A reading that uses the Beer-Lambert Law to highlight the link between greenhouse gases and global warming. This reading by Tom Kuntzleman, Chemical Education Xchange (ChemEd X), uses the Beer-Lambert Law to explain the increasing global warming potential of Earth’s atmosphere due to the higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in recent times.
Students will learn about the composition of the atmosphere and the greenhouse effect. They will also be introduced to the Beer-Lambert Law which is used to study the transmittance of sunlight through the atmosphere. They will further learn how this law can be used to evaluate the absorbance values of individual gases in the atmosphere, particularly greenhouse gases.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What is the Beer-Lambert Law? How is it expressed in an equation?
Discuss the composition of the atmosphere.
How do increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases affect the absorbance of sunlight?
About the tool
Tool Name
Chemical Connections to Climate Change
Discipline
Chemistry
Topic(s) in Discipline
Beer-Lambert Law, Molar Absorptivity, Solar Absorption, Greenhouse Gases
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