How the greenhouse effect warms the planet

Process map by Brian. 14 steps, 2 layers. Tags: climate, environment, earth science.

1. The Sun: Sunlight reaches Earth
2. Earth surface: The ground absorbs it and warms up
3. Earth surface: It sends the energy back out as heat
4. Atmosphere: Do greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane trap some of it?
5. Atmosphere: Heat bounces back down, so the planet stays warmer than space
6. People: Burning coal, oil and gas adds more CO2
7. Atmosphere: More heat is trapped, so global temperature rises
8. Atmosphere: Oceans warm and ice melts
9. Atmosphere: Heavier storms, heat waves and rising seas
10. Atmosphere: Heat escapes to space and the planet would be about 33 degrees colder

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