Greenhouse Effect Principle

The greenhouse effect involves trapping heat. A glass chamber illustrates this principle.

Glass Chamber Mechanism

• Incoming Radiation: Glass is largely transparent to incoming short wavelength solar radiation (like visible light).
• Heat Re-emission: Surfaces inside the chamber absorb this radiation and re-emit it as heat, which is primarily long wavelength infrared radiation.
• Trapping: Glass is less transparent to outgoing long wavelength infrared radiation. It absorbs or reflects this heat, preventing it from escaping the chamber.

This selective permeability traps heat, causing the temperature inside the chamber to rise.

Correct Statement Analysis

Option C accurately describes this selective transmission:

"It can take place inside a glass chamber where short wavelength infrared radiation can pass through into it and long wavelength infrared radiation cannot pass back through it"

This statement correctly identifies that short wavelengths can enter, while the crucial aspect is that long wavelengths (heat) are prevented from passing back out, which is the essence of the greenhouse effect.