GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Climate Change

Greenhouse Effect
Is a natural process that permits the Earth to
retain some of the heat from the sun.

Gases in the atmosphere (water vapor,

carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap energy from the sun.

Without Gases
Without these gases, heat would escape
back into space and Earths average temperature would be about -18 C .

Because of how they warm our world, these

gases are referred to as greenhouse gases.

 Energy from the Sun passes through the

atmosphere.

Some Infrared rays are absorbed, then

emitted back to the atmosphere.

The greenhouse gases capture these rays

and return them to the earth.

 A portion of the energy (26%) is reflected or

scattered back to space. About 19% of the energy available is absorbed by clouds, gases like ozone. The remaining 55% of the energy passing through the Earth's atmosphere, 4% is reflected from the surface back to space. On average, about 51% of the Sun's radiation reaches the surface.

 This energy is then used in a number of

processes, including the heating of the ground surface; the melting of ice and snow and the evaporation of water; and plant photosynthesis.

Human Activity
How are we changing the greenhouse
effect?

 Normally most of the CO2 came from

Forest Fires, Volcanic Eruptions and Cellular Respiration Now the increase of fossil fuels and the clear cutting of Forests is shifting the balance of the CO2 present in the atmosphere

Greenhouse Demo
Graph