Greenhouse effect Definition and 27 Threads

I have been searching for the answer yet – as I'm here – didn't find it. The current model of climate warming says the lower parts of Earth's atmosphere don't allow the IR radiation to escape freely to the outer space because the GH gas molecules keep absorbing it virtually as soon as it's been...

I think part (a) is simple enough. Here is what I have done. (a) ##G=\sigma T^{4}_{s} - OLR## $$ =\sigma (294)^{4} - 160 = 254 Wm^-{2} $$ Part (b) is where I am confused. I think I'm supposed to apply the second relevant equation, in order to get the change in average surface temperature due to...

This is a very simple question. I've read a fair bit about the greenhouse effect and how GHGs affect the Earth's surface temperature and I know it can get very complex. But if I boil it down, it seems to be a very simple thing. Am I right to think of it this way? Radiation from the sun reaches...

Hi everybody I follow climate denier pages and every now and then come across a claim that doesn't seem to have been debunked yet. One such claim is made here: <link to uacceptable source deleted> The gist of the article is that scientists experimented with using different gases in double...

In a future (100, 500, and 1000 years in the future specifically) where industrial and domestic pollution is totally unregulated, what does the composition of the atmosphere look like? And what do weather systems look like? I know this is an extremely broad question, I'm just looking for a few...

If a terrestrial, earth-like planet had an atmosphere similar to Earth but with only around 15% oxygen concentration and 84% nitrogen, what impact would that have on the greenhouse effect of the planet's atmosphere? Are there other factors that would be relevant to calculating the greenhouse effect?

How does radiative forcing relate to the greenhouse effect? Is radiative forcing part of the greenhouse effect? Or does radiative forcing cause it? I'm confused. Clear explanation needed. Thanks

haruspex submitted a new PF Insights post Frequently Made Errors in Climate Science - The Greenhouse Effect Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

NASA says Earth's greenhouse effect makes Earth 33 C hotter than the Moon. All of that warming can be explained by Earth having 1 bar of pressure compared to the Moon having no pressure. Going from the Moon to Earth is like going from the top of the troposphere to sea level, roughly speaking...

I am trying to back-calculate the greenhouse effect on planetary equilibrium temperature for Earth (in the hope I can then attempt applying it to other calculations.) I know that the actual equilibrium temperature of Earth is 287.89K, +33K above the calculated equilibrium temperature: Teq = (Q...

The wiki article on the greenhouse effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_effect) has a top illustration which shows the flow of heat and energy (Watts per meter squared) between outer space, the atmosphere, and Earth's surface. The illustrations shows that of the 519 in the...

Hey, so I was thinking how the atmosphere is held close to Earth due to gravity and realized that if certain molecules have a certain amount of kinetic energy, they are bound to leave the atmosphere correct? I mean there is an escape velocity that these molecules must need and I'm sure molecules...

As I understand and I think correctly, that Green house effect is in essence conversion of lower wavelengths in the Sun's energy to higher wavelength near infrared regions which can heat up the medium more efficiently. So if we have a closed transparent box containing some amount of green house...

I read that biodegradable waste in landfills produces methane, a harmful GHG. But didn't biodegradable waste always exist? We throw paper away, but the trees we produce paper from would have died eventually. Our organic waste comes from plants and animals that would have died eventually too. So...

I read that when heat passes through the glass of a greenhouse it gets absorbed by the Earth inside the greenhouse. The Earth reflects this heat but these rays are of longer wavelength so it bounces off the glass and inturn heats the greenhouse more. Now the heat coming from the sun is...

I posed this question in the Earth section of the forums, but I think I wasn't clear enough in how I posed my question, plus I think the question is more physics than Earth science. I have decided to try posing my question as a series of questions building to the main point. This is because I...

I have a question about the greenhouse effect that I hope you all can answer. My neighborhood went bonkers last night b/c an older woman left her dog in her car at 10:30 pm to do some grocery shopping. It was dark, but it was 84 degrees. I know this would be extremely dangerous if the...

Which of the following has the greatest greenhouse effect, on a per-pound basis? CFC-11 Carbon Dioxide HFC-23 Methane Nitrous Oxide

Hi everyone I realized that I had a mistaken belief about the meaning of the term greenhouse effect. I thought that it refers to the phenomenon whereby there is an exchange of heat due to light but without there being a direct air contact between the body being heated and the surrounding...

Ok I don’t really know any reasons why this doesn’t happen already so I’m hoping some people can help. Is it not possible to induce a Runaway greenhouse effect in a controlled environment and then use it for energy production? If it is possible why isn’t it being done (too inefficient...

I have to do some research on the greenhouse effect (the physics of it anyway) I am not to familiar with the topic and am on a tight schedule. If anyone has some interesting links, thoughts please share. I am interested in the role of clouds in GHG (greenhouse gases), how much do we know...

Homework Statement I learned that the solar radiation entering the atmosphere heats up the Earth's surface and the heat then radiates from the surface to the rest of the atmosphere. Is the greenhouse effect mostly dependent on the heat radiating from the surface, or do the greenhouse gases...

Can anyone explain what the right approach to this stuff is? It's an area I am largely ignorant about. According to the Stefan-Boltzmann Law, the Earth should be -18C. Obviously, this isn't true because the Earth isn't a blackbody. But my questions: 1. Why isn't the Earth technically a...

Hi, In the study of the greenhouse effect, I know for a fact that short wavelength radiation pass through a glass container and heat up its contents. When its contents get hot, they will re-emit longer wavelength (and hence lower energies) radiation, which will then be unable to pass through...

G. Gerlich, R. D. Tscheuschner (2009) Falsification Of The Atmospheric CO2 Greenhouse Effects Within The Frame Of Physics. International Journal of Modern Physics B, Vol. 23, No. 3 (30 January 2009), 275-364 (World Scientific Publishing Co.) see...

Given equations: \frac{d T^4}{dr} = - \frac{3 \kappa \rho}{a c} F_{rad} where a = 4 \sigma_{B} / c with \sigma_{B} being the Boltzmann constant. Also, define the optical depth \tau = \int \kappa \rho dr Optical depth measured at ground level is \tau_{g} Where \tau_{g} = \int^\infty_{ground}...

Who is considered the father of the greenhouse effect and why? what did he discover? and where was he from and where did he work? If anyone could please help answer these questions it would be greatly appriciated. Thanks Kathleen