Greenhouse Effect

Topic Description

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to understand what The Greenhouse Effect is and explain how changes in greenhouse gases affect the temperatures on the Earth. About half of all the radiation from the sun that reaches the Earth is absorbed by the Earth’s surface, warming the Earth. The blanket of gases in the atmosphere that surrounds the Earth absorbs some of this heat energy. Water vapor, nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are the most important greenhouse gases that absorb some of the heat and re-emit it to the Earth's surface and the lower atmosphere.