Lesson 3
Key Idea 2: Properties of Gases
Climatic processes depend on molecular-level interactions among gases; we must understand gases before we can understand climate. The image below shows the molecular structures of common gas molecules in our atmosphere.
Several characteristics of these gas molecules affect their behavior: their atomic mass, their constituent atoms, their distribution of positive and negative charge, and the strength of their bonds. Notice that the atoms in these molecules are all connected by covalent bonds.