Greenhouse effect: Difference between revisions
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The '''Greenhouse Effect''' (or "atmospheric effect") is a general attribute of planets and moons with atmospheres. It is an imbalance between surface radiation and top-of-atmosphere radiation due to the presence of [[greenhouse gas|greenhouse gases]]. For example, in the case of the [[Earth]], the surface emits 390 W/m | The '''Greenhouse Effect''' (or "atmospheric effect") is a general attribute of planets and moons with atmospheres. It is an imbalance between surface radiation and top-of-atmosphere radiation due to the presence of [[greenhouse gas|greenhouse gases]]. For example, in the case of the [[Earth]], the surface emits 390 W/m<sup>2</sup><ref>Watts per square metre</ref> (averaged over a year and the whole surface), but the emission at the top of the atmosphere is 235 W/m<sup>2</sup>, giving a global-average greenhouse effect of 155 W/m<sup>2</sup><ref name="Tren96">Trenberth <i>et al</i>., 1996. in <i>Climate change 1995: The science of climate change</i>, Cambridge Univ. Press.</ref>. The top-of-atmosphere outgoing radiation balances the incoming 235 W/m<sup>2</sup> of solar radiation (342 W/m<sup>2</sup> incident minus 107 W/m<sup>2</sup> reflected). | ||
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== References == | == References and Notes == | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
[[Category:CZ Live]] | [[Category:CZ Live]] | ||
[[Category:Earth Sciences Workgroup]] | [[Category:Earth Sciences Workgroup]] | ||
Revision as of 22:18, 3 February 2007
The Greenhouse Effect (or "atmospheric effect") is a general attribute of planets and moons with atmospheres. It is an imbalance between surface radiation and top-of-atmosphere radiation due to the presence of greenhouse gases. For example, in the case of the Earth, the surface emits 390 W/m2[1] (averaged over a year and the whole surface), but the emission at the top of the atmosphere is 235 W/m2, giving a global-average greenhouse effect of 155 W/m2[2]. The top-of-atmosphere outgoing radiation balances the incoming 235 W/m2 of solar radiation (342 W/m2 incident minus 107 W/m2 reflected).
This is a stub.