Which explains how the greenhouse effect and greenhouse gases can affect global temperatures?


A.
The more greenhouse gases that are in the atmosphere, the more heat will be trapped, thereby increasing global temperatures.

B.
The more greenhouse gases that are in the atmosphere, the less heat will be trapped, thereby increasing global temperatures.

C.
The more greenhouse gases that are in the atmosphere, the more heat will be trapped, thereby decreasing global temperatures.

D.
The fewer greenhouse gases that are in the atmosphere, the less heat will be trapped, thereby increasing global temperatures.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/thermo/grnhse.html

The correct answer is A. The more greenhouse gases that are in the atmosphere, the more heat will be trapped, thereby increasing global temperatures.

To understand why this is the case, we need to understand the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a process where certain gases in the atmosphere (known as greenhouse gases) trap heat from the sun and prevent it from escaping back into space. These trapped gases act like a blanket, keeping the Earth warmer than it would be otherwise.

When sunlight enters the Earth's atmosphere, it contains various wavelengths of energy, including visible light and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The Earth's surface absorbs some of this energy and heats up, then emits the energy back out into the atmosphere in the form of infrared (IR) radiation.

Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and water vapor, are transparent to incoming sunlight but absorb and re-emit much of the outgoing IR radiation. As a result, they trap some of the heat within the Earth's atmosphere, preventing it from dissipating into space.

When there is an increase in greenhouse gases, such as due to human activities like burning fossil fuels, the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere rises. This leads to a stronger greenhouse effect since more heat is being trapped by the increased amount of greenhouse gases. As a result, global temperatures increase and contribute to climate change.

So, in summary, the more greenhouse gases there are in the atmosphere, the more heat will be trapped, thereby increasing global temperatures.