhouse effect has been described, by the US Vice President Al Gore, as the potentially most dangerous environmental problem facing mankind, with consequences second only to nuclear war. The greenhouse effect can be visualized as follows: Imagine that Earth has been encircled by a giant glass sphere. The heat of the sun penetrates through the glass. Some of the heat is absorbed by the Earth, and some of it is radiated back towards space.Related Questions
Science FAQs: The Pew Center on Global Climate ChangeThe greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring process in the Earth's atmosphere that warms the planet - in the absence of a greenhouse effect, the average temperature at the Earth's surface would be approximately 60oF colder.Related Questions
Will Global Warming (from the Greenhouse Effect) result in an increase in mosquito-borne diseases?
FAQsThis is very difficult to determine. Currently there are different theories as to the level and amount of climate change. Some models predict large changes in rainfall patterns, while other predict small changes. We may expect with increases in rainfall there would be an increase in mosquito numbers and a subsequent increase in mosquito-borne diseases, however this may not be the case.
Related QuestionsWhat are the main contributors to the Greenhouse Effect?
Carbon Planet Global Warming FAQIn today's society everything we consume has industrial processes and hence greenhouse gas emissions associated with it. Not just your car and your electricity and gas but everything: the clothes on your back, the computer on your desk, the furniture on which you sit, the food that you eat (unless it was grown, harvested and transported entirely by hand). Everything we consume has greenhouse gas emissions associated with it.
Related QuestionsHow much CO2 do I contribute to the Greenhouse Effect?
Carbon Planet Global Warming FAQFor a table of emissions, see the carbon emissions page. Each Australian contributes an average of 28 tonnes of carbon dioxide to the Greenhouse Effect.
Related QuestionsHow does the greenhouse effect work?
Greenhouse: questions and answersThe greenhouse effect is a natural process. Sunlight passes through the atmosphere, warming the Earth’s surface. In turn, the land and oceans release heat, or infrared radiation, into the atmosphere, balancing the incoming energy. Water vapour, carbon dioxide and some other naturally occurring gases can absorb part of this radiation, allowing it to warm the lower atmosphere.
Related QuestionsWhat is the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Greenhouse: questions and answersSince the industrial revolution and expansion of agriculture around 200 years ago, we have been raising the concentration of carbon dioxide gas in the global atmosphere. Levels of other greenhouse gases have also increased because of human activities. Higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere will lead to increased trapping of infrared radiation. The lower atmosphere is likely to warm, changing weather and climate.
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