The Greenhouse Effect
- What causes the greenhouse effect?
- How does the greenhouse effect, affect the Earth?
- Why is it required?
The rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases like water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane in the atmosphere trap energy from the sun is termed as greenhouse effect. Without these gases, the heat would escape back into space and Earth’s average temperature would be about 60°F colder.
Sunlight enters the Earth’s atmosphere, passing through the blanket of greenhouse gases. As it reaches the Earth’s surface; land, water, and biosphere absorb the sunlight’s energy. Once absorbed, this energy is sent back to the atmosphere. Some of this energy gets passed back to space, but some of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases, causing our world to heat.
The greenhouse effect is required to keep the earth warm enough for humans to live. If it becomes stronger, the Earth will become warmer and this will cause problems for all the living creatures on it.
