One of the factors that affects the world's environmental conditions is the greenhouse effect. Climate scientists often blame the greenhouse effect for contributing to Earth's environmental woes, but it has a vital positive effect on the planet as well. Without this atmospheric condition, life on Earth would be vastly different, or even nonexistent.
The Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect refers to the ability of the atmosphere to trap the sun’s heat, increasing the temperature of the planet. When the sun’s energy reaches Earth, the atmosphere absorbs some of it on the way down, and then absorbs more when that energy reflects back off the surface during the day. This trapped energy heats up the atmosphere, increasing the temperature of the planet and distributing warmth to its night side, when solar heating is unavailable. The denser the atmosphere, and the higher the concentration of energy-holding molecules like water vapor and carbon dioxide, the more energy the atmosphere can trap.
Positive Effects
The greenhouse effect is important, because it contributes to the survival of life on Earth. Without the greenhouse effect, the temperature of the planet would be similar to conditions experienced on the moon. On the lunar surface, with no atmosphere to mediate temperature swings, the surface can reach 134 degrees Celsius (273 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and -153 degrees Celsius (-244 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. This dramatic temperature change required NASA to develop specialized gear to protect astronauts from both extremes for the moon landings. A similar temperature swing on Earth would have produced an environment hostile to most living things.