The Greenhouse Effect | EssayIvy.com

Running Head: THE GREEN HOUSE EFFECT 1

The Greenhouse Effect

Name:

Institutional affiliation;

Course:

Instructor:

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

The Greenhouse Effect

Introduction

Greenhouse effect generally refers to a phenomenon where thermal radiation from the

earth’s surface is absorbed by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and then re-radiated

back. The re-radiation effect causes the temperature on the earth surface to be higher than

what it would be if these atmospheric gases were absent. A larger proportion of infrared

radiation being reflected upward form the surface of the earth is absorbed in the atmosphere

and re-radiated (reflected) upward and downward. What makes the atmosphere much warmer

than it would be is the fact that, the earth’s surface does not just receive solar radiation but, in

addition receives infra-red radiation from, the clouds and the atmosphere. This mechanism is

named after the actual greenhouses where the solar radiation passes through a glass or

polythene warming the greenhouse. The way greenhouse retains heat is a little different as it

mostly works by restricting the upward convection of heat but not radiation. The greenhouse

effect is responsible for making the earth warm. Without this effect, the earth would be colder

and inhabitable (Sorokhtin, Chillinger&Khilyuk, 2007).

Water vapor is one most important atmospheric greenhouse gases. Water vapor plays

a major function in holding the outgoing terrestrial radiation. However, the water vapor is not

treated as an external force in the climate system, but as feedback since it responds rapidly

according to the changing climatic conditions. Clouds and water vapor play a very important

role as the climate system feedbacks.

Apart from the water vapor, the very important greenhouse gases (which are highly

emphasized) include carbon dioxide, organic gases (methane), ozone, nitrous oxide and

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The chlorofluorocarbons are totally from anthropogenic source.

Carbon dioxide is believed to be responding to changes and sinks from forty to hundreds of

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

years whereas methane inherent scale of time is about eight years. The ozone, which

concentrates more in the middle stratosphere, filters the harmful ultraviolet radiation. The

percentage of these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is less than one. The concentration of

these gases is controlled by ‘sources’ and ‘sinks’ processes. These are processes are involved

in the generation and destruction of greenhouse gases respectively. Human affects the levels

of greenhouse gases through the introduction of new sources and interference of the natural

sinks. By interfering with the natural trend of these gases, it will result to increased intensity

of global warming; a condition where there are increases in the temperature on the earth.

Alongside fossil fuel gases, carbon dioxide is one of the most highlighted greenhouse

gases. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been rising since the 19th

century (Keller, 2007). Human activities such as deforestation and utilization of fossil fuels

contribute to this rise. Its level is anticipated to double the natural postglacial value in the

coming years if the no measures are taken to control it. According to the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the current atmospheric CO2 levels stand at

approximately 400 parts per million (PPM), This is an increase of about 30% since 1860

(using www.esrl.noaa.gov, 2014. ) The factors that have contributed to this rise in carbon

dioxide include industrialization and deforestation in the advancement of settlement to

contain the growing population. The industries consume fossil fuels and result in emitting

significant amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere. This shows how the industrial revolution since

mid 19th century has contributed to rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide. More on this, there

has been a very sharp increase in the number of automobiles which emit CO2 alongside other

greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Cutting down of vegetation to create room for

urbanization and for commercial purposes has also been on the rise. Vegetation play a crucial

role in controlling of atmospheric carbon dioxide hence man destroys them the CO2 levels

increases.

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Having analyzed the evidence of the relationship between the increase in carbon

dioxide concentrations and temperatures much has been predicted. It is predicted that more

violent atmospheric disturbances (storms) will be experienced due to thermal energy increase

in the atmosphere. Other predictions that relate to not reducing the rate of these emissions

include an increase in global temperatures, rise in sea levels, inundation of islands and sea

levels and shift of climate zones. All these create an event known as climate change. It is also

predicted that a lot of diseases will spread to the temperate regions from the tropics where

disease-causing insects thrive.

The scientists and researchers agree that emitting more greenhouse gases such as

carbon dioxide will raise the earth’s temperatures and result to negative effects (Keller,

2007). How much and how soon this will happen, is still a debatable issue. There is

uncertainty in the whole issue because of complexities of the climate system hence making it

hard to predict. Before acting to these predictions, it is important to be certain about the

extents and disparities of these phenomena. The policymakers must work hand in hand with

the scientists and clear the air about the real issues of climate change. This will help come up

with an implementable plan of action to deal with the problem, instead of relying on

objectionable predictions.

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

References

ESRL Global Monitoring Division - Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network.(n.d.).ESRL

Co2 Trends RSS. Retrieved March 6, 2014, from

http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/

Jakab, C. (2011). Greenhouse gases. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark.

Keller, C. F. (2007). Global Warming 2007. An Update to Global Warming: The Balance of

Evidence and Its Policy Implications. TheScientificWorldJournal, 7, 381-399.

Shukla, J. S. (2013). Question Mark on Earth in Context of Green House Effect.IOSR Journal

Of Environmental Science, Toxicology And Food Technology, 4(4), 38-46.

Sorokhtin, O. G., Chilingar, G. V., &Khilyuk, L. F. (2007).Global warming and global

cooling evolution of climate on Earth..S.l.: Elsevier Science.

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."