Skip to main content
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Español
  • Site Search
  • Log In/Create Account
  • BioInteractive Resources
  • Planning Tools
  • Professional Development
  • About Us

Greenhouse Effect

Topic

  • Environmental Science
  • Human Population & Impacts
  • Climate Change
  • Earth Science
  • Atmosphere
  • Climate

Resource Type

  • Videos
  • Animations

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege

Duration

00:01:39
Saved By
44 Users
Share This
View in Spanish

Description

This animation provides an overview of the greenhouse effect, a process that warms the atmosphere and surface of Earth.

Some of the sunlight absorbed by Earth is reemitted as infrared radiation. As shown in the animation, this radiation is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane. The greenhouse gases reradiate some of the radiation back to Earth, which warms the planet’s surface.

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that has maintained Earth’s temperature at a habitable level. However, human activities — in particular, the burning of fossil fuels — release additional greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These additional gases increase the greenhouse effect, making Earth warmer than usual.

This animation is based on a clip from a 2012 Holiday Lecture Series, Changing Planet: Past, Present, Future. Depending on students’ background, it may be helpful to pause the animation at various points to discuss different components of the greenhouse effect.

Key Terms

atmosphere, carbon dioxide (CO2), climate, greenhouse gas, methane (CH4), radiation, solar energy, temperature, water vapor

Terms of Use

The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria. Video files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 04.18.12
Date Updated 04.27.22

Materials

HD (M4V) 64 MB
HD (WMV) 32 MB
SD (M4V) 14 MB
SD (WMV) 16 MB
Transcript (PDF) 179 KB
Spanish dub (MP4) 34 MB
Transcript - Español (PDF) 175 KB

Explore Related Content

Other Related Resources

Showing of
Photo of a burned forest.
Short Films
The Science of Climate Change
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Paleoclimate: A History of Change
Screenshot from the Understanding Global Change interactive
Tools
Understanding Global Change
Image of the Keeling curve from the activity
Data Points
Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
Diagram from the activity
Lessons
Earth Systems Activity
Image from the activity
Labs & Demos
Ocean Acidification
Map of the world with a footprint over it. CO2 is repeated in the footprint.
Lessons
What Is My Carbon Footprint?
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Geological History of Oxygen
Computer illustration of the carbon cycle
Animations
The Geologic Carbon Cycle
Photo of bleached corals
Phenomenal Images
Stressed-Out Corals
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility