Definition: Greenhouse effect

Category: Environment

Solar energy (heat from the sun), arrives in the earth’s atmosphere as short wavelength radiation. Some of this is reflected by the earth’s surface and atmosphere; however, the vast majority is absorbed, warming the planet. As the earth’s surface gains heat, it starts to emit long wavelength, infra-red radiation back into the atmosphere.

Despite their relative scarcity, greenhouse gases are vital to life on earth because of their ability to act like a blanket, trapping some of this infra-red radiation and preventing it from escaping back into space; without this process the temperature on the earth’s surface would be a lot colder. This concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has grown as a result of human activity and this process would appear to be disturbing the natural balance between incoming and outgoing energy. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/product?code=KS-31-09-272&mode=view