Guide to the Greenhouse effect and its outcomes.
                     GUIDE TO THE GREENHOUSE 
EFFECT AND ITS OUTCOMES
What is green house effect?
• The greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when gases in Earth's atmosphere trap the 
Sun's heat. 
• This process makes Earth much warmer than it would be without an atmosphere. The 
greenhouse effect is one of the things that makes Earth a comfortable place to live.
Source: climatekids.nasa.gov
How does the greenhouse effect work?
• The greenhouse effect works much the same way on Earth. Gases in the atmosphere, such as 
carbon dioxide, trap heat similar to the glass roof of a greenhouse. 
• These heat-trapping gases are called greenhouse gases.
Source: climatekids.nasa.gov
What makes the earth warm?
• During the day, the Sun shines through the atmosphere. Earth's surface warms up in the 
sunlight. At night, Earth's surface cools, releasing heat back into the air. 
• But some of the heat is trapped by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. That's what 
keeps our Earth a warm and cozy 58 degrees Fahrenheit on average.
Source: climatekids.nasa.gov
How are humans impacting the greenhouse effect?
• Human activities are changing Earth's natural greenhouse effect. Burning fossil fuels like coal 
and oil puts more carbon dioxide into our atmosphere.
Source: climatekids.nasa.gov
Observation of NASA
• NASA has observed increases in the amount of carbon dioxide and some other greenhouse 
gases in our atmosphere. 
• Too much of these greenhouse gases can cause Earth's atmosphere to trap more and more 
heat. This causes Earth to warm up.
Source: climatekids.nasa.gov
What reduces the greenhouse effect on Earth?
• Just like a glass greenhouse, Earth's greenhouse is also full of plants! Plants can help to 
balance the greenhouse effect on Earth. 
• All plants from giant trees to tiny phytoplankton in the ocean take in carbon dioxide and give 
off oxygen.
Source: climatekids.nasa.gov
CONSEQUENCES OF THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Ocean acidification
• The ocean also absorbs a lot of excess carbon dioxide in the air. Unfortunately, the increased 
carbon dioxide in the ocean changes the water, making it more acidic. This is called ocean 
acidification.
Source: climatekids.nasa.gov
Thawing of glacial masses
• Glaciers retreat also has its own consequences: reduced albedo the percentage of solar 
radiation that the earth's surface reflects or returns to the atmosphere, a global rise in sea 
level and the release of large methane columns are only some of them.
Source: iberdrola.com
Impact on agriculture and livestock
• Global warming has already altered the length of the growing season in large parts of the 
planet. 
• The same is happening with livestock: climatic changes are directly affecting important 
species in multiple ways: reproduction, metabolism, diseases, etc.
Source: iberdrola.com
Desertification of fertile areas
• Global warming is having a profound impact on the processes of soil degradation and is 
contributing to the desertification of areas on the planet, a phenomenon that destroys all the 
biological potential of affected regions, turning them into barren and unproductive land.
Source: iberdrola.com