Which term describes man-made pollutants that contribute to warming of the troposphere?

Which term describes man-made pollutants that contribute to warming of the troposphere?

• A. Ozone depletion
• B. Particulate pollution
• C. Smog
• D. Enhanced greenhouse gases

Answer: (D)

The warming of the troposphere is driven by the enhanced greenhouse effect from human-made gases. These enhanced greenhouse gases are the pollutants released or increased by human activities—such as carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, methane from enteric fermentation and leaks, nitrous oxide from fertilizer use, and certain industrial gases. They are effective at absorbing infrared radiation from the Earth and trapping that heat in the lower atmosphere, which raises temperatures in the troposphere. This is different from ozone depletion, which deals with changes in stratospheric ozone and can have mixed climate effects, and from smog or particulate pollution, which are surface-level aerosols that influence air quality and local radiative balance in more complex ways but do not encapsulate the long-lived, heat-trapping gas increase driving tropospheric warming. Hence, enhanced greenhouse gases best describe the human pollutants that contribute to tropospheric warming.

The warming of the troposphere is driven by the enhanced greenhouse effect from human-made gases. These enhanced greenhouse gases are the pollutants released or increased by human activities—such as carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, methane from enteric fermentation and leaks, nitrous oxide from fertilizer use, and certain industrial gases. They are effective at absorbing infrared radiation from the Earth and trapping that heat in the lower atmosphere, which raises temperatures in the troposphere. This is different from ozone depletion, which deals with changes in stratospheric ozone and can have mixed climate effects, and from smog or particulate pollution, which are surface-level aerosols that influence air quality and local radiative balance in more complex ways but do not encapsulate the long-lived, heat-trapping gas increase driving tropospheric warming. Hence, enhanced greenhouse gases best describe the human pollutants that contribute to tropospheric warming.