What makes carbon dioxide a highly effective greenhouse gas?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question: What makes carbon dioxide a highly effective greenhouse gas?

Option 1: 'It easily reacts chemically with rock.' This is not a primary mechanism by which CO2 acts as a greenhouse gas. Reactivity with rocks would be a geological process affecting carbon storage, not a direct infrared absorption property that governs the greenhouse effect.

Option 2: 'It easily photodissociates in the upper atmosphere.' Photodissociation refers to breakdown by photons, which CO2 can experience in certain high-energy contexts, but this process is not the reason CO2 is a strong greenhouse gas. The greenhouse effect depends on infrared absorption and re-emission, not photodissociation rates.

Option 3: 'It easily absorbs visible light.' CO2 does not strongly absorb visible wavelengths; the atmosphere is largely transparent to visible sunlight, which is why sunlight reaches Earth's surface. Greenhouse gases that trap heat do so mainly via infrared interactions, not visible light absorption.

Option 4: 'It easily absorbs infrared radiation.' This is the key property that makes CO2 a potent greenhouse gas. CO2 molecules absorb infrared photons emitted by the warm Earth's surface, becoming vibrationally excited, and subsequently re-emit infrared radiation in all directions, including back toward the surface, contributing to warming. This absorption in the infrared window is the defining mechanism of the greenhouse effect for CO2.

Option 5: 'It easily absorbs UV radiation.' While some atmospheric processes involve UV light, the primary greenhouse effect related to CO2 is not UV absorption. UV absorption by CO2 is not the main driver of its ability to trap heat in the lower atmosphere and surface.

Summary: The critical property that explains CO2’s effectiveness as a greenhouse gas is its strong absorption of infrared radiation, which enables it to trap heat within the lower atmosphere and at the surface.

EESC1120.01|.02 Summer 2025 Our Home Amongst the Cosmos [Kruckenberg] Week 6 Quiz

What makes carbon dioxide a highly effective greenhouse gas?

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