Final Answer:
What are the greenhouse gases? — Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and others
What do greenhouse gases do? — Warm the atmosphere by trapping heat
What is the greenhouse effect? — The warming of the atmosphere because of insulation by greenhouse gases
How does the greenhouse effect work? — Incoming light energy from the sun reaches the Earth and is absorbed by the greenhouse gases, warming and insulating the Earth like a “blanket”
Is the greenhouse effect a good thing? — Yes!! Because it maintains a stable temperature for life
So why is the greenhouse effect considered a bad thing and is linked to global warming? — Excess of the greenhouse effect is a bad thing. Since there are more and more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, more heat is trapped which makes the earth warmer. This is called global warming
Diagram blanks (in order):
- Layer of
Greenhouse Gases
- Heat
Radiation Reflected Back to Earth
- Heat Radiation Reflected from the
Earth
(Also, arrows show: Light Energy from Sun → Earth; Some Reflected Heat Radiation lost into
Space; Red arrows inside atmosphere = trapped
Radiation)
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of greenhouse effect diagram worksheet.
