Question

Students wonder about the causes of the change in the annual greenhouse gas index. Which two questions will best clarify the causes of the change in greenhouse gases?"

a) Which land uses increase the light intensity at Earth's surface?
b) Which atmospheric gases increase when the Sun's energy increases?
c) Which human activities have the greatest impacts on atmospheric gases?
d) Which agricultural crops increase the oxygen concentration in Earth's atmosphere?

Answer 1

To clarify the causes of change in greenhouse gases, focus on human activities impacting atmospheric gases and how these activities have enhanced the natural greenhouse effect.

Step-by-step explanation:

The two questions that best clarify the causes of change in greenhouse gases are:

1. Which human activities have the greatest impacts on atmospheric gases?
2. How have human actions enhanced the natural greenhouse effect?

Greenhouse gases, which include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation have increased the concentration of these gases. This heightened concentration reinforces the greenhouse effect by trapping more heat, leading to global warming. Agriculture also contributes to emissions, with practices that release significant amounts of greenhouse gases, such as the use and production of fertilizers and the management of livestock waste.

Changes in the greenhouse effect, alongside factors like variations in the sun's energy and changes in the Earth’s reflectivity, impact global temperatures. It's important to understand that while the greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon essential to life on Earth, the enhanced greenhouse effect due to human activities is of concern as it leads to unnatural changes in the climate.