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GREENHOUSE GAS
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation
Synonyms:
greenhouse emission; greenhouse gas
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("greenhouse gas" is a kind of...):
gas (a fluid in the gaseous state having neither independent shape nor volume and being able to expand indefinitely)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "greenhouse gas"):
CFC; chlorofluorocarbon (a fluorocarbon with chlorine; formerly used as a refrigerant and as a propellant in aerosol cans)
carbon dioxide; carbonic acid gas; CO2 (a heavy odorless colorless gas formed during respiration and by the decomposition of organic substances; absorbed from the air by plants in photosynthesis)
HFC; hydrofluorocarbon (a fluorocarbon emitted as a by-product of industrial manufacturing)
perfluorocarbon; PFC (a powerful greenhouse gas emitted during the production of aluminum)
sulfur hexafluoride; sulphur hexafluoride (a colorless gas that is soluble in alcohol and ether; a powerful greenhouse gas widely used in the electrical utility industry)
Context examples:
We found that the resulting increase in the diversity of organic molecules in the water leads to higher greenhouse gas concentrations, said Tanentzap.
(Climate change could double greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater ecosystems, University of Cambridge)
Creating fertilizer is energy intensive, and the process produces greenhouse gases that are a major driver of climate change.
(Bacteria Used to Create Fertilizer Out of Thin Air, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Over the last half-billion or billion years on Titan, methane in its atmosphere has acted as a greenhouse gas, keeping the moon relatively warm - although still cold by Earth standards.
(New Models Suggest Titan Lakes Are Explosion Craters, NASA)
In addition, as global temperatures continue to rise, demand for air conditioning – which emits greenhouse gases – rises as well, creating a damaging feedback loop.
(Wind more effective than cold air at cooling rooms naturally, University of Cambridge)
The study notes that it is very likely that the warm pool expansion will continue into the future, with increasing greenhouse gas emissions which may further intensify changes in global rainfall patterns.
(Global disasters linked to warming Indo-Pacific seas, SciDev.Net)
Rice breeders can use these differences to create varieties that are less affected by greenhouse gas levels, he said.
(Planet-Warming Gases Make Some Food Less Nutritious, Study Says, Steve Baragona/VOA)
A promising replacement for the toxic and flammable greenhouse gases that are used in most refrigerators and air conditioners has been identified by researchers from the University of Cambridge.
(Electronic solid could reduce carbon emissions in fridges and air conditioners, University of Cambridge)
Although the surface of Mars is cold and inhospitable today, scientists think that a thicker atmosphere enriched in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and water vapor may have warmed the planet in the past.
(Asteroids, Hydrogen Make Great Recipe for Life on Mars, NASA)
The findings, according to the scientists, suggest that ancient soils from a site in modern-day Wyoming acted as a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide, emitting the greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, not a sink (trapping and storing carbon underground).
(Clues found on how soils may respond to climate change, National Science Foundation)
The cylinders that make up this core contain uniquely detailed information on past environmental conditions such as the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, surface air temperature, wind patterns, and the average temperature of the ocean.
(Antarctic ice core reveals how sudden climate changes in North Atlantic moved south, NSF)