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What are greenhouse gases and how do they affect our atmosphere?
Greenhouse gases are transparent to incoming (short-wave) radiation from the sun but block infrared (long-wave) radiation from leaving the earth’s atmosphere. This greenhouse effect traps radiation from the sun and warms the planet’s surface.
What do greenhouses gas do in the atmosphere?
What Are Greenhouse Gases? Earth’s greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the planet. The main gases responsible for the greenhouse effect include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor (which all occur naturally), and fluorinated gases (which are synthetic).
How do greenhouse gases affect the heat flow into and out of Earth’s atmosphere?
Solar energy absorbed at Earth’s surface is radiated back into the atmosphere as heat. As the heat makes its way through the atmosphere and back out to space, greenhouse gases absorb much of it. They radiate the heat back to the Earth’s surface, to another greenhouse gas molecule, or out to space.
Why are greenhouse gases harmful?
Greenhouse gases have far-ranging environmental and health effects. They cause climate change by trapping heat, and they also contribute to respiratory disease from smog and air pollution. Extreme weather, food supply disruptions, and increased wildfires are other effects of climate change caused by greenhouse gases.
In what way the greenhouse effect is essential and harmful?
Greenhouse gases keep our planet livable by holding onto some of Earth’s heat energy so that it doesn’t all escape into space. Just as too little greenhouse gas makes Earth too cold, too much greenhouse gas makes Earth too warm.
How are greenhouse gases created?
Sources of greenhouse gases Some greenhouse gases, such as methane, are produced through agricultural practices, in the form of livestock manure, for example. Others, like CO2, largely result from natural processes like respiration, and from the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.