Year 11 - Science
Greenhouse gases
Atmosphere and changing climate
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores the composition and evolution of Earth's atmosphere, evidence of climate change, and effects of pollutants like sulphur dioxide. It highlights scientific explanations, ethical considerations, risk evaluation, and the role of peer review in communication.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain the effect of greenhouse gases on the temperature of Earth's atmosphere.
Key Notes
- Carbon dioxide and methane are common greenhouse gases.
- Greenhouse gases reduce the amount of lower-energy IR that can escape from Earth's atmosphere.
- Greenhouse gases do not reduce the amount of higher-energy IR radiation entering the atmosphere from the Sun.
- If the rate energy is transferred into the atmosphere exceeds the rate it is transferred out, average temperatures rise.
- An increasing average temperature of Earth's atmosphere is called global warming.
Vocabulary To Learn
- greenhouse gas: a gas that contributes to global warming by reducing the amount of radiation leaving Earth's atmosphere
- infrared (IR) radiation: a type of electromagnetic radiation that we can feel as warmth on our skin
- carbon sink: a process or system that takes more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases
- global warming: increase in Earth's global temperature, likely caused by more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All greenhouse gases are artificial and harmful. Increasing any greenhouse gas is bad.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Carbon dioxide and methane are common greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases reduce the amount of lower-energy IR that can escape from Earth's atmosphere.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'greenhouse gas'
a gas that contributes to global warming by reducing the amount of radiation leaving Earth's atmosphere. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: All greenhouse gases are artificial and harmful. Increasing any greenhouse gas is bad. Correction: Emphasise and explain the natural occurrence and necessity of greenhouse gases. Discuss the effect of human activity increasing amounts of greenhouse gases at a very fast rate.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Acid rain and chemical weathering Study Guide
- Atmospheric pollutants Study Guide
- Burning hydrocarbons Study Guide
- Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere Study Guide
- Earth's atmosphere Study Guide
- Earth's atmosphere (approximate values) Study Guide
- Evolution of Earth's atmosphere Study Guide
- Global climate change and the effects Study Guide
- Human activity and climate change Study Guide
- Ozone layer: a story of global success Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 11 Science guide library.