What Is Greenhouse Effect - Definition, Causes and Effects

2/2/24, 5:38 PM What Is Greenhouse Effect?
- Definition, Causes And Effects
Biology (/biology/) > Biology Article (/biology/articles/) > Greenhouse Effect Gases (/biology/greenhouse-effect-gases/)
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2/2/24, 5:38 PM What Is Greenhouse Effect? - Definition, Causes And Effects
Table of Contents
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What is the Greenhouse Effect?
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Greenhouse Gases
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Causes of Greenhouse Effect
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Effects of Greenhouse Effect
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Runaway Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse Effect Definition
“Greenhouse effect is the process by which radiations from the sun are absorbed by the greenhouse gases and not reflected back into
space. This insulates the surface of the earth and prevents it from freezing.”
What is the Greenhouse Effect?

A greenhouse is a house made of glass that can be used to grow plants. The sun’s radiations warm the plants and the air inside the greenhouse.
The heat trapped inside can’t escape out and warms the greenhouse which is essential for the growth of the plants. Same is the case in the earth’s
atmosphere.
During the day the sun heats up the earth’s atmosphere. At night, when the earth cools down the heat is radiated back into the atmosphere. During
this process, the heat is absorbed by the greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere. This is what makes the surface of the earth warmer, that
makes the survival of living beings on earth possible.
However, due to the increased levels of greenhouse gases, the temperature of the earth has increased considerably. This has led to several drastic
effects.
Let us have a look at the greenhouse gases and understand the causes and consequences of greenhouse effects with the help of a diagram.
Also Read: Global Warming (https://byjus.com/biology/global-warming/)
Greenhouse Gases
“Greenhouse gases are the gases that absorb the infrared radiations and create a greenhouse effect. For eg., carbondioxide and
chlorofluorocarbons.”
Greenhouse Effect Diagram
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The major contributors to the greenhouse gases are factories, automobiles, deforestation (https://byjus.com/chemistry/deforestation/), etc. The
increased number of factories and automobiles increases the amount of these gases in the atmosphere. The greenhouse gases never let the
radiations escape from the earth and increase the surface temperature of the earth. This then leads to global warming.
Also Read: Our Environment (https://byjus.com/biology/our-environment/)
Causes of Greenhouse Effect
The major causes of the greenhouse effect are:
Burning of Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are an important part of our lives. They are widely used in transportation and to produce electricity. Burning of fossil fuels releases
carbon dioxide. With the increase in population, the utilization of fossil fuels has increased. This has led to an increase in the release of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere.
Deforestation
Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Due to the cutting of trees, there is a considerable increase in the greenhouse gases
which increases the earth’s temperature.
Farming
Nitrous oxide used in fertilizers is one of the contributors to the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.
Industrial Waste and Landfills

The industries and factories produce harmful gases which are released in the atmosphere.
Landfills also release carbon dioxide and methane that adds to the greenhouse gases.
1,01,576
Effects of Greenhouse Effect

The main effects of increased greenhouse gases are:
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Global Warming
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a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. The main cause for this environmental issue is
the increased volumes of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane released by the burning of fossil fuels, emissions from the
vehicles, industries and other human activities.
Depletion of Ozone Layer
Ozone Layer protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. It is found in the upper regions of the stratosphere. The depletion of the
ozone layer (https://byjus.com/biology/ozone-layer-depletion/) results in the entry of the harmful UV rays to the earth’s surface that might lead to
skin cancer and can also change the climate drastically.
The major cause of this phenomenon is the accumulation of natural greenhouse gases including chlorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide, methane,
etc.
Smog and Air Pollution

Smog is formed by the combination of smoke and fog. It can be caused both by natural means and man-made activities.
In general, smog is generally formed by the accumulation of more greenhouse gases including nitrogen and sulfur oxides. The major contributors
to the formation of smog are automobile and industrial emissions, agricultural fires, natural forest fires and the reaction of these chemicals among
themselves.
Acidification of Water Bodies

Increase in the total amount of greenhouse gases in the air has turned most of the world’s water bodies acidic. The greenhouse gases mix with the
rainwater and fall as acid rain. This leads to the acidification of water bodies.
Also, the rainwater carries the contaminants along with it and falls into the river, streams and lakes thereby causing their acidification.
Runaway Greenhouse Effect

