Carbon Dioxide and Methane

The Greenhouse Effect

● The greenhouse effect

describes how
greenhouse gases (e.g.
carbon dioxide and
methane) act as a
natural, insulating layer
in the atmosphere, re-
radiating most of heat
energy which has been
reflected off the Earth’s
surface back towards Earth.
● The consensus among climate scientists is that the greenhouse effect is
causing global warming
Consensus = Agreement
● As the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases rise, there is a
risk that the greenhouse effect could become too strong and the
temperature could rise too high.
The greenhouse effect describes how greenhouse gases act as a natural,
insulating layer in the atmosphere, re-radiating most of the heat energy which
has been reflected off the Earth’s surface back towards Earth.

Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Therefore, it is important to keep its
atmospheric concentration at suitable.
Carbon dioxide removal
● Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere naturally by green
plants during photosynthesis
● Other natural stores of carbon include bodies of water.
Carbon dioxide release
● Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere:
○ As the waste product of respiration.
○ Through the burning of fossil fuels
○ During reaction between acids and metal carbonates
○ During the thermal decomposition of metal carbonates

The Carbon cycle

● Carbon is removed from the

atmosphere by producers
(e.g. Algae) who use it in
photosynthesis
● By consuming plant matter,
animals obtain carbon
compounds.
● Carbon is returned into the
atmosphere (as carbon
dioxide) because of the
respiration that happens in
plant and animal cells.
● When animals and plants die,
decomposers return the carbon locked in their bodies back to the
atmosphere via decay
● Combustion of fossil fuels is another source of carbon entry into the
atmosphere