Global warming

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For past climate change, see Paleoclimatology and Geologic temperature record.

Global mean surface temperature difference relative to the 1961–1990 average

Comparison of ground based (blue) and satellite based (red: UAH; green: RSS) records of
temperature variations since 1979. Trends plotted since January 1982.

Mean surface temperature change for the period 2000 to 2009 relative to the average
temperatures from 1951 to 1980.[1]

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of Earth's near-surface air and
oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation. According to the 2007
Fourth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global
surface temperature increased 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the 20th century.[2][A]
Most of the observed temperature increase since the middle of the 20th century has been
caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, which result from human activity
such as the burning of fossil fuel and deforestation.[3] Global dimming, a result of increasing
concentrations of atmospheric aerosols that block sunlight from reaching the surface, has
partially countered the effects of warming induced by greenhouse gases.

Climate model projections summarized in the latest IPCC report indicate that the global
surface temperature is likely to rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the 21st
century.[2] The uncertainty in this estimate arises from the use of models with differing
sensitivity to greenhouse gas concentrations and the use of differing estimates of future
greenhouse gas emissions. An increase in global temperature will cause sea levels to rise and
will change the amount and pattern of precipitation, probably including expansion of
subtropical deserts.[4] Warming is expected to be strongest in the Arctic and would be
associated with continuing retreat of glaciers, permafrost and sea ice. Other likely effects
include changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, species extinctions,
and changes in agricultural yields. Warming and related changes will vary from region to
region around the globe, though the nature of these regional variations is uncertain.[5] Another
major[6][7] worldwide concomitant of global warming, and one which is presently happening as
well as being predicted to continue, is ocean acidification, which is likewise a result of
contemporary increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The scientific consensus is that anthropogenic global warming is occurring.[8][9][10][B]

Nevertheless, political and public debate continues. The Kyoto Protocol is aimed at stabilizing
greenhouse gas concentration to prevent a "dangerous anthropogenic interference".[11] As of
November 2009, 187 states had signed and ratified the protocol.[12]

emperature changes
Main article: Temperature record

Two millennia of mean surface temperatures according to different reconstructions, each

smoothed on a decadal scale, with the actual recorded temperatures overlaid in black.

Evidence for warming of the climate system includes observed increases in global average air
and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea
level.[13][14][15][16][17] The most common measure of global warming is the trend in globally
averaged temperature near the Earth's surface. Expressed as a linear trend, this temperature
rose by 0.74 ± 0.18 °C over the period 1906–2005. The rate of warming over the last half of
that period was almost double that for the period as a whole (0.13 ± 0.03 °C per decade,
versus 0.07 °C ± 0.02 °C per decade). The urban heat island effect is estimated to account for
about 0.002 °C of warming per decade since 1900.[18] Temperatures in the lower troposphere
have increased between 0.13 and 0.22 °C (0.22 and 0.4 °F) per decade since 1979, according
to satellite temperature measurements. Temperature is believed to have been relatively stable
over the one or two thousand years before 1850, with regionally varying fluctuations such as
the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age.[19]

Estimates by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and the National Climatic
Data Center show that 2005 was the warmest year since reliable, widespread instrumental
measurements became available in the late 1800s, exceeding the previous record set in 1998
by a few hundredths of a degree.[20][21] Estimates prepared by the World Meteorological
Organization and the Climatic Research Unit show 2005 as the second warmest year, behind
1998.[22][23] Temperatures in 1998 were unusually warm because the strongest El Niño in the
past century occurred during that year.[24] Global temperature is subject to short-term
fluctuations that overlay long term trends and can temporarily mask them. The relative
stability in temperature from 2002 to 2009 is consistent with such an episode.[25][26]

