What is the Greenhouse effect?

Question

I have heard so many different explanations I am wanting some clarification. I am a little confused about the thermodynamics.

1. I have read it works like a blanket, or insulation. Piping Insulation does not transfer heat back to the pipe. Insulation calculations also do not use radiation, and the insulating factor is the air in the foam not the air. It appears to me if this explanation was used we are talking about convection, not radiation. Insulation on a pipe does have a temperature gradient linear like the earth.

2. I have seen the word re-radiate used. I alwaysed used the Q=A F12 S(T^4-Te^4) Sorry I can not get an epsilon or sigma on my post. Every time I try it I get a negative heat transfer from the earth to the CO2. I have read something about an Open system, but have never seen it defined, derived or calculated.

3. I from my own background believe what is really happening and makes thermo since is, most of the effect is at the ground level. The air above a hotspot, (an unshaded area) gets warmer than the shade, and it can re-radiate to the shade. In the upper atmoshere Greenhouse gasses will warm and convect and radiate to the gasses around them, then they will to the gasses around them, ultimately warming the ground.

Answer 1

It is simply the rays of sunlight coming in through the earth's atmosphere, bouncing off the ground then trying to escape back out of the atmosphere but it can't because of all the carbon dioxide.

The carbon dioxide traps it and sends it back down to earth. Therefore, all this sunlight heats up our earth more and more.

It is like a "Greenhouse" made of glass or pexiglass in which people grow plants.

REPLY: No, People just call it "the greenhouse effect" Because it is LIKE a greenhouse. I guess it is like a metaphor. But from what you are saying, it does not work exactly the same way scientifically, but similarly.

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The carbon dioxide does not absorb the radiation being reflected off the ground. It deflects it. Disabling it from escaping through the atmosphere....

Further understanding...

This is why people are trying to elimnate "greenhouse gases" which is the Carbon Dioxide. Carbon dioxide is produced by cars and power plants, because of this people are trying to produce hybrids and cars, like the Chevy Volt, which are solely dependent on electricity (a renewable energy source).

Answer 2

"Greenhouse" is a poor analogy, IMO. A greenhouse loses heat by convection, the earth loses heat by radiation. They use this analogy because people think they understand it.

That said, CO2 absorbs certain wavelengths of light that would normally be radiated out into space. The more CO2 there is, the more these wavelengths get absorbed. The global warming proponents state that this slight (in absolute, but high in relative) increase of CO2 is causing slightly more heat to be re-radiated back to earth.

Computer models (depending on the assumptions, of course) predict a further warming of the earth. Stand by for real-world confirmation or refutation....

Answer 3

One of the most successful scams ever produced by socialists, communists, lefties, fascists, and democrats.