This plays an important role in keeping the Earth's surface warm and able to sustain life. Without this greenhouse effect the Earth would be much colder and life on this planet would be very different. read more
The most important greenhouse gases in our atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. The reason they are important is that they trap some of the sun’s radiant energy in our atmosphere. read more
Concentrations of ozone have risen by around 30 percent since the pre-industrial era, and is now considered by the IPCC to be the third most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and methane. An additional complication of ozone is that it also interacts with and is modulated by concentrations of methane. read more