Temperature changes vary over the globe. Since 1979, land temperatures have increased
about twice as fast as ocean temperatures (0.25 °C per decade against 0.13 °C per decade).
[27]
Ocean temperatures increase more slowly than land temperatures because of the larger
effective heat capacity of the oceans and because the ocean loses more heat by evaporation.
[28]
The Northern Hemisphere warms faster than the Southern Hemisphere because it has more
land and because it has extensive areas of seasonal snow and sea-ice cover subject to ice-
albedo feedback. Although more greenhouse gases are emitted in the Northern than Southern
Hemisphere this does not contribute to the difference in warming because the major
greenhouse gases persist long enough to mix between hemispheres.[29]

The thermal inertia of the oceans and slow responses of other indirect effects mean that
climate can take centuries or longer to adjust to changes in forcing. Climate commitment
studies indicate that even if greenhouse gases were stabilized at 2000 levels, a further
warming of about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) would still occur.[30]

Global Warming Causes

As said, the major cause of global warming is the emission of green house gases like carbon
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide etc into the
atmosphere. The major source of carbon dioxide is
the power plants. These power plants emit large
amounts of carbon dioxide produced from burning of
fossil fuels for the purpose of electricity generation.
About twenty percent of carbon dioxide emitted in
the atmosphere comes from burning of gasoline in
the engines of the vehicles. This is true for most of
the developed countries. Buildings, both commercial
and residential represent a larger source of global
warming pollution than cars and trucks.

Building of these structures require a lot of fuel to be

burnt which emits a large amount of carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere. Methane is more than 20 times as effectual as CO2 at entrapping heat in
the atmosphere. Methane is obtained from resources such as rice paddies, bovine flatulence,
bacteria in bogs and fossil fuel manufacture. When fields are flooded, anaerobic situation build
up and the organic matter in the soil decays, releasing methane to the atmosphere. The main
sources of nitrous oxide include nylon and nitric acid production, cars with catalytic converters,
the use of fertilizers in agriculture and the burning of organic matter. Another cause of global
warming is deforestation that is caused by cutting and burning of forests for the purpose of
residence and industrialization.

What is global warming?

Global warming is when the earth heats up (the temperature rises). It happens when
greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap heat and
light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This hurts
many people, animals, and plants. Many cannot take the change, so they die.

What is the greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect is when the temperature rises because the sun’s heat and light is
trapped in the earth’s atmosphere. This is like when heat is trapped in a car. On a very hot
day, the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. This is because the heat and light
from the sun can get into the car, by going through the windows, but it can’t get back out.
This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth. The heat and light can get through the
atmosphere, but it can’t get out. As a result, the temperature rises.
 The sun’s heat can get into
the car through the windows
but is then trapped. This
makes what ever the place
might be, a greenhouse, a
car, a building, or the earth’s
atmosphere, hotter. This
diagram shows the heat
coming into a car as visible
light (light you can see) and
infrared light (heat). Once
the light is inside the car, it
is trapped and the heat
builds up, just like it does in
the earth’s atmosphere.

Sometimes the temperature

The squiggle lines coming from the sun are visible light and the
lines and arrows inside the car are infrared light. can change in a way that
helps us. The greenhouse
effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on. Without it, the earth would be
freezing, or on the other hand it would be burning hot. It would be freezing at night because
the sun would be down. We would not get the sun’s heat and light to make the night
somewhat warm. During the day, especially during the summer, it would be burning because
the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter it, so people, plants, and animals would be
exposed to all the light and heat.

Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it, if there gets
to be too many gases, the earth can get unusually warmer, and many plants, animals, and
people will die. They would die because there would be less food (plants like corn, wheat,
and other vegetables and fruits). This would happen because the plants would not be able to
take the heat. This would cause us to have less food to eat, but it would also limit the food
that animals have. With less food, like grass, for the animals that we need to survive (like
cows) we would even have less food. Gradually, people, plants, and animals would all die of
hunger.

What causes global warming?

Many things cause global warming. One thing that causes global warming is electrical
pollution. Electricity causes pollution in many ways, some worse than others. In most cases,
fossil fuels are burned to create electricity. Fossil fuels are made of dead plants and animals.
Some examples of fossil fuels are oil and petroleum. Many pollutants (chemicals that pollute
the air, water, and land) are sent into the air when fossil fuels are burned. Some of these
chemicals are called greenhouse gasses.

