Home > Terms > English, UK (UE) > Greenhouse effect
Greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect causes the atmosphere to trap more heat energy at the Earth's surface and within the atmosphere by absorbing and re-emitting longwave energy. Of the longwave energy emitted back to space, 90% is intercepted and absorbed by greenhouse gases. Without the greenhouse effect the Earth's average global temperature would be -18° Celsius, rather than the present 15° Celsius. In the last few centuries, the activities of humans have directly or indirectly caused the concentration of the major greenhouse gases to increase. Scientists predict that this increase may enhance the greenhouse effect making the planet warmer. Some experts estimate that the Earth's average global temperature has already increased by 0. 3 to 0. 6° Celsius, since the beginning of this century, because of this enhancement.
- Part of Speech: noun
- Synonym(s):
- Blossary:
- Industry/Domain: Earth science
- Category: Oceanography
- Company: Marine Conservation Society
- Product:
- Acronym-Abbreviation:
Other Languages:
Member comments
Terms in the News
Featured Terms
2012 Indian Ocean earthquake
On 11 April 2012 an undersea earthquake struck near the Indonesian province of Aceh measuring at a magnitude of 8.6. There were initial fears that it ...
Contributor
Featured blossaries
Browers Terms By Category
- Economics(2399)
- International economics(1257)
- International trade(355)
- Forex(77)
- Ecommerce(21)
- Economic standardization(2)
Economy(4111) Terms
- Architecture(556)
- Interior design(194)
- Graphic design(194)
- Landscape design(94)
- Industrial design(20)
- Application design(17)
Design(1075) Terms
- General packaging(1147)
- Bag in box(76)
Packaging(1223) Terms
- Algorithms & data structures(1125)
- Cryptography(11)