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Noun: greenhouse effect  'green,haws i'fekt
  1. Warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmosphere; caused by atmospheric gases that allow sunshine to pass through but absorb heat that is radiated back from the warmed surface of the earth
    "The greenhouse effect is a major contributor to global climate change";
    - greenhouse warming

Derived forms: greenhouse effects

Type of: atmospheric phenomenon

Encyclopedia: Greenhouse effect