The Greenhouse Effect


The greenhouse effect, in environmental science, is a popular term for
the effect that certain variable constituents of the Earth's lower atmosphere
have on surface temperatures. These gases--water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide
(CO2), and methane (CH4)--keep ground temperatures at a global average of about
15 degrees C (60 degrees F). Without them the average would be below the
freezing point of H20. The gases have this effect because as incoming solar
radiation strikes the surface, the surface gives off infrared radiation, or heat,
that the gases trap and keep near ground level. The effect is comparable to the
way in which a greenhouse traps heat, hence the term.

Environmental scientists are concerned that changes in the variable
contents of the atmosphere (particularly changes caused by human activities)
could cause the Earth's surface to warm up to a dangerous degree. Even a
limited rise in average surface temperature might lead to at least partial......

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Title: The Greenhouse Effect
Approximate Word Count: 569
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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