GREENHOUSE EFFECT
"You take the blue pill and the story ends. You wake in your bed and you believe whatever you want to believe."
"You take the red pill and
you stay in Wonderland and I'll show you how deep the
rabbit-hole goes."
Vital Climate Graphics
: Introduction to
climate change
Next: Radiative forcing
3. The Earth has a natural temperature control system. Certain
atmospheric gases are critical to this system and are known as
greenhouse gases. On average, about one third of the solar radiation
that hits the earth is reflected back to space. Of the remainder, some
is absorbed by the atmosphere but most is absorbed by the land and
oceans. The Earth's surface becomes warm and as a result emits
infrared radiation. The greenhouse gases trap the infrared radiation,
thus warming the atmosphere. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases
include water vapour, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane and nitrous
oxide, and together create a natural greenhouse effect. However, human
activities are causing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere to
increase. Note: Greenhouse gases are mixed throughout in the
atmosphere. For pedagogical reasons they are depicted here as a layer.
Next: Radiative forcing
Vital Climate Graphics :
Introduction to
climate change
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