How Does Global Warming Happen?
How Does Global Warming Happen?
How Does Global Warming Happen?
some would call global warming a theory, others would call it a proven set of facts. Opinions
differ , Let us consider global warming to be both a premise that the environment of the world as
we know it is slowly, but very surely increasing in overall air and water temperature, and a
promise that if whatever is causing this trend is not interrupted or challenged life on earth will
dynamically be affected.
The prevailing counter opinion is that all that is presently perceived to be global warming is
simply the result of a normal climactic swing in the direction of increased temperature. Most
proponents of this global warming ideology have definitive social and financial interests in these
claims.
Global warming is real. It is not the result of a natural climatic adjustment. It is a quantifiable set
of environmental results that are in addition to any normal changes in climate. That is why the
effects of global warming have catastrophic potential. Global warming is the straw that breaks
the camel’s back. It is the difference between a category three hurricane and a category four.
Global warming is an imbalance of nature.
The premise of global warming is that industrial growth coupled with non-structured methods we
as humans use to sustain ourselves has created a situation where our planet is getting hotter by
the minute. We have seemingly negatively effected our environment by a cycle of harmful
processes that now seem to be feeding upon themselves to exponentially increase the damage to
our ecosystem.
Basically the Earth’s atmosphere (our air) is made up oxygen, nitrogen and a dozen other gases.
All of these serve to capture a certain amount of heat and keep the Earth warm. Sunlight hits the
Earth and is absorbed as heat. That heat radiates outward back into the air. The molecules in the
air absorb and release that heat. Certain molecules that are heavier than others radiate more heat
back to earth. Without these molecules from special gases, the Earth would be frozen over at
around 14 degrees below zero.
This absorption and reflection of heat is known as the greenhouse effect. For just as in a
greenhouse heat is trapped and built up by our atmosphere. So then, if all of this is supposed to
happen, what is the problem?
The problem is that we keep adding to the special mixture of our air too much of certain
ingredients such as Carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide or CO2 is essential to nature. Plants use
CO2 and sunlight to create sugars and fresh oxygen. Still you might think… fine so the plants
will grow even better if we have extra CO2. That is what many scientists thought when they first
examined global warming.
But we only have so many plants, and our oceans, which also absorb CO2, are at maximum
capacity. So all this extra Carbon dioxide goes up into the atmosphere where it blocks the release
of heat leaving the earth.
Gases such as CO2 that absorb heat that otherwise would have expelled to outer space are called
greenhouse gases. There are quite a few of them.
There has been a considerable increase in the average temperature of earth in the past century.
This rise in temperature is attributed to the effects of global warming brought about by the
accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This phenomenon is called Global
Warming. The effects of global warming are numerous. The main culprits in the issue are
excessive discharge of green house gases in the atmosphere.
Causes of gw
let us start our examination of Global warming with a study of its causes. Global warming is an
overall state of existence that is the cumulative effect of hundreds of environmental factors. All
of these join together in both a linear and random model to show global warming as a chain of
events.
Most modern attention to the problem of global warming began with discussion of depletion of
the Earth’s Ozone layer. Ozone (O3) is a molecular form of Oxygen. The Ozone layer is a
relatively thin strata of these molecules set in the lower portion of the Earth’s stratosphere.
Depletion of the Earth’s Ozone layer has resulted in a large increase in Ultra Violet Radiation
reaching the surface of the earth. Does this increase in UV rays equate to global warming? Not
really. In fact most scientific opinion is that depletion of the Ozone layer results in cooling of
both the stratosphere and troposphere. So why mention depletion of the Ozone layer as regards to
global warming? Because it represents a needed balance between harmful radiation being
allowed to reach the earth’s surface and our desire to stem the rapid increase in our air and
water temperature .Remember, we are viewing global warming as a chain of events.
