Note: Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry in the United States is a net sink and offsets 12% of these greenhouse gas emissions. The Inventory uses 100-year GWPs from IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990–2021. Note: All emission estimates are from the Inventory of U.S. Gases with a higher GWP absorb more energy, per ton emitted, than gases with a lower GWP, and thus contribute more to warming Earth. Specifically, it is a measure of how much energy the emissions of 1 ton of a gas will absorb over a given period of time, typically a 100-year time horizon, relative to the emissions of 1 ton of carbon dioxide (CO 2). Some gases are more effective than others at making the planet warmer and "thickening the Earth's atmospheric blanket."įor each greenhouse gas, a Global Warming Potential (GWP) was developed to allow comparisons of the global warming impacts of different gases. How strongly do greenhouse gases impact the atmosphere?
All of these gases remain in the atmosphere long enough to become well mixed, meaning that the amount that is measured in the atmosphere is roughly the same all over the world, regardless of the source of the emissions. How long do greenhouse gases stay in the atmosphere?Įach of these gases can remain in the atmosphere for different amounts of time, ranging from a few years to thousands of years. To learn more about the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, visit the Climate Change Indicators: Atmospheric Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases page. One part per million is equivalent to one drop of water diluted into about 13 gallons of liquid (roughly the fuel tank of a compact car). Greenhouse gas concentrations are measured in parts per million, parts per billion, and even parts per trillion. Larger emissions of greenhouse gases lead to higher concentrations in the atmosphere. How abundant are greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?Ĭoncentration, or abundance, is the amount of a particular gas in the air. With global warming potentials (GWPs) that typically range from thousands to tens of thousands, they are sometimes referred to as high-GWP gases because, for a given amount of mass, they trap substantially more heat than CO 2.Įach gas's effect on climate change depends on three main factors: Fluorinated gases are typically emitted in smaller quantities than other greenhouse gases, but they are potent greenhouse gases. Fluorinated gases (especially hydrofluorocarbons) are sometimes used as substitutes for stratospheric ozone-depleting substances (e.g., chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and halons). Fluorinated gases: Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that are emitted from a variety of household, commercial, and industrial applications and processes.Nitrous oxide (N 2O): Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural, land use, and industrial activities combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste as well as during treatment of wastewater.
Methane emissions also result from livestock and other agricultural practices, land use, and by the decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills.
0 kommentar(er)
