BEIRUT ARAB UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF SCIENCE
Department of Biology

BIOL 002
Global Warming
 Lecture 2
The Greenhouse Effect
Introduction
 History of Earth’s Climate
 The Earth was formed around 4.6 billion years ago

 And was originally very hot.

 Liquid water was present on the surface around 4.3

billion years ago.
 History of Earth’s Climate
 The first life forms appeared ~3.8 billion years ago

 Photosynthesis began 3.5-2.5 billion years ago

– which produced oxygen and removed carbon dioxide and
methane, which are greenhouse gases, from the
atmosphere.
– As a result, the Earth went through periods of cooling,
commonly referred to as “Snowball Earth” and
subsequent warming.

 Earth began its current cycles of glacial and interglacial

periods around 3 million years ago.
 Earth’s Temperature
 The temperature of the earth is directly related to the energy
input from the Sun.

 Some of the Sun’s energy is reflected by clouds.

 Other is reflected by ice.

 The remainder is absorbed by the earth.

 Earth’s Temperature
Solar
Sun
Energy

Solar

Energy
 Earth’s Temperature
 If amount of solar energy absorbed by the earth is equal to
the amount radiated back into space, the earth remains
at a constant temperature.
 Earth’s Temperature

Sun

Solar Radiation
Cooling
Energy
 Earth’s Temperature

 However, if the amount of solar energy absorbed by the

earth is greater than the amount radiated, then the earth
heats up.
 Earth’s Temperature

Sun
Solar
Radiation
Cooling
Energy
 Earth’s Temperature

 If the amount of solar energy absorbed by the earth is less

than the amount radiated, then the earth cools down.
 Earth’s Temperature

Sun

Solar
Radiation
Energy Cooling
Sun
Greenhouse Effect
 Is the climate becoming warmer and
warmer?
 According to the National Academy of Sciences, the Earth's
surface temperature has risen by about 1 degree in the past
century, with accelerated warming during the past two
decades.

 There is new and stronger evidence that most of the

warming over the last 50 years is attribute to human
activities.

 Human activities have altered the chemical composition of

the atmosphere through the buildup of greenhouse gases –
primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
 Earth’s Atmospheric Gases
Nitrogen (N2)
Non-
Greenhouse
Gases
Oxygen (O2)
99%

Water (H2O)

Greenhouse
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Gases
1%
Methane (CH4)
Global temperature trend
 What cause the temperature of the
atmosphere to go up?
 There are many possible mechanisms that can cause the
warming of the atmosphere, for example:
 Natural variation
 Solar activity
 Greenhouse effect – increasing “greenhouse” gases such as
CO2, CH4, NO, CFC,…etc.

 The last one is presently thought to be the most likely cause of

the global warming and hence we will examine it here in this
chapter.
 The real greenhouse
Greenhouses are special buildings usually made from glass and steel.
They are used to grow plants that need humidity, tropical temperatures,
and constant growing conditions.
In a glass greenhouse, heat builds up and gets trapped due to presence
of carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gases in the upper atmosphere.
It offers plants a warm and humid environment, even if the outside
weather is dry, windy, or cold.
 Definition of the Greenhouse Effect

 “ It’s a phenomenon which helps to keep the earth warm

enough for existence of life on it”.

 First postulated by a Swedish chemist in 1896.

 The Greenhouse Effect
 The Earth gets solar energy as sunlight (shortwave radiation).

 The Earth's surface absorbs some of this energy and heats up,
but then cools down by giving off a different form of energy,
called (longwave) infrared radiation.

 Some of this radiation escapes to outer space, but most is

absorbed and re-emitted by GHGs which makes the
atmosphere warmer. This makes the Earth's surface warmer,
too.
 The Greenhouse Effect
 The greenhouse effect is the process by which absorption and
emission of infrared radiation by gases in the atmosphere are
purported to warm a planet's lower atmosphere and surface.

 Naturally occurring greenhouse gases have a mean warming

effect of about 33 °C (59 °F).

 Clouds also affect the radiation balance, but they are composed
of liquid water or ice and so have different effects on radiation from
water vapor.
 The Greenhouse Effect
 We need a certain amount of GHGs. If it were not for
greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide)
trapping heat in the atmosphere, the Earth would be a very
cold place.

 Greenhouse gases keep the Earth warm through this

greenhouse effect. 

 The GHGs form an invisible layer in the troposphere – the

bottom layer of the atmosphere.

 It is (long wave) infrared radiation given off by the Earth

that is trapped by GHGs (NOT solar radiation).
 The Greenhouse Effect
 The word greenhouse effect holds two meanings

 One is the natural greenhouse effect that keeps our Earths

climate normal and comfortable.

 On the other hand there is a man made greenhouse effect

which is an enhancement of natural greenhouse made from
burning fossil fuels, petroleum, coal, and natural gas.
 Natural Greenhouse Effect
Earth is much colder than the sun, but it is warmer than the space
outside its atmosphere.

Earth's atmosphere is made up of gases, and these gases allow some

solar radiation to reach the planet but also absorb some of the heat
radiating from the planet, trapping it and radiating it back downward to
the surface.

