What is green house effect

What is the Greenhouse Effect? A greenhouse is a house made of glass that can be used to grow plants. The sun’s radiations warm the plants and the air inside the greenhouse. The heat trapped inside can’t escape out and warms the greenhouse which is essential for the growth of the plants. Same is the case in the earth’s atmosphere. During the day the sun heats up the earth’s atmosphere. At night, when the earth cools down the heat is radiated back into the atmosphere. During this process, the heat is absorbed by the greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere. This is what makes the surface of the earth warmer, that makes the survival of living beings on earth possible. However, due to the increased levels of greenhouse gases, the temperature of the earth has increased considerably. This has led to several drastic effects. Let us have a look at the greenhouse gases and understand the causes and consequences of greenhouse effects with the help of a diagram. Also Read: Causes of Greenhouse Effect The major causes of the greenhouse effect are: Burning of Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are an important part of our lives. They are widely used in transportation and to produce electricity. Burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide. With the increase in population, the utilization of fossil fuels has increased. This has led to an increase in the release of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Deforestation Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Due to the c...

Greenhouse gases trap solar heat close to Earth in the same way that insulating glass panels keep heat inside a greenhouse. The heat comes to Earth in the form of visible sunlight. Once it radiates back out from Earth it takes the form of long-wave (infrared and invisible) energy. Unimpeded, that energy would escape Earth’s atmosphere and pass into space. However, The primary greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and a small group of synthetic chemicals called hydrofluorocarbons. Carbon dioxide is the gas most responsible for the greenhouse effect because it is the most abundant and it persists in the atmosphere for 300-1,000 years. VectorMine / Getty Images According to the annual State of the Climate review published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the 2020 atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide were at their highest levels ever recorded by instrumentation. They were also at higher levels than any discerned by analysis of the many minuscule particles of soot, dust, ash, salt, and bubbles that once floated in Earth’s atmosphere and have been trapped for as long as 800,000 years in glacial ice. The Greenhouse Effect Is Anthropogenic “Anthropogenic” means “from humans.” According to an August 2021 report from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that word describes the abundance of greenhouse gases that have been warming Earth since the Industrial Revolution. The report states, ...

• Solar radiation at most wavelengths passes through the Earth's atmosphere. • The Earth absorbs most of the radiation and warms up. • The Earth radiates heat energy. • Some of the heat escapes into space. • Some of the heat is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. • Greenhouse gases radiate heat in all directions • The lower atmosphere warms up. Greenhouse gases can occur naturally. They trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. Greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere include: • water vapour • carbon dioxide • methane • nitrous oxide Water vapour is the largest contributor, responsible for 98 per cent of the natural greenhouse effect. Without the greenhouse effect, the surface of the Earth would have an average temperature of -18 °C (Source: World Meteorological Organization) and be covered in ice. Life as we know it would not be able to survive. Although these gases have always been present in the world's atmosphere, their concentration is increasing because of human activity. Global warming (or global heating) is attributed to the enhanced greenhouse effect. This is caused by the increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases e.g. carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxides, act like a blanket and trap heat inside the Earth's atmosphere. As concentrations of these gases build up, they are more effective at preventing heat being lost into space. The amount of heat being lost from the atmosphere is less than the energy enterin...