Green House Effect

The greenhouse effect is a mechanism causing warming of the surface and

lower atmosphere of the Earth or other planet. The surface, heated by solar
radiation (especially in the visible part of the spectrum at wavelengths of 0.4-
0.8 jam), reaches a stable temperature regulated by the fraction of solar
radiation reflected, known as the albedo (of the order of 0.3 for the Earth), the
rest being absorbed and converted into thermal energy. For Earth, this
equilibrium temperature is 255 K (-18 C). At this temperature, a black body
(absorbing all incident electromagnetic energy) emits mainly in the infrared (A.
> 1 jam). In the case of the Earth, the infrared radiation emitted from the surface
is absorbed by two atmospheric gases: water vapour and carbon dioxide. The
absorption of surface radiation by the lower atmosphere in turn contributes to
the warming of the surface, and the process is amplified. This is known as the
greenhouse effect, so called because it is analogous to the mechanism
Clouds above the Pacific. An image taken from
the International Space Station on 21 July 2003.
Life on Earth.. . 3
whereby a greenhouse is heated, its glass playing the role of the lower
atmosphere and letting through the visible radiation but blocking the infrared.
On Earth, this involves a heating effect of 33 C - a modest value kept constant
by a self-regulatory mechanism involving the oceans. The phenomenon is less
marked on Mars (4 C), but it was undoubtedly much more important in the
past. On Venus, the effect is dramatic. The surface heated to a temperature of
730 K (more than 450 C), showing how the mechanism can run wild if no
regulation is present. This illustrates the threat to the Earth's climate posed by
increased quantities of carbon dioxide, if humans continue to produce it at
current rates.
Figure 1. The mechanism of the greenhouse effect Some of the Sun's radiation reaches
the surface and warms it. The surface then emits infrared radiation which is absorbed by
infrared-active gases in the lower atmosphere (C02, H20). The lower atmosphere, thus
warmed, re-emits radiation towards the surface and further warms it, amplifying the
phenomenon. The numbers indicate the radiation budget in W/m 2. (From S.
Jousseaume, Climat d'Hier a Demain, CNRS Editions-CEA, 1993.)