Question

$C{O}_2$ acts as a greenhouse gas because

• A. It is transparent to heat but traps sunlight.
• B. It is transparent to sunlight but traps heat.
• C. It is transparent to both sunlight and heat.
• D. It traps both sunlight and heat.

Answer 1

The correct option is B It is transparent to sunlight but traps heat.

Greenhouse gas is a gas present in an atmosphere which absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This ultimately results in the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. Carbon dioxide (CO${}_2$) is transparent to sunlight. However, it traps or holds heat. This results in the increase in the atmospheric temperature of Earth.

Thus, the correct answer is option B.