13 - Additional Greenhouse Effect
On this card, we can see arrows of two colours: The orange arrows represent the energy that comes from the sun (UV, visible light and high-frequency infrared) and that which is reflected by the albedo effect at the same frequency. Albedo is the ability of a body to reflect light (a black body has an albedo of 0, a mirror has an albedo of 1, the earth has an average albedo of 0.31). The red arrows represent low frequency infrared energy, emitted by the Earth, which is less warm than the sun, or retained by the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is based on the fact that it is not the same incoming radiation as outgoing radiation. On the right, -18°C is the temperature we would have on Earth without the greenhouse effect and 15°C is the planet's average temperature today. It was 14°C in 1850, i.e. before human activity produced this additional greenhouse effect.
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2Causes
You can recognize the molecules of the different GHGs on the card 13 : H2O (red and white), CO2 (grey and red), CH4 (grey and white), nitrious (blue and red).
the "G" and the "H" on card 9 relate to "GreenHouse" on card 13.
1Consequence
The expression "Greenhouse Effect" is written on both sides (as of last version, October 2018).
1Other possible cause
The permafrost card can be linked either to Other GHGs or to Additional Greenhouse Effect. The Other GHGs card is about GHGs emitted by human activities, while the methane in permafrost is not of human origin.
1Wrong cause
This link would mark confusion with the amplifying effect due to albedo. The white sea ice melts to reveal a darker surface underneath and the extra energy absorbed warms the Earth. This mechanism is called albedo and has nothing to do with the greenhouse effect. It belongs to the orange arrows on card 13, not to the red arrows.