Mondo Knows Facts
Greenhouse gases absorb outgoing infrared
Molecular bonds soak up heat radiated by the surface and re-emit some downward Molecules such as carbon dioxide and water vapour have vibrational modes that match infrared wavelengths. They absorb radiation leaving the surface and release it in all directions, some of it back down. Without this effect Earth's average surface temperature would be roughly 30 degrees Celsius colder. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.
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Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
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Tags: climate, atmosphere, heat
Greenhouse gases absorb outgoing infrared: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Molecular bonds soak up heat radiated by the surface and re-emit some downward. The figure is taken from IPCC, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a science fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.