Science Weather & Climateusually ages 11–12

Greenhouse Gas Science

Describe the electromagnetic spectrum and distinguish between short-wave solar radiation and long-wave infrared radiation emitted by Earth; explain how greenhouse gas molecules (CO2, CH4, N2O, H2O) absorb and re-emit infrared through molecular vibration while O2 and N2 do not; distinguish the natural greenhouse effect (which makes Earth habitable) from the enhanced greenhouse effect driven by human emissions; evaluate the relative potency of different greenhouse gases

Try this together

Can your child explain, in terms of light and energy, why CO2 in the atmosphere traps heat but nitrogen and oxygen — which make up most of the air — don't? What's physically different about CO2 molecules?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Sun-Driven Weather Systemsages 9–11Greenhouse radiation physics depends on sun as driver of weather

Global Wind Patternsages 11–13Greenhouse radiation physics provides the energy imbalance context that drives differential heating and global circulation

Greenhouse Gas Sciencethis skill · ages 11–12

Unlocks

Energy stores and transfersages 11–12KS3 energy stores and radiation transfer provides the physics vocabulary for explaining how greenhouse gases re-emit infrared

Earth's Atmosphere & CO2ages 12–14KS3 atmospheric composition and CO2 climate role anchors the deeper radiation physics of why CO2 specifically traps heat

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).

Show candidate curriculum codes · 1 NSW

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

This skill sits outside the F–6 Australian Curriculum — no candidate code matched (v0.1).

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

ST3-SCI-01low confidenceScience and Technology K-6 · Stage 3

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Global Wind Patternsages 11–13 Hurricanes, Tornadoes & Monsoonsages 12–13 Reading Ancient Climate Recordsages 12–14 Climate Change Basicsages 9–11

All Weather & Climate skills →