The Greenhouse Effect Objects in the greenhouse absorb

The Greenhouse Effect

Objects in the greenhouse absorb the light, become warmer and radiate heat

The radiated heat cannot pass back through the glass

The energy is trapped inside the greenhouse and the temperature increases

The atmosphere of the Earth acts like the glass of the greenhouse (well, not really…)

Some of the energy from the Sun enters and is absorbed by the Earth

The atmosphere traps some of the radiated heat from the Earth

Higher levels of greenhouse gases trap more of the radiated heat

This causes the temperature of the Earth to rise

Scientists differ as to what effect this increase in temperature may cause.

One theory: • ice caps will melt • raises the level of the oceans • great climatic changes

Some scientists believe the warming and melting trends will continue and the Earth will be much hotter and drier than it is now.

Others believe that the melting of the ice caps will increase the cloud cover the Earth.

As the Earth cools the ice caps will grow larger as more water freezes.

This will cause an ice age to occur.

Another scientific opinion is that the recent trend of global warming is part of a long term trend of warming and has little to do with pollution.

These scientists point to temperature trends over the past millennium.

Some of the recent global warming may be attributed to solar activity increasing.

So although the mechanism of the greenhouse effect is well understood, the actual affect of pollution on global warming is not completely understood and open to interpretation.

The majority of scientists have reached a consensus that human activity has an impact on global climate.