This is fine if you are an orchid or other tropical plant. But living things, including people,
require set parameters of climate. When we discuss the greenhouse effect as regarding global
warming we place the effect into a specific environment. That is the Earth’s atmosphere. When
referencing the Earth, our entire planet becomes the interior of an automobile in the heat of
summer. The Earth of course does not have a metal roof or a glass dome around it to trap heat
and reflect solar radiation back to its surface. Indeed when drawings depict and descriptions
explain the greenhouse effect the principle is simplified to imply that this is the case. Actually
the greenhouse effect for the Earth is somewhat different.
When solar radiation passes through out atmosphere the molecules that constitute our air absorb
it. The majority of solar heat is absorbed by our planet’s surface. Different types of surfaces
absorb or reflect heat in different ways. A white blanket of snow will reflect much more heat
than freshly paved asphalt. Still everything that the sun’s rays fall upon either absorbs or reflects
heat. In the case of out snowy Polar Regions that heat is reflected back from the planet. In the
case of our cities it is trapped on the surface. From there it radiates outward where living things
attempt to adjust to the relative heat or cold. Our planet’s original design was for a balance of all
the components. Our atmosphere absorbs enough heat to keep us warm but hopefully not bake
us. The angle of the sun in areas such as the poles creates an environment suited to North and
South Pole inhabitants. The people, creatures and plant life at the Earth’s equator have
acclimated to their section of the world.
The greenhouse effect occurs planet wide when solar radiation either bounces off of or is
radiated forth from the earth and instead of passing through our atmosphere and outward into
space, is absorbed by all kinds of extra amounts of and extraneous gases and particles. These
gases et al absorb heat and then radiate it outward in all directions, one of those directions, being
the surface of the Earth. From there the process repeats itself until we have a global version of a
car with the windows rolled up parked in the noonday sun.
Env causes
Gaseous emissions are the largest issue as a cause for global warming. But simple environmental
issues still manage to total together and create a factor that is in no way to be discounted as
unimportant.
The greenhouse effect has caused our Polar Ice Caps to reduce in size by 20% since 1979. This
has resulted in more land and sea area being exposed to absorb heat from the sun and as our
continual cycle suggests create more excess heat, which in turn melts more polar ice.
Not all of global warming is the result of greenhouse gases and the ensuing greenhouse effect.
As the population of the earth has increased mankind has brought civilization to almost every
corner of the globe. Civilization includes buildings, highways, land cleared for agriculture, cities
built where once stood deserts. Almost everything that we build absorbs more heat than its
natural predecessor.
For hundreds of years we have sheared the tops off of mountains and burned down millions of
acres of forest just to look for precious metals. We clear ten thousand year old growth areas just
find hardwoods for lumber. We are still clearing the Brazilian Rain Forests so cattle can be
raised on the grassy plains we create. And the semi-comical side of this is that we have
simultaneously destroyed lush plant life that would have through photosynthesis turned CO2 into
oxygen, so as to grow cattle, which are raised in such abundance that their flatulence (Methane)
is a measurable greenhouse emission.
This is not to suggest that we tear down all of our houses to plant a forest of trees and carve up
the superhighways and replace them with lovely green meadows. What we do need is an
awareness of our situation. We need to realize that every move we make as a result of
industrialization has a corresponding consequence.
Prmry eff?
The effects of global warming are in some ways less definable than the causes. It seems odd that
such huge manifestations of change such as rising sea levels, glacier retreat, and Arctic shrinkage
somehow manage to filter down so that when members of western civilization safely tucked
away in homes and apartments look at the effects they are so remote as to become invisible.
What we may well bear watching are the effects of the effects of global warming. These
secondary results are so non-linear as to be a random harvest of environmental and economic
dilemmas that, when fully formed and in place present a definitive short-term danger.
Still, let us once again follow a chain of events so as to be able to completely envision the scale
and scope of the problem.
