Greenhouse effect
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The Greenhouse Effect (or "atmospheric effect") is a general attribute of planets and moons with atmospheres. It is an imbalance between surface radiation and top-of-atmosphere radiation due to the presence of greenhouse gases. For example, in the case of the Earth, the surface emits 390 W/m2[1] (averaged over a year and the whole surface), but the emission at the top of the atmosphere is 235 W/m2, giving a global-average greenhouse effect of 155 W/m2[2]. The top-of-atmosphere outgoing radiation balances the incoming 235 W/m2 of solar radiation (342 W/m2 incident minus 107 W/m2 reflected).
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References and Notes
External Links
- [1]Astrobiology article on Titan's very unusual greenhouse.
Additional Bibliography
- Houghton, JT, 19977. The Physics of Atmospheres, 3rd Ed, Cambridge Univ. Press.
- Thomas, GE, and K Stamnes, 1999. Radiative Transfer in the Atmosphere and Ocean, Cambridge Univ. Press.