greenhouse effect


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Related to greenhouse effect: Greenhouse gases, global warming
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greenhouse effect
Energy radiated by the sun converts to heat when it reaches the earth. Some heat is reflected back through the atmosphere, while some is absorbed by atmospheric gases and radiated back to the earth.

greenhouse effect

n.
A phenomenon in which the atmosphere of a planet traps radiation emitted by its sun, caused by gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass through but retain heat radiated back from the planet's surface.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

greenhouse effect

n
1. (General Physics) an effect occurring in greenhouses, etc, in which radiant heat from the sun passes through the glass warming the contents, the radiant heat from inside being trapped by the glass
2. (Physical Geography) the application of this effect to a planet's atmosphere; carbon dioxide and some other gases in the planet's atmosphere can absorb the infrared radiation emitted by the planet's surface as a result of exposure to solar radiation, thus increasing the mean temperature of the planet
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

green′house effect`


n.
heating of the atmosphere resulting from the absorption by certain gases of solar energy that has been captured and reradiated by the earth's surface.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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green·house effect

(grēn′hous′)
The trapping of the sun's radiation in the Earth's atmosphere due to the presence of greenhouse gases.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

greenhouse effect

1. The term given to the heating of the Earth’s surface caused by infrared radiation trapped in the atmosphere.
2. Alleged human-made atmospheric warming by accumulating gases trapping solar heat below them rather like a greenhouse roof. See greenhouse gases.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.greenhouse effect - warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmospheregreenhouse effect - warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmosphere; caused by atmospheric gases that allow sunshine to pass through but absorb heat that is radiated back from the warmed surface of the earth
atmospheric phenomenon - a physical phenomenon associated with the atmosphere
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
تَأثير الدَّفيئَه
skleníkový efekt
drivhuseffekt
üvegházhatás
skleníkový efekt
ser etkisi

greenhouse effect

n the greenhouse effectl'effetto serra
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

green

(griːn) adjective
1. of the colour of growing grass or the leaves of most plants. a green hat.
2. not ripe. green bananas.
3. without experience. Only someone as green as you would believe a story like that.
4. looking as if one is about to be sick; very pale. He was green with envy (= very jealous).
noun
1. the colour of grass or the leaves of plants. the green of the trees in summer.
2. something (eg paint) green in colour. I've used up all my green.
3. an area of grass. a village green.
4. an area of grass on a golf course with a small hole in the centre.
5. concerned with the protection of the environment. green issues; a green political party.
ˈgreenish adjective
close to green. a greenish dress.
greens noun plural
green vegetables. Children are often told that they must eat their greens.
ˈgreenflyplural ˈgreenfly noun
a type of small, green insect. The leaves of this rose tree have been eaten by greenfly.
ˈgreengage (-geidʒ) noun
a greenish-yellow type of plum.
ˈgreengrocer noun
a person who sells fruit and vegetables.
ˈgreenhouse noun
a building usually of glass, in which plants are grown.
ˈgreenhouse effect noun
(singular) the gradual heating of the atmosphere caused by air pollution which traps energy from the sun.
the green light
permission to begin. We can't start until he gives us the green light.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in periodicals archive ?
Summary: TEHRAN (FNA)- New research suggest that regions of the Martian surface could be made habitable with a material -- silica aerogel -- that mimics Earth's atmospheric greenhouse effect. Through modeling and experiments, the researchers show that a 2- to 3-centimeter-thick shield of silica aerogel could transmit enough visible light for photosynthesis, block hazardous ultraviolet radiation, and raise temperatures underneath permanently above the melting point of water, all without the need for any internal heat source.
In his 1989 book The Greenhouse Effect he wrote: "The profligate demands of humankind are causing far reaching changes to the atmosphere of planet Earth, of this there is no doubt.
The oil giant commissioned a 1988 report titled "The Greenhouse Effect" that calculated that the Shell group alone was contributing 4 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions through its oil, natural gas and coal products.
Through the greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases warm the climate by reducing the energy loss to space.
But above the optimum level, greenhouse effect is being strengthened as human activities add more of these gases to the atmosphere, resulting in a shift in the Earth's equilibrium.
"We're not saying the greenhouse effect is rubbish," says study coauthor Justus Notholt, an atmospheric physicist at the University of Bremen in Germany.
A good article to draw attention to is " Greenhouse Effect and the IR Radiative Structure of the Earth's Atmosphere" by Ferenc Miskolczi in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2010).
This study investigated 438 Year 10 students (15 and 16 years old) from Western Australian schools, on their understanding of the greenhouse effect and climate change, and the sources of their information.
As the atmosphere warms it can hold more moisture, which acts as a positive feedback signal, increasing the greenhouse effect. However, in the cold Arctic where there is less moisture in the air, this positive feedback is much weaker hence the 'direct' greenhouse effect is smaller in the Arctic than elsewhere.
A second great hope of the denialist crowd was also punctured recently: A weaker sun over the next century will not counteract the greenhouse effect, much less usher us into a new ice age.
"A tilted Mars with a thicker CO2 atmosphere causes a greenhouse effect that tries to warm the Martian surface, while thicker and longer-lived polar ice caps try to cool it," said Robert Haberle, a planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.