> ENC Master > Climate Encyclopaedia > Lower Atmosphere > more > 2. Radiation & greenhouse gases
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Lower Atmosphere
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Unit 2
Radiation, Greenhouse gases and the Greenhouse effect
All energy comes from the sun? What happens to this energy in the atmosphere, which fraction reaches the Earth surface? What does the Earth emit back to the space? |
Unit 2 explains the radiation budget of the Earth, incoming and outgoing energy and what the role of greenhouse gases is in this. Carbon dioxide and methane are discussed more in detail with their sources. A special role plays water vapour. It is the most important natural greenhouse gas and we are very unsure about the role it will play on a warming Earth in the future.
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During the recent decades the average temperature of the Earth has been dramatically increasing. The greenhouse gases play an important role in this.
Diagramm: © NASA GISS
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About this page:
author: Dr. Elmar Uherek - Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz
scientific reviewer: Dr. Benedikt Steil - Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz
last published: 2004-05-17
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