The "runaway greenhouse effect" is a term used to describe a hypothetical scenario where a planet's atmosphere becomes so thick with heat-trapping gases, such as carbon dioxide, that the planet's surface temperature becomes hot enough to trigger a positive feedback loop where more vaporizes and contributes to the greenhouse effect.
On Venus, the runaway greenhouse effect has resulted in an extreme greenhouse effect with its surface temperature at an average of 464°C (867°F) – which is hotter than the surface of Mercury, despite Venus being farther from the Sun. Because Venus is so close to the sun and has a thick atmosphere, the heat is trapped inside, and it has no oceans, so it cannot regulate temperature through natural processes like Earth does. The planet's surface also has a pressure that is about 90 times greater than Earth's. Overall, the runaway greenhouse effect has made Venus one of the hottest planets in the solar system.
What is the “runaway greenhouse effect” scientists discussed on Venus? What has it resulted in on Venus?
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