What is the runaway greenhouse effect? What will be an ideal ...

[crobinson2013]

What is the runaway greenhouse effect?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

By locating the north celestial pole (NCP) in the sky, how can you determine your latitude?
 
  A) The altitude of the NCP is your angular distance from the North Pole.
  B) The direction of the NCP is the angular distance from the North Pole.
  C) The direction of the NCP is the same as your latitude.
  D) The altitude of the NCP is the same as your distance from the North Pole.
  E) The altitude of the NCP is the same as your latitude.

[ebe]

Answer to Question 1

The runaway greenhouse effect is an unstable situation that occurs when an atmosphere changes its composition in a way that leads it to continue to change more and more rapidly. As an example, water vapor in the atmosphere is a greenhouse gas: its presence traps infrared radiation and increases the temperature of an atmosphere. Now if the amount of water vapor were to increase, perhaps by volcanic outgassing, then the temperature would increase. This would lead to enhanced evaporation of any surface water, which would further increase the temperature. Without other stabilizing effects, the temperature would increase until all the water was in the form of water vapor. Such a scenario probably occurred on Venus.

Answer to Question 2

E

[crobinson2013]

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[ebe]

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