Common Greenhouse Gasses


Water Vapor

The most abundant greenhouse gas. It acts as a feedback to the climate: as the atmosphere warms, water vapor increases. This increase in water vapor, leads to further warming of the atmosphere — which causes further increasing of water vapor. Water vapor plays a big role in the greenhouse effect.

Carbon Dioxide

A very important component of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is released through natural processes such as respiration and volcano eruptions, and through human activities such as deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil fuels. Humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by 47% since the Industrial Revolution began in the late 1940s.

Methane

A gas produced both through natural sources and human activities, including the decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture, as well as ruminant digestion and manure management associated with domestic livestock. On a molecule-for-molecule basis, methane is a far more active greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but also one which is much less abundant in the atmosphere.

Nitrous Oxide

A powerful greenhouse gas produced by soil cultivation practices (use of commercial and organic fertilizers), fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production, and biomass burning.


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