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The greenhouse gases hold the heat. This heat warms the atmosphere around and also back down to the surface of the earth. As more fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) are burnt, more greenhouse gases are emitted and the atmosphere gets warmer. This is called global warming, which is causing climate change.

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What happens to the sun's heat in the greenhouse effect?

The sun's heat (ultraviolet radiation) warms the surface of the earth.Heat rises (infrared radiation) rises from the warm earth.Much of this heat is captured by greenhouse gases which become warm.This warmth makes the surrounding atmosphere warm.It also warms the surface of the earth even further.


What happens to solar radiation that is not reflected back into the atmosphere?

Some is absorbed by the atmosphereSome is absorbed by clouds and particles in the atmosphereThe rest reaches and warms the surface of the earth.This warmth rises from the surface as infrared energy. Much of it is captured by the ever-increasing levels of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane). This increasing warmth is happening globally, global warming.


What happens to solar energy that is absorbed at earth's surface?

Solar energy that is absorbed at Earth's surface is transformed into heat, which warms the surface. This heat can then be radiated back into the atmosphere as infrared radiation. Some of this heat is trapped by greenhouse gases, contributing to the Earth's overall temperature.


How do greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun?

Greenhouse gases absorb infrared electromagnetic radiation. As sunlight (mostly UV and visible light) heats the earth, longer wavelengths are radiated or emitted, i.e infrared light. Infrared active molecules, such as carbon dioxide and methane, absorb infrared light causing these molecules to vibrate. High concentrations of these vibrating molecules in the gaseous atmosphere provides for energy transfer (kinetic) due to vibrational collision. Because temperature is simply a measure of kinetic energy in matter, an increase in vibrational energy of gaseous molecules results in a rise in air temperature. The global result is an increase in measured average ambient temperatures.


What happens to the energy radiated by the earth?

The energy radiated by the Earth is mainly in the form of infrared radiation. This energy is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, which trap some of the heat and prevent it from escaping back into space. This process helps to maintain a relatively stable temperature on Earth, known as the greenhouse effect.

Related Questions

What happens to greenhouse gas molecules when they encounter infrared radiation?

When greenhouse gas molecules encounter infrared radiation, they absorb the radiation and become energized. This causes them to vibrate and release heat energy, which contributes to the warming of the Earth's atmosphere.


What happens as the sun's heat warms the earth's surface?

The heat rises in the form of infrared radiation, which is easily captured by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.


What happens to the sun's heat in the greenhouse effect?

The sun's heat (ultraviolet radiation) warms the surface of the earth.Heat rises (infrared radiation) rises from the warm earth.Much of this heat is captured by greenhouse gases which become warm.This warmth makes the surrounding atmosphere warm.It also warms the surface of the earth even further.


What happens to the size of the waves when reflected in the greenhouse effect?

Visible light radiation comes to us from the sun in the form of short wave ultraviolet light. This warms the surface of the earth. This warmth rises into the atmosphere in the form of infrared, long wave radiation, where it is captured by greenhouse gases in the greenhouse effect.


What happens to the infrared radiation that earth emit to the atmosphere?

Much of it is captured by the greenhouse gases, which hold the heat and prevent it escaping into space. As we add more and more greenhouse gases, they are able to hold more heat. This is how we are causing global warming.


How does the greenhouse effect happens?

The Greenhouse effect happens when the sun's radiation gets trapped in Earth's atmosphere. The gases rise up and sink back and forth causing, what we call, Global Warming.A:The greenhouse effect happens due to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere such as H2O and CO2. they start trapping more infrared radiations than average which leads to the increase in earth's temperature. The natural greenhouse effect is beneficial to the planet. The enhanced greenhouse effect is caused by additional greenhouse gases and that is what is causing global warming.


What happens to solar radiation that is not reflected back into the atmosphere?

Some is absorbed by the atmosphereSome is absorbed by clouds and particles in the atmosphereThe rest reaches and warms the surface of the earth.This warmth rises from the surface as infrared energy. Much of it is captured by the ever-increasing levels of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane). This increasing warmth is happening globally, global warming.


What happens to sunlight hits earth surface?

It gets absorbed by the surface, reflected, and even radiated back as infrared rays where it is absorbed by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.


What happens to solar energy that is absorbed at earth's surface?

Solar energy that is absorbed at Earth's surface is transformed into heat, which warms the surface. This heat can then be radiated back into the atmosphere as infrared radiation. Some of this heat is trapped by greenhouse gases, contributing to the Earth's overall temperature.


How do greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun?

Greenhouse gases absorb infrared electromagnetic radiation. As sunlight (mostly UV and visible light) heats the earth, longer wavelengths are radiated or emitted, i.e infrared light. Infrared active molecules, such as carbon dioxide and methane, absorb infrared light causing these molecules to vibrate. High concentrations of these vibrating molecules in the gaseous atmosphere provides for energy transfer (kinetic) due to vibrational collision. Because temperature is simply a measure of kinetic energy in matter, an increase in vibrational energy of gaseous molecules results in a rise in air temperature. The global result is an increase in measured average ambient temperatures.


What happens to the energy radiated by the earth?

The energy radiated by the Earth is mainly in the form of infrared radiation. This energy is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, which trap some of the heat and prevent it from escaping back into space. This process helps to maintain a relatively stable temperature on Earth, known as the greenhouse effect.


Why is Earth's atmosphere mainly heated from the ground up?

Solar radiation mostly passes through the atmosphere without heating it, due to its wavelength. It does not pass through the ground, however, and it heats the ground. The ground emits radiation at a wavelength dependent on its temperature. This radiation happens to be in the thermal infrared part of the spectrum, or in other words, sensible heat. Therefore, the atmosphere is heated by the surface, whereupon the heat tends to rise and heat the lower atmosphere.