Water vapor, carbon dioxide and other gasses in the atmosphere absorb some of the outgoing infrared energy, which heats them. These molecules then radiate the energy in all directions, including back to Earth. In effect, some of the energy remains trapped in our atmosphere, warming the planet. It works the same way as the natural greenhouse effect, but the extra carbon dioxide and other gases that we release into the atmosphere help increase the amount of energy that becomes trapped. A greenhouse keeps the plants inside warm because the glass allows solar heat in, but blocks warmed air, including air warmed by heaters, from rising.
Infrared energy radiates away through the glass.
If you tried to heat an outside garden, the warmed air would rise To understand how the natural greenhouse effect can impact the climate of a planet, we can look to our two heavenly neighbors, Venus and Mars. Mars, with a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide and virtually no greenhouse effect, has a mean surface temperature of -80 degrees Fahrenheit. Earth seems to have an atmosphere and greenhouse effect that are just right for creating prime conditions for life. Global warming is still the topic of much debate in the scientific community. The following is a list of sites on the World Wide Web which provide information on climate change and global warming.