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This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 10 February 2025. Gas in an atmosphere with certain absorption characteristics This article is about the physical properties of greenhouse gases. For how human activities are adding to greenhouse gases, see Greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases trap some of the heat that results when sunlight heats ...
Methane (CH 4) is one of the more potent greenhouse gases and is mainly produced by the digestion or decay of biological organisms. It is considered the second most important greenhouse gas, [10] yet the methane cycle in the atmosphere is currently only poorly understood. [11] The amount of methane produced and absorbed yearly varies widely. [10]
The total average energy per unit time radiated by Earth is equal to the average energy flux j times the surface area 4πR 2, where R is Earth's radius. On the other hand, the average energy flux absorbed from sunlight is the solar constant S 0 times Earth's cross section of πR 2, times the fraction absorbed by Earth, which is one minus Earth ...
Because each molecule experiences billions of collisions per second, any energy a greenhouse gas molecule receives by absorbing a photon will be redistributed to other molecules before there is a chance for a new photon to be emitted. [62] In a separate process, greenhouse gases emit longwave radiation, at a rate determined by the air temperature.
The atmosphere envelops the earth and extends hundreds of kilometres from the surface. It consists mostly of inert nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%) and argon (0.9%). [4] Some trace gases in the atmosphere, such as water vapour and carbon dioxide, are the gases most important for the workings of the climate system, as they are greenhouse gases which allow visible light from the Sun to penetrate to ...
The steady rise in ocean temperatures is an unavoidable result of the Earth's energy imbalance, which is primarily caused by rising levels of greenhouse gases. [65] Between pre-industrial times and the 2011–2020 decade, the ocean's surface has heated between 0.68 and 1.01 °C.
The Earth's energy imbalance (EEI) is defined as "the persistent and positive (downward) net top of atmosphere energy flux associated with greenhouse gas forcing of the climate system". [ 2 ] : 2227
The temperatures of a planet's surface and atmosphere are governed by a delicate balancing of their energy flows. The idealized greenhouse model is based on the fact that certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere, including carbon dioxide and water vapour, are transparent to the high-frequency solar radiation, but are much more opaque to the ...