Check out the "Glass Layers" view

A planet much like Earth, but with no atmosphere

Untitled Slide

Moving yellow dots are sunlight photons, or light energy from the Sun

Moving red dots are infrared photons, or heat energy.

Think of the yellow dots as "light" and the red dots as "heat."

Watch for a minute to see how "light" and "heat" move

Try to follow one or two dots at a time

Notice the Thermo -meter on the left side of the screen.

What's happening with the photons and the temperature?

Add one glass pane.

What is happening to the temperature?

Let's review these terms

• transmit
• reflect
• absorb

When photons (light or heat) photons hit something and are not released again

When photons (light or heat) pass through something

When photons bounce off of something

What do you think is causing the temperature to rise with the pane?

Although there are many things that help keep our planet warm

Heat-trapping gases in Earth's atmosphere play a very important role

These gases keep heat energy from leaving Earth

The greenhouse effect.

Let's use the sim to find out which gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat

methane and visible photons (light)

What happens to the light when it hits the methane molecule?

Infrared Photon

What is happening to the heat when it hits the methane molecule?

What do you notice is happening to the methane molecule when it traps the heat photon?

Heat-trapping gases begin to wiggle when they absorb heat energy

Let's now test other molecules

Now let's build an atmosphere!

Choose from one to five types of gas and have 10 molecules TOTAL.

Aim to trap a lot of heat, no heat, or something in-between.

Testing this atmosphere...

The greenhouse effect.

This is an Earth-like planet with an atmosphere

What if there were no heat-trapping gases in Earth's atmosphere?

Let's see the effects of high levels of heat-trapping gases

Let's compare our graphs of CO2 and temperature.

What do you notice about CO2 and temperature when you compare these two graphs?

What evidence do we have that CO2 in the atmosphere and temperature are related?