What is the role of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere? a) they trap some of the sun’s heat energy within the atmosphere, to maintain earth’s average temperature. b) they prevent most of the sun’s rays from reaching earth, thereby preventing earth from heating up. c) they divert the sun’s heat from the equator to the poles, causing the ice caps to melt, leading to global warming. d) they destroy the ozone layer, allowing harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun to reach the surface of earth.