Greenhouse Effect

About this simulation

This model shows how greenhouse gases warm a planet. Yellow dots of sunlight pass through the air and warm the ground, which sends heat back out as red infrared dots, and CO2 molecules absorb some of it and send about half back down. Students set CO2 from 150 to 1200 ppm, change sunlight from 0.9 to 1.1 times, turn water-vapor feedback on or off and hide the infrared. Readouts give CO2 in air, surface temperature, added heat trapping and energy imbalance. It supports lessons on the greenhouse effect and the link between CO2 and climate.

What students can explore

Move CO2 from 280 to 560 ppm and read the Surface temperature and Added heat trapping values.
Turn Water-vapour feedback off and compare how much the temperature rises.
Watch the Energy imbalance after a change and see it fall back toward zero.
Set CO2 to 150 ppm and describe what happens to the red infrared dots.
Change Sunlight on from 0.9 to 1.1 and compare its effect with a CO2 change.

Learning objectives

1Describe how greenhouse gases absorb and re-emit infrared heat.
2Explain why surface temperature rises until outgoing energy matches incoming sunlight.
3Interpret how changing CO2 changes heat trapping and temperature.
4Explain the role of water-vapor feedback in amplifying warming.

Questions teachers ask

Is the greenhouse effect simulation free?

Yes. It is free in any modern browser, including whiteboards and tablets. There is no sign-up and nothing to install.

What is the greenhouse effect?

Sunlight warms the ground, which radiates infrared heat. Gases like CO2 and water vapor absorb that infrared and re-emit part of it downward, keeping Earth about 33 C warmer than it would otherwise be.

How do I see the effect of more CO2?

Drag the CO2 slider upward and watch the Surface temperature and Added heat trapping readouts. More red infrared dots are sent back down and the surface warms until balance returns.

Are the molecules shown to scale?

No. The molecules are far bigger and denser than in reality, and the absorption chance is tuned to show the idea. The temperatures use the standard logarithmic CO2 forcing formula.

Embed this simulation

Drop it into your LMS, blog, or class site — free.

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Continue exploring

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