Greenhouse Effect Essay

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Greenhouse Effect Essay The greenhouse effect plays a crucial part in preserving the environment on earth. The use of chemicals given off from different material objects such as cars and aerosol cans throw off the greenhouse effect. Scientists believe that this may offset the earth’s climate in the future by creating holes in the atmosphere. This is known as global warming. Global warming can effect numerous aspects of the environment including water resources, coastal resources, agriculture, forests, and energy consumption. The earth receives energy from the sun, which warms the earth’s surface. As this energy passes through the atmosphere, a certain percentage gets scattered. Some part of this energy is reflected back into the atmosphere from the land and ocean surface. The rest (70%) actually remains behind to heat the earth. In order to establish a balance, therefore, the earth must radiate some energy back into the atmosphere. As the earth is much cooler than the sun, it does not emit energy as visible light. It emits through infrared or thermal radiation. However, certain gases in the atmosphere form a sort of blanket around the earth and absorb some of this energy emitted back into the atmosphere. Without this blanket effect, the earth would be around 30 o C colder than it normally is. These gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, along with water vapor, comprise less than one per cent of the atmosphere. They are called ‘greenhouse gases’ as the working principle is same as that which occurs in a greenhouse. Just as the glass of the greenhouse prevents the radiation of excess energy, this ‘gas blanket’ absorbs some of the energy emitted by the earth and keeps temperature levels intact. This effect was first recognized by a French scientist, Jean-Baptiste Fourier, who pointed out the similarly in what happens in the atmosphere and in a
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