The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases. More of the infrared radiation emitted by the Earth's surface is absorbed by the atmosphere.
Which statement describes what happens to the Earth?
It absorbs radiation faster than it emits it to space, so it warms until the rates are equal again
It emits radiation to space faster than it absorbs it, so it cools until the rates are equal again
It absorbs radiation faster than it emits it to space, so it keeps on warming without any limit
The rates of absorbing and emitting radiation stay equal, so its temperature does not change
50 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Physics 8.3 Beyond Earth, covering 8.3.1 Red-shift and the expanding universe, 8.3.2 Evidence for the Big Bang model, 8.3.3 Formation of the Sun and stellar equilibrium, 8.3.4 Radiation emitted by hot bodies, 8.3.5 The solar system and satellites, 8.3.6 Gravity and circular orbits, 8.3.7 Orbital radius and orbital speed, 8.3.8 Radiation balance and the temperature of the Earth, and 8.3.9 Seismic waves and exploring hidden structures. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.