The Greenhouse Effect

The Greenhouse Effect is the rise in the earth's temperature due to certain gases such as CO 2, water vapor, nitrous oxide and methane that trap energy from the sun. These gases are extremely vital to the Earth's overall temperature. In the absence of these gases, heat would go back into space, thus making the Earth's temperature significantly colder. Since these gases are key to the warmth of our planet, they are labeled as greenhouse gases. Here's a little background information on greenhouses just incase you forget their main purpose. In a greenhouse, the glass panels are used to capture heat from the sun, but do not allow the heat to escape. This gives the plants great amounts of heat so that they can survive, and prosper in the winter. The greenhouse gases in our atmosphere can compare to the function of the glass panels in a greenhouse. First, the light from the sun enters the earth's atmosphere moving through the different layers of greenhouse gases. The sunlight than approaches the Earth's surface, and the land and water absorb the energy from the sunlight. The energy is than sent back into the earth's atmosphere, thus causing Earth to have an increase in temperature. In summary, the greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere compare to the glass panels in a greenhouse. The energy is absorbed, and the heat remains causing the increase in temperature.

CITATIONS
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/greenhouse.html

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-overview-interactive.html