This cycle is called the greenhouse effect, because it is similar to the

warming process inside a glass-walled greenhouse.

Earth's atmosphere traps enough heat to keep the entire planet

warm; without it, the average temperature of the Earth's surface
would be much colder than the freezing point of water, about 0
degrees Celsius.
Venus has CO2 60,000 times in its atmosphere than
earth and has a corresponding average temperature
of 850 F
Mars has no CO2 and its average temperature is 24 F
 Man-made Greenhouse Effect
 Activities made by humans result in production of greenhouse
gases.

 While the amounts of gases increase in the atmosphere the

stability of the greenhouse gases change causing effects on the
whole world.

 Greenhouse effects caused by burning fossil fuels, coal, oil,

natural gases, cutting and burning trees producing carbon
dioxide.

 Greenhouse gases trap heat making earth warmer and creating

global Warming.
 Human causes
 Increasing greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, oil,
coal, gas.

 Pollution, smog from factories.

 Large forests have been cut down (trees absorb CO2 and pollution,
deforestation creates about 6 billion tons of CO2 per year).

 Increasing world population: more people requires more food, energy,

transportation, etc…

 Farm animals release methane from their wastes.

 More people also means more CO2 production.

 What is happening is called the Enhanced
Greenhouse Effect

 The extra GHGs result in more heat being absorbed and re-
emitted to Earth’s surface, warming it.

 This is called the “enhanced greenhouse effect”.

Summary
 Clouds
o Main non-gas contributors to the greenhouse effect:

Clouds

o Actually clouds do both

– 1)act as insulation warming the earth
– 2)reflect insolation cooling the earth
 Cloud Effects on Earth's Radiation
 Clouds play a complex role in the Earth's radiation budget.

 Low Clouds reflect much of the sunlight that falls on them,

but have little Effect on the emitted energy.
 Thus, low clouds act to cool the Current climate.

 High clouds reflect less energy, but trap more of The energy
emitted by the surface.
 Thus, High clouds act to warm the Current climate.
 Without Clouds

o Days are warmer most insolation is
received.

o Night temperatures drop more
there are no clouds to keep the infrared
heat trapped in the atmosphere.
The basic principle of global warming can be understood
by considering
the radiation energy from the Sun that warms the Earth’s
surface and
the thermal radiation from the Earth and the atmosphere
that is radiated
out to space. On average these two radiation streams must
balance.
If the balance is disturbed (for instance by an increase in
atmospheric
carbon dioxide) it can be restored by an increase in the
Earth’s surface temperature.
The Sun’s energy reaches Earth through Radiation
(heat traveling through Space)
 Advantages of greenhouse effect

One of the reasons why our planet is able to sustain life is

because of the presence of greenhouse gases and their effect
on earth’s atmosphere and human beings. They can be
summarized as follows:
 Advantages of greenhouse effect
 The greenhouse effect maintains a manageable temperature
on the earth’s surface and makes it habitable for humans,
plants and animals.

 The greenhouse gases act as a filter. Unwanted solar energy

is sent back to space.
 Ozone absorbs the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.
 Carbon dioxide and other gases absorb the longer wavelength
radiation.
 Without these greenhouse gases acting as filter, all harmful rays
would have been radiated back to the earth’s surface.
 Advantages of greenhouse effect
 For ages, humans have used the greenhouse effect to grow
plants even if it is not the season for it. Out of season crops
are grown by creating a greenhouse effect artificially.

 Solar powered water heaters use the greenhouse effect to

heat water. This contributes to energy saving and can save
up to 20-30 percent of the domestic energy bill.
 The disadvantages of Green house effect

 The primary effect of the increase in greenhouse gases would be

on climate. This would mean warmer summers with natural
disasters.

 Hurricanes have become common in recent years.

 Water level balance of the earth would be destroyed.

 Polar ice caps would melt leading to an increase in the ocean

level.

 Floods will inundate low lying areas.

 The disadvantages of Green house effect

 Marine life and ecosystem would be destroyed.

• Oceans absorb carbon dioxide thereby affecting the level of
alkalinity.
• Many forms of marine life would be adversely affected if
alkalinity increases.

 Polar ecosystems would be destroyed. In the Arctic, melting

polar caps are threatening the habitats of polar bears and
penguins.
 The disadvantages of Green house effect
 Global warming would also affect the weather pattern. Rainfall
would become erratic in many parts of the world. This might
eventually lead to desertification.

 The effect on human and economic life would also be

tremendous.
• It is estimated that the rise in temperature would reduce global
output by 2 to 3 percent.
• This cost would run into trillions of dollars.
• As agricultural production is affected, this might lead to frequent
famines and famine related diseases.
 Solutions to Greenhouse effect
 Reduce the use of materials which produce greenhouse
gases.
 Avoid the burning of fossil fuel and household residue.
 Upgrade infrastructures.
 Afforestation.
 Using alternative sources of energy.
 Using eco-friendly materials.
 Pollution should be controlled