alleryStart learning →Without the atmosphere, the average global temperature of 14 degrees C would fall to roughly what value?
AAbout -9 degrees C
BAbout 0 degrees C
CAbout -19 degrees C
DAbout -57 degrees C
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. About -19 degrees C
1. About one third of the sun's incoming energy is reflected straight back into space.
2. The rest is absorbed, and some of it is re-emitted from the surface as infrared radiation.
3. Greenhouse gases absorb most of that outgoing infrared and re-emit it in all directions, holding heat near the surface.
4. This raises the global average from about -19 degrees C to the 14 degrees C we actually live with.
5. The swing of 33 degrees is what makes the planet habitable rather than an ice world.
6. The option -57 degrees C is the Fahrenheit figure for the real average of 14 degrees C, offered as a unit trap.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry (CC BY 4.0), Ch 9 "Gases", section 9.3 Stoichiometry of Gaseous Substances, Mixtures, and Reactions_
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