Rising sea levels are an easily measurable effect of global warming. As Polar ice melts down the
water created obviously must go somewhere. Aside from that ice which joins inland fresh water
reservoirs, the vast majority of melted ice joins the pool of the oceans. Most people
misunderstand the effect of polar meltdown and consider that this addition to our oceans creates
the overall rise in sea levels. This is hardly the case. The rise in sea levels due to global warming
is primarily caused by thermal expansion. In short when you heat a liquid (such as sea water) it
expands. Sea levels are currently on a pace to rise at a rate of approximately 1 inch every ten
years. Such a small change seems as if it could never affect quality of life for people living in
such distant from the oceans locations as Denver, Colorado.
Yet this is precisely the scenario by which we are all affected. Obviously people living in low
laying areas such as coastal Florida and Louisiana will most directly be affected. A one hundred
year model that allows for the current progression of global warming factors would result in
millions of acres of land mass lost in these areas. Still we have set our viewpoint in the Rocky
Mountains not Holland or the eastern coast of England, both of which are teetering at or below
sea level.
Our Denver citizen might enjoy bottled water from Zephyrhills, Florida or any of the hundreds of
fresh water springs gushing forth in the sunshine state. Salt-water intrusion as a result of rising
sea levels could easily destroy a huge percentage of the potable water available in this and other
coastal states. Agricultural products of low-lying areas around the world will face shortfalls.
Production of fruits and vegetables is dependent on a stable set of environmental conditions.
Ever hear of the Indian River? Well most of America’s grapefruit is grown there along the
Florida coast and should we follow the expected loss of coastline for all of the Southern US
which is projected at a possible 2 mile inward loss of coastline over the next 75 years. Both the
Indian River and Indian River Grapefruit will no longer exist. 50% of American produce is
grown in our low laying areas. A major effect of global warming is that agricultural production
will be decreased. Our planet will be unable to grow as much food.
Beach erosion
A major secondary effect of rising sea levels is massive beach erosion. Our Colorado vacationer
will find the endless stretches of sandy beaches he enjoys on his winter vacation have withered
away to a few hundred yards here and there. But a shortened tourist base is hardly a world
catastrophe…is it? Tourism pumps over 50 Billion dollars a year into Florida’s economy. North
Carolina and Louisiana earn 15 billion dollars each through tourism. In fact every US state and
every nation on Earth with mild climate and a sandy shore depends upon financial gain from
tourism to sustain its economy.
Lest we dwell only on financial impact consider that loss of coastal acreage will displace
thousands of species of animal and plant life.
Extreme weather
Perhaps the most commonly conceived notion as to the effects of global warming is that of
cataclysmic weather. In fervor to promote the cause, too often we see graphic depictions of
raging floods, category 12 hurricanes and dozens of tornadoes sweeping the landscape. These
same depictions seem to serve those who accept the threat of global warming and those who
reject the possibility. One agenda hopes to frighten the world into an austere program of self-
denial so as to instantly curb global warming causes. The other faction points out that currently
there are no typhoons sweeping across Kansas so therefore global warming is a but a myth. As
always when dealing with scientific anomalies the truth lies nicely hidden in between.
Category 4 and 5 hurricanes have risen in frequency from 20 to 35% over the last 30 years. Since
the dawn of the industrial revolution, frequency of hurricanes overall has risen by almost 40%
and the those hurricanes now making landfall deposit almost 10% more rainfall than their pre
1970 counterparts. As an effect of global warming hurricanes are stronger, wetter and more
numerous. Hurricane Fay from 2007 created massive flooding over a dozen states. This increase
in storm activity is directly related to a wider variance between warm and cold ocean waters.
Consider that the measurement of temperature rise in ocean waters is based on an overall
average. Storms are created by the extremes that create that average.
Global warming produces as byproducts, variance in the jet stream, wind sheer, greater quantity
of cyclones, and drought.
Increased rainfall
If we increase the temperature of the air it is able to absorb more moisture in the form of water
vapor. If we cool the air that vapor becomes liquid and falls to the earth as rain. The greater the
amount of water vapor the atmosphere absorbs the greater the amount of rainfall we will receive
during the normal process of reaching a dew point or other yard stick of precipitation. This
increased rainfall results in drastically increased erosion. Areas such as Colorado’s Platte River
long noted for the devastation following its hundred-year floods can in no way accommodate that
same volume of water arriving every decade. Erosion is vulnerable tropical areas such as Africa
results in native plant life dying off and a resultant desertification.
Evaporation, by definition is a cooling process. So why then is this increased evaporation not
countering global warming? Because the water vapor that enters the atmosphere counters the
cooling process while acting as a greenhouse gas. It should be pointed out that change in climate
for targeted areas can often result in a plus side modification meaning that adding water to dry
areas usually results in those areas being able to support vegetation.
The overall destabilization of local climates is a major effect of global warming. The Arctic is
home to over 4 million people. Canada, Russia, and Alaska are dealing with a tremendous rise in
bacterial growth as permafrost regions warm.
Glaciers in the northern hemisphere have decreased in size by 50% over the last 100 years. This
particular meltdown has resulted in landslides; flash floods and lake overflow through out the
Andes, Alps, Pyrenees, Himalayas, and Rocky Mountains. These seasonal meltdowns are
followed by seasonal droughts. Global warming creates climate extremes. We may measure the
average but we live with the outcome of the extremes. The slow steady melting of the Himalayas
results in the steady flow of water of the Ganges River. The Ganges is the lifeblood of over 500
million people. To say this plainly, if we melt all of our fresh water too quickly and send it out to
blend with the ocean billions of people, including o
Acidic oceans
Our Oceans are the Earth’s largest sink for the absorption of CO2 from our atmosphere. As
excess CO2 is dealt with, the oceans in an effort to balance the ecosystem have become saturated
with CO2. This has resulted in production of mild carbonic acid and is known as ocean
acidification. While this is an extremely slight change in the ph (acid to base) balance of the seas
it does result in damage to corals. Coral reefs are home to the vast majority of undersea life.
Ocean acidification coincides with Oxygen depletion in our oceans. Heavier CO2 molecules are
supplanting oxygen. Less oxygen equals less fish.
Drought
As temperature swings increase we are left with flooding in some areas and drought in others the
drought creates correct conditions for forest fires. These fires, like our hurricanes, are suddenly
emerging on a much grander scale. The 2009 fires raging through Australia and the 2002 fires in
Florida serve as excellent examples. Massive fires release much more carbon as both particle and
molecule than can readily be absorbed. Once again prevalent anti global warming as reality
belief is that these fires can only be considered a natural effect of the ecosystem and as the
forests are a naturally renewing resource should be discounted as an effect of global warming.
However with global warming defined as a premise of additional stress on our environment we
come to realize that it is not the existence of a naturally made fire but the scale of that event that
matters.
All of the above initial effects of global warming set into motion the following more directly
adverse effects. Every human being, animal and plant on planet Earth feels these second tier
effects.
For a short time it was hoped that a byproduct of global warming would be increased yields of
agriculture. The obvious conclusion was that plant life through photosynthesis would make good
use of the increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and produce a lush abundance of flora.
Certainly areas such as Iceland, which due to an overall warmer climate can now support the
growth of crops such as barley, have benefited from global warming. Regions such as Siberia are
now able to produce food. But overall the effect of global Warming on agriculture is decidedly
negative. Floods and droughts do not make suitable growing fields. In Africa, areas that
historically received two rain falls yearly now receive more resulting in increased yields, but
areas receiving one rainfall per annum now receive less. This of course results in a non existent
growing season and a 33% decrease in harvestable crops. While an increase in rainfall may
increase yields for those already able to produce a harvest a decrease in rainfall results in a
complete lack of food for others.
Flooding of coastal areas results in coastal growing plains being destroyed. For many poorer
countries these are the only fertile areas accessible to transportation via waterways. Poor
countries like Bangladesh are completely at risk to massive starvation caused by coastal
flooding.
