Greenhouse Gases
| Greenhouse Gas | Sources (Natural and Anthropogenic – man made) |
Carbon Dioxide
CO2 | Respiration from animals and plants. Burning of fossil fuels in industry, power stations and transport. Burning of rainforests and the destruction of forests. |
Methane
CH4 | Decaying vegetation in swamps and from peat, farm animal digestion (enteric fermentation) mainly released through belching, fermenting dung and rice growing in farming, sewage disposal and landfill sites, melting permafrost, hydroelectric dams. |
Water Vapour
H2O | Evaporation from rivers, lakes and oceans, evapotranspiration from plants and animals on the land. |
Nitrous Oxide
NO | Vehicle exhausts, fertilisers, power stations, nylon manufacture. |
| CFC’s | Refrigerators, aerosol sprays, solvents and foams.
No longer produced as a result of Montreal Protocol |
Next: Properties of Greenhouse Gases