How does the greenhouse effect actually work?
Radiation from the sun, mainly in the form of visible light, travels through the atmosphere. It powers processes such as photosynthesis and equally heats the earth’s surface. However, as the ground warms, some of this energy is reflected as longwave – or infrared – radiation, which is absorbed by greenhouse gases, heating the atmosphere. The strength of the greenhouse effect is therefore dependent on the concentration of greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere.
