Energy in the form of visible light passes through the air, hits the ground, is absorbed and converted to heat energy of the ground (or water if it hits ocean, lake, or river. The warmer ground (or water) emits energy in the form of infrared light and as it looses that energy it cools off. That energy would escape back to space if it could get through the air first, but CO2 in the air blocks some of it, making it warm the air instead of escaping to space. More CO2 means more warming.
In simplistic terms? Science doesn't know. If there is one who claims there is a thermodynamic equation, I'm sure the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change will have him/her before the United Nations accusing him/her of witchcraft.
The law of conservation of energy.
Energy can neither be created or destroyed.
When carbon dioxide absorbs infrared, the temperature of the air that contains this carbon dioxide MUST increase.
Step by step and in simple terms…
? The Sun emits heat energy (solar radiation) in all directions.
? Some of that energy travels through space towards Earth
? When the Sun’s energy reaches Earth some of it is reflected into space by the clouds, some is absorbed by the atmosphere and never reaches Earth’s surface.
? Some of the energy is able to pass through our atmosphere without any problems and does reach the surface.
? The heat from the Sun warms the ground, oceans, buildings, trees etc.
? When they cool down the heat from the ground, oceans etc is released into the air.
? This energy is in a different form to when it first arrived from the Sun.
? This new type of energy (thermal or infrared radiation) gets trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
? The trapped heat energy is later released by the molecules of greenhouse gases.
? Some of the released energy escapes into space and is lost for good.
? Some of the energy comes back down to Earth.
The greenhouse effect refers to that part of the process where the greenhouse gas molecules trap heat energy and return some of it back down to Earth.
Please help. Please put it in the simplest terms possible. I would greatly appreciate it!
