Greenhouse Effect
A phenomenon that results in the heating of the Earth as radiation (heat and light) from the sun is trapped within the atmosphere.
To understand this best, imagine a wave of radiation on its journey from the sun. As it travels towards the Earth, it exists as a state known as short wave. Upon hitting the Earth’s surface, about 50% of this energy is reflected or emitted back towards space. However, some of this reflected energy, now in long wave (or infrared) form, is intercepted by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and reflected back towards the surface. This cycle repeats, warming the Earth as a result, until all the energy is transferred.
It is important to remember that the greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon to which we owe our existence as it keeps the Earth’s temperature at an inhabitable level. The natural greenhouse effect is reliant on water vapour, the most commonly occurring greenhouse gas.
This process is generally blamed for a global warming of the climate because the process has been intensified by the injection of a greater concentration of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by human processes, endangering many aspects of the planet.
For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_effect
Basic Explanation:
