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343 bytes added ,  22:41, April 29, 2007
ozone is not a gg; added description of how they work.
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A '''greenhouse gas''' is [[gas]] in the [[atmosphere]] that contributes to the [[greenhouse effect]].  
 
A '''greenhouse gas''' is [[gas]] in the [[atmosphere]] that contributes to the [[greenhouse effect]].  
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The most important greenhouse gas is [[water vapor]]. Also important are [[carbon dioxide]], [[methane]], [[nitrous oxide]], and [[ozone]].  
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The most important greenhouse gas is [[water vapor]]. Also important are [[carbon dioxide]], [[methane]], and [[nitrous oxide]].
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The nature of a greenhouse gas is to pass [[visible light]], i.e., incoming energy from the sun, but to be opaque to the [[infrared]], i.e., heat energy being re-radiated outward from the earth's surface.  This functions much like the [[glass]] on a [[man-made]] [[greenhouse]], and serves to trap warmth at the surface and in the lower [[atmosphere]].
    
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
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