The main greenhouse gas. What is a greenhouse gas?

Man's productive activity entails harmful effects on the atmosphere. This factor has already become a banality and attention is paid to it only by experts in the environmental field. Meanwhile, harmful emissions pose increasingly acute questions to organizations involved in global climate change. In the list of the most acute problems at conferences devoted to ecology, greenhouse gas regularly appears as one of the most dangerous factors affecting the atmosphere and biota. The fact is that gaseous compounds of this type can not pass thermal radiation, which contributes to the heating of the atmosphere. There are several sources of formation of such gases, including biological phenomena. And now it is worth to learn more about the composition of greenhouse mixtures.

Water vapor as the main greenhouse gas

Gases of this type form about 60% of the total volume of substances due to which a greenhouse effect is created . As the Earth's temperature increases, evaporation and the total concentration of water vapor in the atmosphere also increase. At the same time, the same humidity level remains, which contributes to the greenhouse effect. The natural essence, which the greenhouse gas has in the form of steam, undoubtedly has positive aspects in the matter of natural regulation of atmospheric composition. But there are also negative consequences of this process. The fact is that against the background of increasing humidity, there is also an increase in the cloud mass, which reflects the direct rays of the sun. As a result, there is already an anti-greenhouse effect, in which the intensity of thermal radiation and, correspondingly, the warming of the atmosphere decreases.

Carbon dioxide

Among the main sources of this type of emissions are volcanic eruptions, human activity and processes occurring in the biosphere. Anthropogenic sources include combustion of fuel materials and biomass, industrial processes and other factors leading to the formation of carbon dioxide. This is the same greenhouse gas that actively participates in the processes of biocenosis. He is also the most durable in terms of being in the atmosphere. According to some information, further accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmospheric layers is limited by the risk of consequences not only for equilibrium in the biosphere, but also for the existence of human civilization as a whole. Such representations are the main motivation for developing measures that counteract the greenhouse effect.

Methane

This gas is stored in the atmosphere for about 10 years. Previously it was believed that the effect of methane on stimulating the greenhouse effect is 25 times higher than carbon dioxide. But recent scientific research has yielded even more pessimistic results - it turned out that the potential impact of this gas was underestimated. However, the situation is mitigated by a short period during which the atmosphere retains methane. Greenhouse gas of this type appears as a result of anthropogenic activity. This can be rice cultivation, digestive fermentation, reduction of forest massifs, etc. According to some studies, intensive growth of methane concentration took place in the first millennium of our era. Such phenomena were connected with the expansion of cattle breeding and agricultural production, as well as with the burning out of forests. In the following centuries, the level of methane concentration decreased, although in our days there is a reverse trend.

Ozone

In the composition of greenhouse gaseous mixtures are not only dangerous from the point of view of climate change components, but also beneficial parts. These include ozone, which protects the Earth from ultraviolet light. However, here again not all is unequivocal. Scientists divide this gas into two categories - tropospheric and stratospheric. As for the former, it can be dangerous because of its toxicity. Along with this, the increased content of tropospheric elements contributes to the growth of the greenhouse effect. In this stratospheric layer is the main protection before the effects of harmful radiation. In regions where a greenhouse gas of this type has an increased concentration, strong effects on vegetation are observed that manifest themselves in the oppression of the photosynthetic potential.

Counteraction to the greenhouse effect

There are several areas in which work is under way to contain the process. Among the main measures, the use of tools to regulate the interaction of storage devices and sinks of greenhouse gases is highlighted. In particular, environmental agreements at the local level contribute to the active development of forestry. Here it is worth noting reforestation activities, which in the future will allow to minimize the greenhouse effect. Gas emitted into the atmosphere from production facilities is also subject to reduction in many industries. To this end, measures are being introduced to limit emissions in transport, in production areas, in power plants, etc. To this end, alternative methods for processing fuel and gas removal systems are being developed. For example, recently a system of recuperation has been actively introduced, thanks to which enterprises optimize the processes of disposal of their waste.

Conclusion

In the processes of formation of the greenhouse effect, human activity plays not the most important role. This is evident from the share of gas volumes produced by anthropogenic sources. However, these harmful emissions are the most dangerous for the atmosphere. Therefore, environmental organizations consider greenhouse gas as a factor of negative climate change. As a result, funds are used to contain the spread and accumulation of harmful substances that contribute to increasing the risk of global warming. And the fight against harmful emissions is conducted in a variety of ways. This applies not only to factories and enterprises, but also to products intended for individual use.