Greenhouse Effect Webquest

The greenhouse effect, or GHE, is when the planet traps the sun's warmth in its lower atmosphere due to greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to in infrared radiation that the planet emits from its surface. The GHE is mainly brought on by greenhouse gases, the three main greenhouse gases are: carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which all of these enter our atmosphere differently; for example, carbon dioxide can enter the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels or the result of certain chemical reactions, while methane, on the other hand, is mainly emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gases, and/or oil. These gases all have different kinds of sources that are basically found all around the world, which means that the greenhouse effect is in play all around the world. Some of those sources include: the production of electricity, types of tranportation, and land use and forestry.

Aerosol Webquest

Aerosols are minute particles that are suspended in the atmosphere that scatter and absorb sunlight. These particles also affect the Earth's radiation budget and climate. Aerosols have many different sources that can cause them, for example, volcaninc eruptions can spew out a large amount of sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid and ash are all being expelled into the air. Us humans can also cause aerosols to be born into the atmosphere through some of the activities that we perform, these aerosols that we create cause the clouds to reflect more sunlight than had the aerosols not been present. The aerosols that get into our atmosphere can be very dangerous for our environment, and even cause the climate to be effected. The effects that the aerosols have on our climate is they cause an additional reflection and is expected to increase concentrations of atmospheric gases.

Urban Heat Island Effect

The urban heat island effect (UHI) is a bizarre phenomenon in which the temperatures are a few degrees higher in cities than in surrounding rural areas. There are different impacts that the UHI brings the environment, such as: increased energy consumption, elevated emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, compromised human health and comfort, and an impaired water quality. There are many different things that are being done to potentially reduce the effects of the UHI, these efforts include: trees and vegetation are being planted to lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade and through evapotranspiration, rooftop gardens are being added to houses to be used the same way as trees and vegetation, roofs that have a high albedo are being used to reflect sunlight and heat away from a building, pavements that are made from a more reflective material reflect more solar energy, enhancing water evaporation, and being cooler than other types of pavement.