greenhouse effect

By admin_wla | Tue, 4 Feb 2014 - 12:13
The warming of an atmosphere by its absorbing and reemitting infrared radiation while allowing shortwave radiation to pass on through. Certain gaseous components of the atmosphere, called greenhouse gases, transmit the visible portion of solar radiation but absorb specific spectral bands of thermal radiation emitted by the Earth. The theory is that terrain absorbs radiation, heats up, and emits longer wavelength thermal radiation that is prevented from escaping into space by the blanket of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. As a result, the climate warms. Because atmospheric and oceanic circulations play a central role in the climate of the Earth, improving our knowledge about their interaction becomes essential. Source: NASA (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Glossary)