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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |  |
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First Edition Preface Second Edition Preface Acknowledgments
greenhouse gases—Those gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons, that are fairly transparent to the short wavelengths of solar radiation but efficient at absorbing the longer wavelengths of the infrared radiation emitted by the earth and atmosphere. The trapping of heat by these gases controls the earth's surface temperature despite their presence in only trace concentrations in the atmosphere. Anthropogenic emissions are important additional sources for all except water vapor. Water vapor, the most important greenhouse gas, is thought to increase in concentration in response to increased concentrations of the other greenhouse gases as a result of feedbacks in the climate system.
