Greenhouse effect

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-012577",
  "term": "Greenhouse effect",
  "field": "Environment",
  "term_source": "Greenhouse Effect",
  "definition": "1. The warming of the Earth's atmosphere attributed to a buildup of carbon dioxide or other gases; some scientists think that this build-up allows the sun's rays to heat the Earth, while making the infra-red radiation atmosphere opaque to infra-red radiation, thereby preventing a counterbalancing loss of heat.\n\n2. Trapping and build-up of heat in the atmosphere (troposphere) near the Earth's surface. Some of the heat flowing back toward space from the Earth's surface is absorbed by water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, and several other gases in the atmosphere and then reradiated back toward the Earth's surface. If the atmospheric concentrations of these greenhouse gases rise, the average temperature of the lower atmosphere will gradually increase. See greenhouse gas, anthropogenic, climate, global warming.\n\n3. Trapping and build-up of heat in the atmosphere (troposphere) near the earth's surface. Some of the heat flowing back toward space from the earth's surface is absorbed by water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, and several other gases in the atmosphere and then reradiated back toward the earth's surface. If the atmospheric concentrations of these greenhouse gases rise, the average temperature of the lower atmosphere will gradually increase. See enhanced greenhouse effect, climate change, global warming.\n\n4. Trapping and build-up of heat in the atmosphere (troposphere) near the Earth's surface. Some of the heat flowing back toward space from the Earth's surface is absorbed by water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, and several other gases in the atmosphere and then reradiated back toward the Earth's surface. If the atmospheric concentrations of these greenhouse gases rise, the average temperature of the lower atmosphere will gradually increase.\n\n5. The atmosphere allows solar radiation to reach the earth relatively easily. The atmosphere absorbs the infrared radiation emitted by the Earth's surface and radiates it back to the Earth in much the same way a greenhouse traps heat as the sun's rays pass through the glass, and the heat generated does not pass back through the glass. The \"greenhouse effect\" causes the surface of the Earth to be much warmer that it would be without the atmosphere 60°F). Without the greenhouse effect, life as we know it might not exist on Earth.",
  "subject": "Environmental events",
  "references": [
    "Terms of Environment",
    "Glossary of Climate Change Terms",
    "Greenhouse Gas Emissions",
    "Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Source: UNFCCC glossaries; Glossary of Climate Change Terms",
    "NOAA Climate Program Office Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/greenhouse-effect/"
}