The Greenhouse Effect

Go to http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/greenhouse and click on “The Greenhouse Effect.”

Click on the “today” button to see our atmosphere now and compare it to 1750 and the ice age

a) Which gas is the least abundant for each time period? The most abundant for each time period?

b)     Identify some natural or human processes that might increase or decrease (explain whether the effect is positive or negative) the amount of the following greenhouse gases in the atmosphere: water (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).