What is the gradual warming of the earth caused by heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere called?

What is the gradual warming of the earth caused by heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere called?

• A. Greenhouse Effect
• B. Global Warming
• C. Climate Change
• D. Ozone Depletion

Answer: (A)

The warming described is produced by the greenhouse effect. Sunlight heats the Earth's surface, which then radiates heat back as infrared radiation. Greenhouse gases—like water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane—absorb much of that infrared heat and re-radiate it back toward the surface, trapping warmth in the lower atmosphere and on the surface. This natural blanket would keep Earth warm enough to sustain life, but human activities are increasing the concentrations of these gases, intensifying the effect and causing gradual warming. While global warming refers to the long-term rise in average temperatures and climate change to the broader changes in climate patterns, the mechanism stated in the question is specifically the greenhouse effect. Ozone depletion, meanwhile, involves changes in the ozone layer and UV radiation, not this heat-trapping process.

The warming described is produced by the greenhouse effect. Sunlight heats the Earth's surface, which then radiates heat back as infrared radiation. Greenhouse gases—like water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane—absorb much of that infrared heat and re-radiate it back toward the surface, trapping warmth in the lower atmosphere and on the surface. This natural blanket would keep Earth warm enough to sustain life, but human activities are increasing the concentrations of these gases, intensifying the effect and causing gradual warming. While global warming refers to the long-term rise in average temperatures and climate change to the broader changes in climate patterns, the mechanism stated in the question is specifically the greenhouse effect. Ozone depletion, meanwhile, involves changes in the ozone layer and UV radiation, not this heat-trapping process.