Many Pacific Island nations will be completely eliminated as sea levels rise. It is already planned
to evacuate the peoples of Tuvalu to nearby New Zealand as flood defense in not economically
or agriculturally possible.
People will not be the only living things on the move due to global warming. As regional
ecosystems change many species will be unable to find historical food sources. This will result in
mass migrations to climates hoped to support those species as well as mass extinction of those
animals unable to migrate an /or adapt. Polar bears, emperor penguins, gyrfalcons and snowy
owls are just a few of the species current in peril in the new warmer Arctic and Antarctic regions.
Longer warm seasons result in such basic changes as a Polar bears loss of natural camouflage. A
white bear on brown earth is easy for a seal to avoid.
Birds and butterflies have shifted the range of their migrations almost 200 kilometers in North
America and Europe. Plant life is unable to shift regions as quickly and as such will die out
unless manually replanted in more conducive settings. When herbivores migrate to find a
genetically compatible climate they face the risk of starvation when their traditional foodstuffs
have not migrated with them. Many species are simply unable to migrate to better climes and as
such will suffer the fate of Australia’s white possum. Unable to survive in temperatures above 30
degrees Celsius the entire species was destroyed during a surprisingly excessive heat wave
during 2005. Their loss is directly attributed to global warming.
Severe winters in British Columbia have always managed to keep in balance the voracious effect
of the Pine Beetle. Warmer temperatures have now allowed the beetles to profligate and destroy
33 million acres of Canadian pines.
Mountain run off of melting snows is expected to result in seasonal flooding followed by
seasonal drought in every mountain range in the world. Mountains cover one fourth of the
Earth’s land mass. As upper mountain areas warm it is expected that over heated lower level
animals and plants will simply move up to a higher elevation. But what of life already situated at
the upper threshold? Once they reach the top of the mountain where will they move up to?
Of course we tend to realize the plight of animals as we can easily see their need to migrate to
better stomping grounds. But, what are the direct effects of increased temperature on
homosapiens?
Disease spreads in an overheated environment. Ever notice that there isn’t a lot of malaria in
Buffalo, New York or Moscow, Russia. Cold kills germs. Global warming will extend the
favorable zones for many infectious diseases. Encephalitis, Lyme disease and the
aforementioned malaria will join with other bacteria based carriers of illness to spread
throughout areas previously thought of as safe zones.
Our bodies must work harder to cool off when placed in a higher ambient temperature.
Cardiovascular function is directly reduced by even a 1-degree temperature increase.
Higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in the air we breathe are also directly damaging to
lung tissue and lung capacity.
Summation of effects
The effects of global warming are beginning to manifest themselves. While the greatest threat
still lies at a point perhaps some fifty years forward, the current problems and predicaments are
more than a harbinger. Global warming has already diminished the quality of life for the world’s
poorest peoples. Hunger and starvation on the African continent is its greatest reality. If global
warming is ignored and, shall we say, allowed to prosper, we the fortunate percentage of the
Earth’s populace living in first tier nations may very well join the fray of increased human
suffering.
First consider what we have written so far. Greenhouse gases like CO2, Methane, and water
vapor are released into the atmosphere by man-made causes. And these increase the power of the
greenhouse effect. And then, this releases even more greenhouse gases. So the problem is more
than just the harmful gases we are currently pouring […]
Stop polluting the planet. Our Oceans and the plant life on earth absorb 95% of the Carbon
Dioxide created by both man and nature. Unfortunately it is the remaining 5% that is getting us
in trouble. That overflow of the amount of CO2 the Earth can digest is the CO2 that is causing
too much [...]
conclusion of global warming
The bottom line it is coming (if not already here) and we have to figure out what we can do.
Waters rising will be a disaster, food will be affected and we gotta plan for catastrophies like
katrina. This is gonna hit everyone, not just the poor or the democrats or the catholics--we're all
in a heap of trouble and the sooner we accept this FACT. We should put serious effort to
overcome the problems due to it. We must try our best to solve the problem and strive as much
as possible to reinstate our earth for sake of future generation.