• Question: how does the atmosphere keep in the heat (global warming)

    Asked by A'Mari to Greg, Jen, Laura, Mobeen, Paul on 14 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Paul O'Mahoney

      Paul O'Mahoney answered on 14 Mar 2016:

      The atmosphere keeps in heat by the Greenhouse Effect. Basically, the heat from the sun passes through the atmosphere and warms up the gases surrounding Earth, and it is these gases contained within the atmosphere that make sure the heat stays in.
      The problem is when we have too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, as this is very good at insulating the heat from the Earth so more heat is kept in, and we get global warming.

    • Photo: Jen Lowe

      Jen Lowe answered on 14 Mar 2016:

      I had to look this one up. Our atmosphere keeps our planet warmer than it would be without an atmosphere. The biggest effects are from water vapour/clouds (natural) and secondly carbon dioxide (increasing due to human actions). There are lots of other greenhouse gases too.

      “On Earth, the atmosphere is warmed by absorption of infrared thermal radiation from the underlying surface, absorption of shorter wavelength radiant energy from the sun, and convective heat fluxes from the surface. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere radiate energy, some of which is directed to the surface and lower atmosphere. The mechanism that produces this difference between the actual surface temperature and the effective temperature is due to the atmosphere and is known as the greenhouse effect”

      So the greenhouse gases absorb heat from the sun and earth’s surface and then radiate it out again in all directions, warming the atmosphere. So it interrupts the heat traveling in a straight line and re-distributes it in the atmosphere.

    • Photo: Greg Melia

      Greg Melia answered on 15 Mar 2016:

      What the others said. Basically, it’s rather similar to the way that your clothes keep you warm.

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