What is the “greenhouse effect” and how does it influence the climate system?
Response: The greenhouse effect describes the role of the atmosphere in insulating the planet from heat loss, much like a blanket on our bed insulates our bodies from heat loss. The small concentrations of “greenhouse gases” within the atmosphere that cause this effect allow most of the sunlight to pass through the atmosphere to heat the planet. However, these gases absorb much of the outgoing heat energy radiated by the Earth itself, and return much of this energy back towards the surface. This keeps the surface much warmer than if these gases were absent. This process is referred to as the ‘greenhouse effect’ because, in some respects, it resembles the role of glass in a greenhouse. The greenhouse effect makes the Earth livable. Without it, the Earth would be too cold to support life as we know it. Explanation: The Earth is heated by sunlight. In turn, the Earth radiates heat energy out to space. It is this balance between incoming solar (shortwave) radiation and outgoing infrared (l
Response: The greenhouse effect describes the role of the atmosphere in insulating the planet from heat loss, much like a blanket on our bed insulates our bodies from heat loss. The small concentrations of “greenhouse gases” within the atmosphere that cause this effect allow most of the sunlight to pass through the atmosphere to heat the planet. However, these gases absorb much of the outgoing heat energy radiated by the Earth itself, and return much of this energy back towards the surface. This keeps the surface much warmer than if these gases were absent. This process is referred to as the ‘greenhouse effect’ because, in some respects, it resembles the role of glass in a greenhouse. The greenhouse effect makes the Earth livable. Without it, the Earth would be too cold to support life as we know it. Explanation: The Earth is heated by sunlight. In turn, the Earth radiates heat energy out to space. It is this balance between incoming solar (shortwave) radiation and outgoing infrared (l
