Climate Change: The Greenhouse Effect

Some of the sun's energy travels about 93 million miles all the way to Earth in the form of __________, where it first reaches the atmosphere.

• chemical energy
• sunlight
• mechanical energy
• lava

The gases that make up the atmosphere create the perfect blanket for Earth. They ____________ just the right amounts of sunlight for life to thrive.

• absorb and reflect
• mine and craft
• conserve and evaporate
• radiate and condense

Sunlight heats the surface of the Earth. As a result of getting warmer, the Earth emits ___________.

• infrared radiation
• electrical energy
• sound waves
• chemical energy

Greenhouse gases make up a tiny percentage of the atmosphere but they have a big impact because they __________ in the atmosphere.

• trap heat
• precipitate
• spawn
• respirate

Select the 2 molecules below that are greenhouse gases.

• 
• 
• 
• 

Earth's temperature would be _________ if there were no greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

• much lower
• about the same
• much higher

Select the statement that is true according to this graph from NOAA.

• Between 1960 and 2020, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere increased by about 100 parts per million.
• Between 1960 and 2020, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere decreased by about 20 parts per million.
• Between 1960 and 2020, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere did not change.

Which gas is released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels (such as gasoline, oil, and coal) are burned?

• 
• 
• 

Earth's temperature _________ as greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere.

• increases
• decreases
• does not change

Select the statement that is true according to this graph from NASA.

• The average global temperature was about 1 degree Celsius warmer in 2020 than it was in 1880.
• The average global temperature was about 2 degrees Celsius cooler in 2020 than it was in 1880.
• The average global temperature remained constant between 1880 and 2020.