The natural greenhouse effect raises the Earth's surface temperature by about 15 degrees Celsius, while it would be much warmer without it. The amount of energy that our atmosphere absorbs and radiates back to the surface is 100 percent of the total incoming solar energy. Our planet is reacting to the extra energy, and this is what causes the Grünwelt Wärmestrom. Despite the apparent symbiotic relationship between the sun and heat, it is clear that both of these processes are contributing to a warming planet.

In addition to releasing solar energy to the surface, the Earth's internal thermal energy flows to the surface at a rate of 44.2 terawatts (TW). This is about double the amount of energy humanity uses today and is not recoverable. Earth's surface to a depth of ten meters is heated by solar energy in summer and releases it during winter. This is an important aspect of climate change research because the Earth's temperature will continue to increase.

However, the T-3 data set was not fully analyzed by the time of Lachenbruch and Marshall's 1969 study. The heat flow values measured along the T-3 profile within 20 km are much higher than the other measurements in this dataset. However, the tight spatial spacing of the measurements does not indicate any correlation with known variations in sediment thickness and bathymetry. So we should take into account the variability of these data to determine where future temperature changes will be most significant.

A study has shown that the amount of heat that leaves the Earth's surface is about 1.5 micro-calories per square centimeter every second. Most of the heat flow is from radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium. However, some of the heat flow is from deeper layers of the Earth, including volcanic eruptions and hot springs. The green world heat flow can therefore be a significant contributor to global climate change.