Ace the Natural Science CLEP 2025 – Unleash Your Inner Scientist!

The phenomenon that causes Earth's temperature to remain steady is the greenhouse effect. This is because Earth's atmosphere absorbs and traps heat energy from the sun, keeping our planet at a habitable temperature for living organisms. The other options, such as the rising sun, plate tectonics, and the jet stream, do not directly contribute to the regulation of Earth's temperature. The rising sun provides heat but does not regulate it, plate tectonics affect the Earth's geography but not the atmosphere, and the jet stream is a wind pattern that affects weather but not temperature regulation. Therefore, the greenhouse effect is the most accurate and relevant answer to the question.