We use these sources of energy much more than the sources that give off less pollution.
Petroleum, one of the sources of energy, is used a lot. It is used for transportation, making
electricity, and making many other things. Although this source of energy gives off a lot of
pollution, it is used for 38% of the United States’ energy.

Some other examples of using energy and polluting the air are:

Turning on a light
Watching T.V.
 Listening to a stereo
Washing or drying clothes
Using a hair dryer
Riding in a car
Heating a meal in the microwave
Using an air conditioner
Playing a video game
Using a dish washer

When you do these things, you are causing more greenhouse gasses to be sent into the air.
Greenhouse gasses are sent into the air because creating the electricity you use to do these
things causes pollution. If you think of how many times a day you do these things, it’s a lot.
You even have to add in how many other people do these things! That turns out to be a lot of
pollutants going into the air a day because of people like us using electricity. The least amount
of electricity you use, the better.

When we throw our garbage away, the garbage goes to landfills. Landfills are those big hills
that you go by on an expressway that stink. They are full of garbage. The garbage is then
sometimes burned. This sends an enormous amount of greenhouse gasses into the air and
makes global warming worse.

Another thing that makes global warming worse is when people cut down trees. Trees and
other plants collect carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a greenhouse gas.

Carbon dioxide is the air that our body lets out when we breathe. With fewer trees, it is harder
for people to breathe because there is more CO2 in the air, and we don’t breathe CO2, we
breathe oxygen. Plants collect the CO2 that we breathe out, and they give back oxygen that
we breathe in. With less trees and other plants, such as algae, there is less air for us, and
more greenhouse gases are sent into the air. This means that it is very important to protect
our trees to stop the greenhouse effect, and also so we can breathe and live.

This gas, CO2, collects light and heat (radiant energy), produced by the sun, and this makes
the earth warmer. The heat and light from the sun is produced in the center of the sun. (The
sun has layers just like the earth.)
This layer is called the core. Just like
a core of an apple, it is in the
middle. Here there is a very high
temperature, about 27,000,000°F.
This heat escapes out of this layer to
the next layer, the radiative zone.
This layer is cooler, about
4,500,000°F. Gradually, the heat
and light will pass through the
convection zone at a temperature of
around 2,000,000°F. When it gets to
the surface, the temperature is about
10,000°F. Finally, the heat and light
is sent into space. This is called
radiant energy (heat and light). The
radiant energy reaches the earth’s
atmosphere. As a result of this
process we get light and heat. When
you pollute, you send chemicals into
the air that destroy our atmosphere,
so more heat and light cannot escape The dirty yellow color on outside is the surface. The
from the earth’s atmosphere. light and dark yellow colored area is the convection
zone. The orange colored area is the radiative zone,
and the red colored area is the core. The squiggle lines
What are people doing to stop
represent radiant energy.
global warming?

People are doing many things to try to stop global warming. One thing people are doing is
carpooling. Carpooling is driving with someone to a place that you are both going to. This
minimizes the amount of greenhouse gases put into the air by a car.

Another thing that people are doing is being more careful about leaving things turned on like
the television, computer, and the lights. A lot of people are taking time away from the
television, and instead, they are spending more time outdoors. This helps our planet out a
lot. Now, more people are even riding busses, walking to school, and riding their bikes to
lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air. Planting trees and recycling also helps. If
you recycle, less trash goes to the dump, and less trash gets burned. As a result, there are
fewer greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere.

Watch what you buy. Many things, such as hairspray and deodorant, now are made to have
less of an impact on the atmosphere. Less greenhouse gasses will rise into the air, and global
warming will slow down.

What is the government doing to stop global warming?

