What effect describes the increase in air temperature due to higher concentrations of greenhouse gases?

The greenhouse effect is the process by which certain gases in Earth's atmosphere, known as greenhouse gases, trap heat from the sun. When sunlight reaches the Earth's surface, some of it is absorbed and warms the planet. The Earth then radiates this energy back toward space in the form of infrared radiation. However, greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor absorb some of this outgoing infrared radiation and re-radiate it in all directions, including back towards the Earth's surface. This process results in an increased air temperature as the heat is effectively trapped in the atmosphere.

While global warming, which is often used interchangeably with the greenhouse effect, refers to the long-term rise in Earth's average surface temperature specifically attributed to human activities and the increase in greenhouse gases, the greenhouse effect itself is a more fundamental concept that explains how and why temperatures rise in the presence of these gases.