Band 6+: You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The diagrams show the greenhouse effect on the temperature of the Earth. Describe the process. Write at least 150 words.

The diagrams illustrate how the radiation reaches the Earth and how the greenhouse effect works. The greenhouse effect happens when the heat radiation from the sun is trapped inside the Earth’s atmosphere.

First of all, the radiation is produced by the sun. The sun’s radiation travels towards the Earth’s atmosphere. 20% of the sun’s radiation is scattered and reflected by clouds. 6% of the radiation is scattered from the Earth’s atmosphere. Nearly 20% of the radiation is absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere and by clouds. Over half of the radiation is absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere. As a result, the Earth is warmed by the sun’s radiation.

At night, the heat radiation is lost. Then, the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap and reflect heat back to the Earth. The heat makes the Earth warm enough for life. However, the pollution may increase greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. More greenhouse gases trap and reflect more heat. This may mean the Earth becomes warmer.