greenhouse effect
16
3.4
- noun
- /ˈɡriːnˌhaʊs ɪˈfɛkt/
- Specialized
:
efecto invernadero
- Many scientists believe that the greenhouse effect contributes to global warming.
- consequences of the greenhouse effect
- enhanced greenhouse effect
- cause a greenhouse effect
And he was painfully cognizant of what a runaway greenhouse effect would do to our planet.
- And he was painfully cognizant of what a runaway greenhouse effect would do to our planet.
- I mean, the greenhouse effect is a quantum mechanical effect, right?
Examples
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Global climate changes induced by the greenhouse effect will have a destructive impact on the health of China's people.
Academic text (2006) -
But water accounts for about 60% of the greenhouse effect, while CO2 accounts for 26%.
Blog text (19) -
So how does the greenhouse effect really work?
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The items covered environmental issues such as acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and future sources of energy.
Academic text (1996) -
The basic science of the greenhouse effect is well understood and has reached a consensus.
Academic text (2008) -
"Point out," it notes, "that scientists and others studying the greenhouse effect do not know all the answers..."
Academic text (2000) -
Carbon dioxide, one of the major gases responsible for the greenhouse effect, is an excellent example that involves the oceans.
Academic text (2003) -
Concern has been expressed about the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide (CO2) on the earth's atmosphere.
Academic text (1999) -
Smaller amounts of methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and ozone also contribute, intensifying the greenhouse effect.
Academic text (1997) -
The greenhouse effect is caused by gases that trap heat from the sun in the Earth's atmosphere.
Synonyms
1
4.5
A rise in Earth's temperature when gases in the air trap the Sun's heat
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the warming of the atmosphere caused by trapped heat' is directly inferable from combining 'greenhouse' (something that traps heat) with 'effect' (a resulting change). This metaphorical but transparent comparison is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'efecto invernadero', French 'effet de serre'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably deduce the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Greenhouse effect comes from real greenhouses, where glass lets sunlight in but keeps heat inside. So the image of trapped heat helps explain how certain gases hold the sun's warmth in the air and cause 'warming of the atmosphere'.