Greenhouse effect – greenhouse gases and Earth's temperature
GeographyWeather & ClimateAges 11–12
Loading…
Sign in to playWatch sunlight reach the ground, then the ground emit infrared radiation, part of which is trapped by greenhouse gases and warms the surface. Change the greenhouse gas concentration (Ice Age, 1750, Today), turn clouds on or off, or build a model with several infrared-absorbing atmospheric layers to see how the surface temperature changes through energy balance. Based on the "The Greenhouse Effect" simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder (CC BY 4.0); rewritten.
Lesson: Climate change: causes, impacts and responses
How to use
Parameters you can change
- Screen Waves, Photons, Layer model
- Greenhouse gas concentration (Waves, Photons) Ice Age, 1750, Today, Custom
- Custom concentration (%, when Custom is selected) 0–95
- Clouds
- Number of atmospheric layers (Layer model) 0–3
- Infrared absorbance per layer (%, Layer model) 10–100
- Surface albedo (%, Layer model) 0–90
