What is the greenhouse effect and how does it contribute to global warming?

Question

What is the greenhouse effect and how does it contribute to global warming?

Answer 1

Energy/light from the Sun enters the atmosphere, some reflects off the atmosphere, some strikes clouds the remainder reaches the surface and warms it, this heat then rises back and escapes to space. The greenhouse effect is the amount of heat that that is slowed on its way out. The main gases involved are water vapor, c02 and methane. There is a natural greenhouse effect, or the Earths temp would be more like -30c

http://www.ucar.edu/learn/1_3_1.htm

Answer 2

the gases produced by vehicles and other combustion gets trapped in our atmosphere and that traps the heat and cold melting the polar ice caps

Answer 3

Some gases ("greenhouse gases") let sunlight in, which warms the Earth, and then block that heat from leaving. That's the "greenhouse effect", and it's a natural thing, mostly caused by water vapor.  It's like putting a blanket on the Earth.

Man is making excessive amounts of greenhouse gases, mostly by burning fossil fuels. That causes the delicate natural balance to go out of whack and the Earth warms. That's global warming.

EVERY major scientific organization has issued an official statement that this is real, and mostly caused by us.  The National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Physics, the American Chemical Society, the American Geophysical Union, the American Meteorological Association, etc.

It won't be a Hollywood movie style disaster. Gradually coastal areas will flood and agriculture will be damaged. But it will be very bad. Rich countries will cope, but it will take huge amounts of money. In poor countries many people will die of starvation, but not all of them.

Most scientists say, in 20-50 years. But we need to start right now to fix it, fixing it will take even longer than that.

Really good website for more information here:

http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.a...

Answer 4

The green house gas is not there .

   CO2 the plants have already taken care of most of it.

   The Methane is a lie if U don't believe me go measure it. In most places there is a trace amount, where did it all go or was it actually there at first. One other possibility is someone does not calculate very good.

Answer 5

The greenhouse effect is the same as when your car is in the sun with all the windows rolled up and you get inside and it is hotter than outside

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The CO2 and other nasty stuff smoke from factories cars anything that burns something to make something for mankind to buy use have what ever the reason

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Puts out stuff in the air way up there about 12 to 15 miles high that is like the windows in that car rolled up

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Those gases kind of reflect the heat back down to the earth and well you see what happens

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The evenings and night become warmer so the next days heat from the sun next morning already has a head start on getting things warmed up

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Answer 6

The greenhouse effect is when water vapor, CO2 and other green house gases trap in the radiant heat from the sun causing the earth to heat up.  Water vapor is 94% of green house gases with methane causing the most reflectiveness.

Answer 7

The greenhouse effect is a natural effect that allows life on earth.  Greenhouse gases such as methane, water vapor, and co2 act like a greenhouse; they let sunlight and heat in from the sun and then they keep some of it in.  Since the industrial revolution, humans have been adding a lot more co2 into the atmosphere (mostly through burning fossil fuels).  Adding a large amount of co2 increases the greenhouse effect, keeping more heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming.

Answer 8

http://treestostay.blogspot.com/

Answer 9

What greenhouse effect?????  That is another crazy and unproven allegation that is totally false!  WE ARE NOT A GREENHOUSE!

However, don't farmers and others build greenhouses to GROW THINGS?????

Answer 10

On this planet there is a layer in the atmosphere made up of about 97% water vapor.  What is unique about the Earth as opposed to other planets is that we don't freeze every night when the sun goes down.

This is because of the greenhouse effect.  That layer holds in the heat that came from the sun beating down all day and keeps the planet warm during the night as that heat dissipates.  That's why it's so much colder in the mornings.

Imagine every place not in sunshine freezing up once the sun went down.  It's not good for life here at all and that's what makes this such a prosperous planet.  So the green house layer is a very beneficial necessity to life here.

Global warming is just a natural cycle that the planet has been going through for millions of years, as is global cooling.

No one knows what the correct temperature of the planet should be, but we know from history that it's been much warmer and much cooler.  In fact, as this warming period progresses, ice is melting in areas it hasn't in a long time and they are uncovering artifacts from civilizations that prospered long ago when it was much warmer.  Even Greenland was once used for harvesting crops, yet now it's covered in snow.  Maybe some day it will be warm there again, who knows?

History also tells us that the life forms on this planet do much better during the warming periods.  We seem to be in a warming period now that started in the 80's.  Before that we were in a cooling period from the 40's to the late 70's.  Scientist believe we are possibly moving into another cooling period already, so get ready for slightly cooler temperatures.  The average fluctuation has been about 1 degree every 100 years, so it's not that noticeable anyway.

The part that gets political is the debate as to whether humans and animals cause any of these cooling and warming phases that the planet goes through.

Most scientists no longer believe humans have any effect at all.  For one thing, with all our machinery and cars we provide less than 0.3% of the CO2 provided to the atmosphere.  (The oceans release the most.)  So our contribution to the greenhouse layer is less than 0.01%, which is almost negligible.

Beside, CO2 is a natural gas and is completely harmless.  Plants need it to live, so don't feel bad about breathing out that gas.  Think of it as giving life to the trees and plants around us.

Learn as much as you can on the subject so you won't be prey to those who want you to feel guilty about enjoying the wonderful planet we live on.

In the US, our pollution levels have been steadily decreasing since the 70's, so be proud of that fact too.  We all want a cleaner happier planet, don't we?