The Greenhouse Gases and Its Causes and Effects on the Earth

When the “the Greenhouse Effect” is mentioned, most people would probably assume that global warming forms “a hole” in the ozone layer making the biosphere a hotter place. It is true that Global warming is caused by the ozone layer slowly depleting and making Earth’s conditions warmer, but the Greenhouse Effect is mainly caused by a layer of gases under the Earth’s atmosphere. These gases, known as the Greenhouse Gases are made up of many gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Unlike what most people think, greenhouse gases are not harmful to the Earth. Just like a greenhouse for plants in the winter, the greenhouse gases are meant to trap in the heat of solar radiation inside the earth’s atmosphere by absorbing and emitting radiation.
In the atmosphere, the greenhouse gases are made up of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and CFCs.   Chlorofluorocarbon is a compound that contains carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. Many CFCs have been used widely as refrigerants, propellants, and solvents. All of these are man-made pollutants that can harm the atmosphere. Although replacement compounds for CFCs have also been evaluated for their Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP), the greenhouse gases are still becoming strong and stronger by each year which gives them more potential to harm the environment.
Water vapor is the gas phase of water that occurs between the condensation periods of the water cycle and is produced from evaporation. With increase in temperatures due to global warming, water vapor levels could rise. Scientific research leaves the effect of an increase in water vapor or cloudiness unclear, but does have the potential to contribute to the warming of the climate.
Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have gone up by approximately 35 percent since the 1900s. Although it is in the atmosphere the gas is not largely present. A useful metaphor for the effects of...