Question

some of the gases in earths atmosphere, such as co₂, are called greenhouse gases. greenhouse gases interact with sunlight in a way that traps heat in the atmosphere. by trapping heat, greenhouse gases help insulate earth. the table below lists some important greenhouse gases and their atmospheric concentrations in units of parts per million (ppm), parts per billion (ppb), or parts per trillion (ppt). | greenhouse gas | concentration in 2015 | |---|---| | carbon dioxide (co₂) | 400 ppm | | sulfur hexafluoride (sf₆) | 9 ppt | | methane (ch₄) | 1,750 ppb | | nitrous oxide (n₂o) | 325 ppb | use the data in the table to put the following greenhouse gases in order of atmospheric concentration. highest concentration nitrous oxide carbon dioxide sulfur hexafluoride methane

Explanation:

Step1: Convert all units to the same unit (ppb)

• Carbon dioxide (\(CO_2\)): \(1\ ppm = 1000\ ppb\), so \(400\ ppm=400\times1000 = 400000\ ppb\)
• Sulfur hexafluoride (\(SF_6\)): \(1\ ppt = 0.001\ ppb\), so \(9\ ppt = 9\times0.001=0.009\ ppb\)
• Methane (\(CH_4\)): \(1750\ ppb\) (already in ppb)
• Nitrous oxide (\(N_2O\)): \(325\ ppb\) (already in ppb)

Step2: Compare the values

• \(400000\ ppb\) (\(CO_2\)) \(\gt1750\ ppb\) (\(CH_4\)) \(\gt325\ ppb\) (\(N_2O\)) \(\gt0.009\ ppb\) (\(SF_6\))

Answer:

carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride