The greenhouse effect is a pretty common terminology that is being tossed around nowadays. But do we really know what it means? How it is harmful? How is the world tackling a problem as serious as this? Read ahead to find answers to all these questions.
What is Greenhouse Effect?
The greenhouse Effect maintains the planet’s comforting average temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, making life on Earth bearable. The greenhouse effect occurs when radiation from a planet’s atmosphere warms the planet’s surface to a higher temperature than it would be without the atmosphere. In other words, it’s a good thing that the greenhouse effect exists. Without it, the planet would become frozen and inhospitable.
Humans are going haywire after the need for development and are forgetting about the effect it has on our atmosphere. What’s the end result? The global warming curve shooting straight up and causing a number of climate changes.
What Causes the Greenhouse Effect?
The concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere has been between 200 and 280 parts per million for much of the past 800,000 years—much longer than human civilization has existed. However, human activities like burning fossil fuels and deforestation have pushed the concentration up to more than 400 parts per million.
Natural Greenhouse Effect
The earth is livable because of the sun. While 30% of the solar energy that reaches our planet is reflected back to space, the remaining 70% penetrates through the atmosphere. The land, seas, and atmosphere absorb the reflected gas and heats the globe. This heat is then reflected back.
Human Induced Greenhouse Effect
When the natural greenhouse effect takes place, some of this infrared radiation is reflected back into space. The majority—nearly 90%—is absorbed by greenhouse gases. As a result, the gases redirect the heat back towards the planet, producing more warmth.
What are the Greenhouse Gases?
A greenhouse gas absorbs and emits radiant energy in the thermal infrared region, resulting in the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases are essential for maintaining a livable temperature on Earth. The average surface temperature of the Earth would be around 18°C if not for greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases keep temperatures high in the lower atmosphere, enabling less heat to escape. CO2 is the most released greenhouse gas, despite the fact that water vapor is the most prevalent greenhouse gas naturally existing in the atmosphere.
What are the different Greenhouse Gases that are causing Global Warming?
Human actions (most notably the combustion of fossil fuels) have significantly increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in global warming. These greenhouse gases are:
- Water vapor (H2O)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O)
- Ozone (O3)
- Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs and HCFCs)
- Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
- Perfluorocarbons
The impact of any greenhouse gas on the temperature of the Earth is determined by its chemical composition and relative concentration in the atmosphere. Some gases have a great capacity for absorbing infrared light and are found in large quantities. Others have much lower absorption capabilities and are only found in trace amounts.
1. Water Vapor
Although water vapor is the most powerful greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, it behaves differently than other greenhouse gases. This is because the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is largely determined by air temperatures rather than by human behavior. Therefore higher the rate of evaporation of water from the surface, the warmer it is. As a result of enhanced evaporation, the lower atmosphere has a higher concentration of water vapor. This water vapor is capable of absorbing infrared radiation and radiating it back to the surface and trapping more heat.
2. Carbon dioxide
Between 1959 and 2006, CO2 levels in the atmosphere increased by an average of 1.4 parts per million (ppm) every year, and nearly 2.0 ppm per year between 2006 and 2018.
Natural Sources
- Volcanic outgassing
- Organic matter burning
- Natural decay
- Aerobic (oxygen-using) organisms’ respiration
Human Sources
- Burning of fossil fuels
- Creation of cement for transportation
- Heating
- Power generation
- Forest fires
- Land clearance
Human emissions presently account for around 7 gigatons (7 billion tons) of carbon released into the atmosphere each year.
3. Methane
The second most significant greenhouse gas is methane (CH4). However, CH4 is found in significantly lower quantities in the atmosphere than CO2, and its concentrations in the atmosphere are usually measured in parts per billion (ppb) rather than parts per million (ppm).