The government is doing many things to help stop global warming. The government made a
law called The Clean Air Act so there is less air pollution. Global warming is making people get
very bad illnesses that could make them disabled, very sick, and sometimes even die. The
Clean Air Act is making many companies change their products to decrease these problems.
Part of the law says that you may not put a certain amount of pollutants in the air. Hairspray
and some other products, like foam cups, had this problem. Making and using these products
let out too much volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), ozone-destroying chemicals
(chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), and related chemicals (such as CO2) into the air. Now, almost
all of these products have a label on them telling people what this product can do to the
environment and many people. By 2015 all products listed on the Clean Air Act will have this
label on them:

WARNING: contains or manufactured with (the chemical

would go here. For example chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), a
substance which harms public health and the environment
by destroying ozone in the upper atmosphere.

Almost all of the other chemicals that could be harmful will have this label on them hopefully
by this time (2015) as well.

The Clean Air Act has also made car companies change some of the things inside of the cars.
Cars pollute a lot. While cars make more than half of the world’s smog (visible pollution in the
air), many things that cars need to move and heat up make even more pollution. Some
things that are inside of cars, buses, trucks, and motorcycles, like gasoline, pollute the air
when the fuel is burned. It comes out as a chemical and when mixed in the air, forms smog.
Smog is a kind of pollution that you see in the form of a cloud. If you have ever been to
California you can see a lot of smog in some places. Sometimes the smog gets so bad that
you cannot see at all! Smog forms when car exhaust, pollution from homes, and pollution
from factories mixes in the air and has a chemical reaction. The sun’s heat and light add to
the reaction.

Cars, buses, and trucks are also responsible for over 50% of dangerous chemicals let into the
air. Some of these chemicals can cause cancer, birth defects, trouble breathing, brain and
nerve damage, lung injures, and burning eyes. Some of the pollutants are so harmful that
they can even cause death.

What are some of the other dangerous chemicals?

Some other chemicals that cause air pollution and are bad for the environment and people
are:

Ozone- Ozone is produced when other pollution chemicals combine. It is the basic element
of smog. It causes many different kinds of health issues dealing with the lungs. It can
damage plants and limit sight. It can also cause a lot of property damage.
VOC’s (volatile organic compounds, smog formers)- VOC’s are let into the air when
fuel is burned. This chemical can cause cancer. It can also harm plants.
NOx (nitrogen dioxide)- This chemical forms smog. It is also formed by burning sources
of energy, like gas, coal, and oil, and by cars. This chemical causes problems in the
respiratory system (including the lungs). It causes acid rain, and it can damage trees.
This chemical can eat away buildings and statues.
CO (carbon monoxide)- The source of this chemical is burning sources of energy. It
causes blood vessel problems and respiratory failures.
PM-10 (particulate matter)- The source of this chemical is plowing and burning down
fields. It can cause death and lung damage. It can make it hard for people to breathe.
The smoke, soot, ash, and dust formed by this chemical can make many cities dirty.
Sulfur Dioxide- This chemical is produced by making paper and metals. This chemical can
cause permanent lung damage. It can cause acid rain which kills trees and damages
building and statues.
Lead- This chemical is in paint, leaded gasoline, smelters, and in lead storage batteries. It
 can cause many brain and nerve damages and digestive problems.

Test yourself on global warming by figuring out a word search at the

website below. When you enter this website, you will have to click
on Global Warming Word Search to enter the page. Click on the
website below to test yourself on global warming.
http://globalwarming.enviroweb.org/games/

Kid can help stop global warming, too!!

Although adults do many things to help stop global warming, kids can do just as much. Kids
can’t do hard things like making a law, but we can do easier things like not watching as much
TV. You can listen to your parents when they say, turn off your lights or go play outside.
Listening to them and actually trying to help can help you, your environment, and the world

Global Warming effects

Green house gases stay can stay in the atmosphere for an amount of years ranging from
decades to hundreds and thousands of years. No matter what we do, global warming is going
to have some effect on Earth. Here are the 5 deadliest effects of global warming.

5. Spread of disease As northern countries warm, disease carrying insects migrate north,
bringing plague and disease with them. Indeed some scientists believe that in some countries
thanks to global warming, malaria has not been fully eradicated.

