Global warming from the increase in greenhouse gases has become a major scientific and political issue during the past decade. That infrared radiation is trapped by greenhouse gases and particles in a planetary atmosphere and that the atmospheric CO2 level has increased by some 25 percent since 1850 because of fossil fuel combustion and land […]
Background
The earth’s atmospheric “greenhouse effect” is much more complex than the simple greenhouse experiment described in Activity 12. While the earth’s temperature is dependent upon the greenhouse-like action of the atmosphere, the amount of heating and cooling are strongly influenced by several factors.
Introduction
The Goldilocks Principle can be summed up neatly as “Venus is too hot, Mars is too cold, and Earth is just right.” The fact that Earth has an average surface temperature comfortably between the boiling point and freezing point of water, and thus is suitable for our sort of life, cannot be explained by simply […]
After 150 Years of Industrialization, Climate Change is Inevitable
The “greenhouse effect” often gets a bad rap because of its association with global warming, but the truth is we couldn’t live without it.