There are several aspects of the Earth's climate that contribute significantly to its normal function and function. The balance between incoming energy from the sun and outgoing energy from the Earth is ultimately the main contributor that drives our environment. Thermodynamics governs energy transfer where levels of energy lost equal levels of energy gained in order to maintain constant temperatures to support existing life. This is known as the Earth's radiation energy balance. Earth's atmosphere contains a large mixture of gases, however, important ones to mention are water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane due to their ability to capture heat. Solar radiation comes from the sun and contains shorter wavelengths than that from the Earth. These wavelengths are smaller due to the heat of the sun. Its wavelengths emit infrared and UV in the visible part of the spectrum. These shorter wavelengths emit more heat and energy than the opposing long wavelengths such as terrestrial radiation which is predominantly infrared and which is longer than visible radiation. The solar radiation that Earth receives contains shorter wavelengths of visible light that are scattered, reflected, or absorbed. Diffuse solar radiation is where air molecules and aerosols scatter solar radiation in irregular directions. Reflection, or albedo, is where solar radiation is reflected directly from the surface it hits. The albedo varies depending on the type of surface and the angle of the incident solar radiation. Snow, ice, and sand contain a higher albedo than water, foliage, or vegetation. The albedo of clouds is also significant and depends on their width. Absorption differs from the last two because it involves an alteration in the direction of the beam......center of the paper......further heating occurs. What is observed here is what is known as an exemplary positive feedback system. Due to the irregular nature of greenhouse gas molecules, a fair amount is swept away and eventually returns to the Earth's surface to be absorbed causing additional warming of the Earth's surface. In contrast, the “enhanced” greenhouse effect occurs when the concentration of greenhouse gases is amplified causing more infrared radiation to be absorbed and emitted back towards the Earth's surface. Human activities are responsible for a considerable amount of additional greenhouse gas emissions which enhance their effect by increasing the amount of heat that is absorbed before being released into space. If the levels of incoming and outgoing energy are not in balance, the planet responds by becoming colder or hotter. This imbalance results in the increase of greenhouse gases.