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The
greenhouse effect is actually essential to our existence:
The sun warms the earth, and certain gases (including carbon
dioxide and water vapor) act like the glass of a greenhouse,
trapping heat and keeping the planet’s surface warm enough
to support life. However, measuring humanity’s effect on
the concentration of greenhouse gases is a key issue in understanding
global climate change. Industry and other human activity add
carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This strengthens the greenhouse
effect and may cause a significant warming trend.
Understanding how the atmosphere works is fundamental to understanding
climate change. The atmosphere is composed of layers of air,
each with its own temperature patterns. Researchers must determine
whether changes in temperature or air circulation are part of
complex, longer-term cycles. And the interconnections between
air, sea, and land mean that any change could have multiple
causes—and multiple effects.
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