Objective

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to describe the greenhouse effect.

What is the greenhouse effect? How does it affect Earth?

Learn about it!
What is the Greenhouse Effect?

To define greenhouse effect, let us first study how solar radiation reaches Earth's surface.

1. Earth’s overall temperature would be much colder than it is currently if it did not have its thick
atmosphere. As the radiation from the sun passes through the atmosphere, part of it is reflected, so
that much less hits Earth’s surface than if no atmosphere were present.
2. Some radiation is also reflected by Earth’s surface back into the atmosphere and into space, so that
the proportion of reflected radiation is about 30% of the total coming from the sun. Another 50% of
the total solar radiation is absorbed by Earth’s surface, and the remainder is absorbed by the
atmosphere.
3. Earth’s surface is heated by incoming radiation so that it emits infrared radiation, or heat, which has
a longer wavelength than the incoming, mostly visible, radiation. Although the atmosphere allows
most visible radiation to pass through, most gases within it can absorb and re-emit infrared
radiation. Thus, the heat tends to become trapped and scattered in the atmosphere, with only a
portion being emitted into space.

This process of solar radiation entering Earth’s atmosphere and becoming trapped in the form of heat is
called the greenhouse effect, because the result is similar to the increased temperatures seen within glass
houses used to grow plants.

Learn about it!

What Factors Contribute to the Greenhouse Effect?

Any gaseous molecule that is composed of more than one element can potentially absorb and re-emit infrared
radiation. Since over 99% of Earth’s atmosphere is composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon gases, only a tiny
fraction of Earth’s atmosphere contributes to the greenhouse effect.

 Water vapor is the largest contributor to this effect, although its extent varies greatly depending on
the overall humidity, or water content in the atmosphere.
 Carbon dioxide is another major contributor, for which the effect ranges from 9-26%.
 Methane and various fluorocarbons are more potent greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide, but the
effect of the former is about 4-9% and of the latter is negligible due to the much lower abundance of
these compounds in the atmosphere.
 Ozone is an example of a molecule containing only one element that also contributes to the
greenhouse effect, with a contribution of 3-7%.
 The presence of clouds and air pollution can also influence the greenhouse effect by increasing how
much solar radiation is reflected.
How Can Greenhouse Effect be Harmful?

1. Adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere increases its capacity to absorb and re-emit
infrared radiation. In turn, this increased ability to trap and scatter heat contributes to global
 climate change. Greenhouse gases may be added to the atmosphere by several natural processes,
but the most rapidly changing factor in recent times has been the human use of fossil fuels.
2. Combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas is thought to be the main contributor to the 40% increase in
carbon dioxide levels observed over the past 150 years. This increase in greenhouse gas has been
associated with increased average global temperatures, sea level rises, ocean acidification, and more
severe storms. How to limit climate change is now considered one of the most critical environmental
questions for the survival and well-being of many species and human cultures throughout the globe.

here is a current debate on the existence of global warming and the greenhouse effect is one of the concepts
that is used to support the existence of global warming. Do you believe in global warming? Why?

Key Points

 The process of solar radiation entering Earth’s atmosphere and becoming trapped in the form of heat
is called the greenhouse effect.
 The factors that contribute to the greenhouse effect are: water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and
fluorocarbons, ozone, and clouds.
 Greenhouse effect can be harmful since this may be added to the atmosphere by several natural
processes.

QUESTION 1
1. What do you call the process of solar radiation entering Earth's atmosphere and becoming
trapped in the form of heat?
2. Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?
3. What percentage of gases in the atmosphere contributes to the greenhouse effect?
4. How much does oxygen contribute to greenhouse effect?
5. How do clouds affect the atmosphere and greenhouse effect?
6. Which processes best describe what happens to a portion of solar radiation that nears Earth
and becomes subject to the greenhouse effect?
7. Why does the individual effect of each major greenhouse gas vary so much?
8. Why is the amount of fossil fuel combustion carried out by humans over the past 150 years
more likely to change the climate than volcanic activity over the same time period?
9. As the atmosphere becomes warmer, it is capable of holding more water vapor. Which
choice describes the best way to limit the role of water vapor in the greenhouse effect?
10. A group of geoengineers suggests that one way to limit the effects of climate change could be
to periodically add sulfur dioxide aerosol to the atmosphere in order to increase reflection of
incoming radiation. Is this solution likely to be effective for reducing climate change in the
long run? Why or why not?