4. Warmer waters and more hurricanes As the temperature of oceans rises, so will
the probability of more frequent and stronger hurricanes. We saw in this in 2004 and 2005.

3. Increased probability and intensity of droughts and heat waves Although some
areas of Earth will become wetter due to global warming, other areas will suffer serious
droughts and heat waves. Africa will receive the worst of it, with more severe droughts also
expected in Europe. Water is already a dangerously rare commodity in Africa, and according to
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global warming will exacerbate the
conditions and could lead to conflicts and war.

2. Economic consequences Most of the effects of anthropogenic global warming won’t

be good. And these effects spell one thing for the countries of the world: economic
consequences. Hurricanes cause do billions of dollars in damage, diseases cost money to treat
and control and conflicts exacerbate all of these.

1. Polar ice caps melting The ice caps melting is a four-pronged danger.

First, it will raise sea levels. There are 5,773,000 cubic miles of water in ice caps, glaciers,
and permanent snow. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, if all glaciers
melted today the seas would rise about 230 feet. Luckily, that’s not going to happen all in one
go! But sea levels will rise.

Second, melting ice caps will throw the global ecosystem out of balance. The ice caps are
fresh water, and when they melt they will desalinate the ocean, or in plain English - make it
less salty. The desalinization of the gulf current will "screw up" ocean currents, which regulate
temperatures. The stream shutdown or irregularity would cool the area around north-east
America and Western Europe. Luckily, that will slow some of the other effects of global
warming in that area!
Third, temperature rises and changing landscapes in the artic circle will endanger several
species of animals. Only the most adaptable will survive.

Fourth, global warming could snowball with the ice caps gone. Ice caps are white, and reflect
sunlight, much of which is relected back into space, further cooling Earth. If the ice caps melt,
the only reflector is the ocean. Darker colors absorb sunlight, further warming the Earth.

So what is the solution? Are we just being negative? Are there any positive effects of global
warming? What about all the stupid global warming solutions. We welcome your thoughts.

Disadvantages of Global Warming

• Ocean circulation disrupted, disrupting and having unknown effects on world climate.
• Higher sea level leading to flooding of low-lying lands and deaths and disease from
flood and evacuation.
• Deserts get drier leaving to increased desertification.
• Changes to agricultural production that can lead to food shortages.
• Water shortages in already water-scarce areas.
• Starvation, malnutrition, and increased deaths due to food and crop shortages.
• More extreme weather and an increased frequency of severe and catastrophic storms.
• Increased disease in humans and animals.
• Increased deaths from heat waves.
• Extinction of additional species of animals and plants.
• Loss of animal and plant habitats.
• Increased emigration of those from poorer or low-lying countries to wealthier or higher
countries seeking better (or non-deadly) conditions.
• Additional use of energy resources for cooling needs.
• Increased air pollution.
• Increased allergy and asthma rates due to earlier blooming of plants.
• Melt of permafrost leads to destruction of structures, landslides, and avalanches.
• Permanent loss of glaciers and ice sheets.
• Cultural or heritage sites destroyed faster due to increased extremes.
• Increased acidity of rainfall.
• Earlier drying of forests leading to increased forest fires in size and intensity.
• Increased cost of insurance as insurers pay out more claims resulting from
increasingly large disasters.
• Aggressiveness will increase, leading to an increase in the murder rate.

Advantages of Global Warming

• Arctic, Antarctic, Siberia, and other frozen regions of earth may experience more plant
growth and milder climates.
• The next ice age may be prevented from occurring.
• Northwest Passage through Canada's formerly-icy north opens up to sea
transportation.
• Less need for energy consumption to warm cold places.
• Fewer deaths or injuries due to cold weather.
• Longer growing seasons could mean increased agricultural production in some local
areas.
• Mountains increase in height due to melting glaciers, becoming higher as they rebound
against the missing weight of the ice.
• Boundary disputes between countries over low-lying islands will disappear.