Essay about Causes of Global Warming

Greenhouse gases are the most important factors contributing to the change of the Earth’s temperature, which include carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane. Volcanoes are known to release large amounts of carbon dioxide whenever they erupt (Dart). Sunlight can easily go through the atmosphere and all the greenhouse gases with no problems. When the sunlight hits the earth, it is converted into heat or infrared radiation while some escapes into outer space. There will be, however, some of the heat is absorbed by those greenhouse gases at the same time (Scientific Principles). They emit the heat back out and some of it is trapped in a layer around the earth, which is good because earth would lose all its heat and freeze without greenhouse gases (Wayne). Yet when there is too much greenhouse gases, the planet gets too warm; in other words, too much water vapor is present (Angelle). Evaporation is a result from oceans, rivers, all bodies of water, and plants through transpiration (Perlman). Methane is also a greenhouse gas, which is released every time an animal chews their cud and passes gas, such as cow and when things decompose underwater from swamps. Methane is a bigger and stronger greenhouse gas molecule than carbon dioxide. It absorbs more infrared radiation from the surface of the earth and emits it back down to earth (Koerner).