The greenhouse effect is the radiative process by which certain atmospheric gases (notably water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone) absorb and re-emit longwave (infrared) radiation emitted by Earth’s surface and lower atmosphere, thereby reducing the net outgoing longwave flux to space and warming the lower troposphere and surface. It arises from molecular vibrational and rotational absorption bands that are transparent to most incoming shortwave solar radiation but partially opaque to outgoing terrestrial radiation. In climate science, the greenhouse effect is quantified via radiative forcing, feedbacks (e.g., water vapor and cloud feedbacks), and its role in establishing Earth’s energy balance and global mean temperature.
Techniques to reflect an additional small portion of sunlight back into space could help cool the planet if deployed globally, but they cannot address the full range of climate impacts or replace emission cuts, according ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 5, 2025
0
27
Ancient trees may have played a key role in regulating Earth's climate during the last ice age—by 'breathing' less efficiently.
Earth Sciences
Nov 5, 2025
0
84
National commitments to slash heat-trapping pollution would limit global warming up to 2.5C this century—nowhere near enough to avoid devastating climate impacts despite a sweep of new pledges, the UN warned Tuesday.
Environment
Nov 4, 2025
2
28
Contrails in the blue sky remind us of daily air traffic—and its impact on the climate. However, the effect of contrails on the climate is still only partially understood. It is assumed that they have a predominantly warming ...
Environment
Nov 4, 2025
0
49
Global warming poses a significant threat to human society. Rapid and substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are necessary measures to mitigate global warming. However, substantially reduced emissions alone may ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 30, 2025
0
39
Once considered a fringe idea, the prospect of offsetting global warming by releasing massive quantities of sunlight-reflecting particles into Earth's atmosphere is now a matter of serious scientific consideration. Hundreds ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 21, 2025
0
106
Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere soared by a record amount to new highs in 2024, committing the planet to more long-term temperature increase, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization ...
Environment
Oct 19, 2025
3
140
A new study published in the journal Nature Communications reveals that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a key driver of global climate variability, is projected to undergo a dramatic transformation due to greenhouse ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 16, 2025
0
109
New research from the University of St Andrews has shed light on a crucial mechanism of lowering atmospheric CO2 during Earth's past ice ages.
Earth Sciences
Oct 10, 2025
1
58
Off the coast of Antarctica, the sea ice retreated toward the southernmost continent and, like a bottle cap taken off a soda bottle, that reduced pressure slowed down a process of critical carbon dioxide capture, dramatically ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 8, 2025
1
95
