THE

GREENHOUSE
EFFECT

YEAR 10 SCIENCE
ADELAIDE HIGH SCHOOL
GREENHOUSE GASES
Gases within Earth’s atmosphere that absorb thermal
energy are known as greenhouse gases
WHY A GREENHOUSE?
What does a greenhouse do?

Why does it get so hot in a

greenhouse?

The planet works in a similar way:

The glass sides are the gases in the atmosphere and the
inside of the greenhouse is the Earth
 HOW GREENHOUSE EFFECT WORKS
1. Energy emitted from the sun is absorbed or reflected
by earth’s surface
 HOW GREENHOUSE EFFECT WORKS
2. Absorbed energy is re-emitted as infra-red (IR)
radiation from the Earth
 HOW GREENHOUSE EFFECT WORKS
3. The re-emitted energy is absorbed by the
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, maintaining the
earth’s warmth
IMPORTANCE
The greenhouse effect is a very important process for
the earth – without it the Earth’s average temperature
would be -18°C
 THE ISSUE
Human activity has caused an
increased amount of
greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere.
More heat energy is trapped
by the atmosphere instead of
escaping back into space
Earth’s average temperature
starts to increase
THE ENHANCED GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Gradual increase of the
average global temperature
due to increased
concentrations of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere
CO2 and methane are biggest
issues
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE PLANET?
Melting sea ice:
- Warmer temperatures
mean more sea ice will melt
- Less sea ice means less
sunlight will be reflected off
the surface (more heat will
be absorbed)
- This affects wildlife living in
artic regions greatly
 HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE PLANET?
Sea levels
- More melted sea ice means sea
levels will rise
- This affects biodiversity and
coastline cities
 HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE PLANET?
Extreme weather:
- Global warming has triggered the frequency of climate events
such as:
- heat waves
- Drought
- Heavy downpour
- Floods
- Hurricanes