This phenomenon occurs when the planet absorbs more radiation than it can radiate back. Thus, the heat lost from the earth’s surface is less and
the temperature of the planet keeps rising. Scientists believe that this phenomenon took place on the surface of Venus billions of years ago.
This phenomenon is believed to have occurred in the following manner:
A runaway greenhouse effect arises when the temperature of a planet rises to a level of the boiling point of water. As a result, all the water
from the oceans converts into water vapour, which traps more heat coming from the sun and further increases the planet’s temperature. This
eventually accelerates the greenhouse effect. This is also called the “positive feedback loop”.
There is another scenario giving way to the runaway greenhouse effect. Suppose the temperature rise due to the above causes reaches such
a high level that the chemical reactions begin to occur. These chemical reactions drive carbon dioxide from the rocks into the atmosphere.
This would heat the surface of the planet which would further accelerate the transfer of carbon dioxide from the rocks to the atmosphere,
giving rise to the runaway greenhouse effect.
In simple words, increasing the greenhouse effect gives rise to a runaway greenhouse effect which would increase the temperature of the earth to
such an extent that no life will exist in the near future.
Also Read: Environmental Issues (https://byjus.com/biology/environmental-issues-solutions/)
To learn more about what is the greenhouse effect, its definition, causes and effects, keep visiting BYJU’S website or download the BYJU’S app for
further reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1 What is global warming?
The gradual increase in temperature due to the greenhouse effect caused by pollutants, CFCs and carbon dioxide is called global warming.
This phenomenon has disturbed the climatic pattern of the earth.
Q2 List gases which are responsible for the greenhouse effect.
The major greenhouse gases are:

1) Carbon dioxide
2) Methane
3) Water
4) Nitrous oxide
5) Ozone
6) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
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Q3 What is the greenhouse effect?
Carbon dioxide
on 4th Feb, and
12-3PM water vapour absorb infrared radiations coming to the earth and partly reflect it back to the earth’s surface. Due to this,
& 4-7PM
the surface of the earth gets heated up. This phenomenon is called the greenhouse effect.
Q4 What are the major causes of the greenhouse effect?
Burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, farming and livestock production all contribute to the greenhouse effect. Industries and factories also play
a major role in the release of greenhouse gases.
Q5 What would have happened if the greenhouse gases were totally missing in the earth’s atmosphere?
Earth’s most abundant greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, CFCs, and water vapour. These gases are present near the
Earth’s surface. They absorb solar energy that is radiated back from the surface of the Earth. The absorption of radiation results in the heating
up of the atmosphere. Hence, greenhouse gases are essential for maintaining the temperature of Earth for the sustenance of life.
In the absence of greenhouse gases, the average temperature of Earth will decrease drastically, making it uninhabitable. As a result, life on
Earth would be impossible.
Test your Knowledge on Greenhouse Effect Gases
Put your understanding of this concept to test by answering a few MCQs. Click ‘Start Quiz’ to begin!
Select the correct answer and click on the “Finish” button

Check your score and answers at the end of the quiz
Start Quiz
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2/2/24, 5:38 PM What Is Greenhouse Effect?

- Definition, Causes And Effects

Greenhouse Effect Definition

What is the Greenhouse Effect?

Also Read: Global Warming (https://byjus.com/biology/global-warming/)

Greenhouse Effect Diagram

Join us for BYJU'S Marathon Classes (https://ad-

Burning of Fossil Fuels

Industrial Waste and Landfills

Effects of Greenhouse Effect

Smog and Air Pollution

Acidification of Water Bodies

Runaway Greenhouse Effect

This phenomenon is believed to have occurred in the following manner:

Also Read: Environmental Issues (https://byjus.com/biology/environmental-issues-solutions/)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1 What is global warming?

Q2 List gases which are responsible for the greenhouse effect.

The major greenhouse gases are:

Test your Knowledge on Greenhouse Effect Gases

Select the correct answer and click on the “Finish” button

BIOLOGY Related Links

Manure Meaning (https://byjus.com/biology/manure/) What Are The Components Of B

Human Anatomy And Physiology (https://byjus.com/biology/human-body-anatomy/) DNA Fingerprinting

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Heart Diagram (https://byjus.com/biology/human-heart/) Fermentation Definition (https:/

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thank you for this information

Thank you for such an informative topic

thanks for lot’s of information

Thanks for a lot information 😊

It is so much helpfull for him.

Thanks a lot for this information, it helped to improve my understanding.

Thank you so much. This has improved my understanding

Thank you for this information it is so interesting 👌👌

The information given by Byju’s are too useful

Thanks a lot for the information, it helped a lot

Thanks a lot. Very informative

Thank you sir for this beautiful explanation of topics

Thank u so much Byjus for the explanation of this topic

thankyou so much this information was very helpful

thi is so helpfull for study

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