Week 14

 What did you do in lab today?

In lab this week, we explored the concept of greenhouse gases and how they contribute to a greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is essentially when solar radiation enters our atmosphere and either gets absorbed or reflected by the Earth. When this solar radiation is reflected, it will reflect off of the Earth, and go back into space. Other times, this solar radiation will be absorbed by the darked colored surfaces on Earth. The solar radiation is then transformed into infrared radiation and released. But, this infrared radiation cannot escape the atmosphere easily and can get caught in our atmosphere which then warms the Earth up. There are certain gas molecules that trap the infrared light and heat in our atmosphere, these are called greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Water Vapor, and Nitrous Oxide. The more greenhouse gases, the more the atmosphere will warm because that means that infrared radiation can stay in our atmosphere longer. 

What was the big question?

What is the Greenhouse Effect?

What did you learn in Thursday's discussion?

In lecture, we revisited the idea of albedo and what this means. This is how we measure the reflectivity of a surface. Lighter surfaces reflect light, and darker surfaces absorb the light. I learned how this can contribute to climate change. In the Antarctic, the ice is melting, and as it melts it reveals more of the darker surface below it. This in turn, will absorb the light rather than reflect it as it had before. As more of this light is absorbed, the Earth's temperature will heat more and the glacial ice will melt faster. 

Textbook

What did you learn?

I learned how climate change can also cause extreme and abnormally cold temperatures. To understand this, I had to first learn what a polar vortex specifically is. This is a system of freezing wind and air-split from its normal position over the Arctic. This vortex is unstable which caused the jet stream (a large current of wind which carries warm and cold air masses to different areas of Earth) to warp from its normal pattern. This pushed the cold Arctic air down to the midwestern United States. 

What was most helpful?

It was most helpful to examine the extreme weather events that are occuring due to climate change. These weather events are increasing due to climate change. This can include heat waves, drought, hurricanes, wildfires, and melting sea ice. 

What do you need more information on?

I would like more information on thermal expansion. I am wondering why the volume of water increases when it is heated. 

What questions, comments, and/or comments do you have?

It was saddening to read about how climate change can cause ecosystem disruption. Some ecosystems can even be destroyed. One example are coral reefs and I learned that it is estimated that more than a quarter of coral reefs have died worldwide in the last three decades. 

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