The greenhouse effect

• 1. Energy from the sun travels to the Earth as short wavelength radiation
• 2. some of the Short wavelength radiation simply reflects back into space but most of it passes easily through the atmosphere
• 3. The energy of the radiation is now absorbed when it reaches the surface of the Earth
• 4. The surface of the Earth now radiates the energy as long wavelength radiation such as infrared radiation
• 5. Some of this long wave radiation escapes directly into space, however much of it is trapped by gases in the atmosphere which absorb the long wave radiation
• 6. This trapping of heat causes an increase in temperature on the earth's surface - the greenhouse effect