I.

INTRODUCTION:

-the phenomenon of increasing average air temperatures near the surface of Earth over the past one to two centuries. Since the mid-20th century, climate scientists have gathered detailed observations of various weather phenomena (such as temperature, precipitation, and storms) and of related influences on climate (such as ocean currents and the atmosphere's chemical composition). These data indicate that Earth's climate has changed over almost every conceivable timescale since the beginning of geologic time and that, since at least the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the influence of human activities has been deeply woven into the very fabric of climate change. The scenarios referred to above depend mainly on future concentrations of certain trace gases, called greenhouse gases, that have been injected into the lower atmosphere in increasing amounts through the burning of fossil fuels for industry, transportation, and residential uses. Modern global warming is the result of an increase in magnitude of the so-called greenhouse effect, a warming of Earth's surface and lower atmosphere caused by the presence of water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases. Of all these gases, carbon dioxide is the most important, both for its role in the greenhouse effect and for its role in the human economy. It has been estimated that, at the beginning of the industrial age in the mid-18th century, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere were roughly 280 parts per million (ppm). By the end of the 20th century, carbon dioxide concentrations had reached 369 ppm (possibly the highest concentrations in at least 650,000 years), and, if fossil fuels continue to be burned at current rates, they are projected to reach 560 ppm by the mid-

21st centuryessentially, a doubling of carbon dioxide concentrations in 300 years. It has been calculated that an increase of this magnitude alone (that is, not accounting for possible effects of other greenhouse gases) would be responsible for adding 2 to 5 C (3.6 to 9 F) to the global average surface temperatures that existed at the beginning of the industrial age.

Climate variation since the last glaciations

Global warming is related to the more general phenomenon of climate, which refers to changes in the totality of attributes that define climate. In addition to changes in air temperature, a climate change involves changes to precipitation patterns, winds, ocean currents, and other measures of Earths Climate. Normally in climate changes can be viewed as the combination of various natural forces accruing over diverse timescales. Since the advent of human civilization climate change has involved an anthropogenic or exclusively human caused element , and this anthropogenic element has become more important in the industrial period of the past two centuries. The term global warming is used specifically to refer to any warming near surface air during past two centuries that can be traced to anthropogenic causes.

To define the concepts of global warming and climate change properly, it is first necessary to recognize that the climate of Earth has varied across many

timescales, ranging from an individual human life span to billions of years. This variable climate history is typically classified in terms of regimes or epoch. For instance the Pleistocene glacial epoch was marked by substantial variations in the global extent of glaciers and ice sheets; it was about 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago. These variations took place on timescales of tens to hundreds of millennia and were driven by changes in the distribution of solar radiation across Earths surface. The distribution of solar radiation is known as the insulation pattern and it is strongly affected by the geometry of Earths orbit around the sun by thee orientation, or tilt, of Earths axis relative to the direct rays of the sun.

Worldwide, the most recent glacial period, or ice age, culminated about 21,000 years ago in what is often called the last Glacial Maximum. During this time, continental ice sheets extended well into the middle latitude regions of Europe and North America, reaching as far south as present day London and New York City. Global annual mean temperature appears to have been about 4-5 degree Celsius colder than in the mid-20th century. It is important to remember that these figures are a global average. In fact , during the height of this last ice age, Earths Climate was characterized greater cooling at higher latitudes that is toward the poles and relatively little cooling over large parts of the tropical oceans( near the Equator. This glacial interval terminated abruptly about 11,700 years ago and was followed by the subsequent relatively ice-free period known as the Holocene Epoch. The modern period of Earths History is conventionally defined as residing within the Holocene. Holocene. However, some scientist have argued that the Holocene Epoch terminated in the relatively recent past and that Earth

currently resides in a climate interval that could justly be called the Anthropogenic Epoch-that is a period during which humans have exerted a dominant influence over climate. Though less dramatic than the climate change that occurred during the Pleistocene Epoch, significant variation global climate have nonetheless taken place Over the course of the Holocene. During the early Holocene roughly 9,000 years ago, atmospheric circulation and precipitation patterns appear to have been substantially different from those of today. For example, there is evidence for relatively wet conditions in What is now the Sahara desert. The change from one climatic regime to another was caused by only modest changes in pattern of insulation within the Holocene interval as well as the interaction of this pattern with large scale phenomena such as monsoons and El Nio/Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

During the middle Holocene, some 5,000- 7,000 years ago, conditions appear to have been relatively warm indeed, perhaps warmer than today in some parts og=d the world and during certain seasons. For this reason, this interval is sometimes referred to as the Mid-Holocene Climatic Optimum. The relative warmth of average near-surface air temperatures at this time, however, is somewhat unclear. Changes in the pattern of insulation favored warmer summers at higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere and relatively cool conditions year-round in the topics. Any overall hemisphere or global mean temperature changes thus reflected a balance between competing seasonal and regional changes. In fact, recent theoretical climate model studies suggest that global mean temperatures

during the middle Holocene were probably 0.2-0.3 degree Celsius (0.4-0.5 degree Fahrenheit colder than average late-20th century conditions.

Over subsequent millennia, conditions appear to have cooled relative to middle Holocene levels. This period has sometimes been referred to as the Neoglacial. In the middle latitudes this cooling trend was associated with intermittent periods of advancing and retreating mountain glaciers reminiscent of(though far more modest than) the more substantial advance and retreat of the major continental ice sheets of the Pleistocene climate epoch.

II. Cause of Global warming A. The greenhouse effect -The average surface temperature of earth is maintained by a balance of various forms of solar and terrestrial radiation. Solar radiations often called shortwave radiation because the frequencies of the radiation of are relatively high and the wavelengths relatively short close to the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Terrestrial radiation, on the other hand, is often called long wave radiation because the infrared part of the spectrum. Downwardmoving solar energy radiation at the top of Earths atmosphere (the so-called solar constant) amounts roughly to 1,366 watts per square meter annually. Adjusting for the fact that only half of the planets surfaces receive solar radiation at any given time the average surface insulation is 342 watts per square meter annually. The amount of solar radiation absorb by earths surface is only a small fractions of the total solar radiation entering the atmosphere. for every 100 units of incoming solar radiation, roughly 30 units are reflected back to space by either clouds, the atmosphere, or reflective

regions of earths surface. This reflective capacity is referred to us as earth planetary albedo, and it need not remain fixed over time, since the special extent and distribution of reflective formation, such as clouds and ice cover, can change. The 70 units of solar radiation that are not reflected maybe absorbed by the atmosphere clouds, or the surface. In the absence of further complication, in order to maintain thermodynamic equilibrium, earth surface and atmosphere must radiate these same 70 units back to space. Earths surface temperature and that of the lower layer of the atmosphere essentially in contact with the surface is tied to the magnitude of this emission of outgoing radiation according to the Stefan-Boltzmann law. Earths energy budget is further complicated by the greenhouse effect. Trace gasses with certain chemical properties the so-called greenhouse gasses, mainly carbon dioxide methane, and nitrous oxide absorb some of the infrared radiation produced by Earths surface. Because of this absorption, some fraction of thre original 70 units does n t directly escape to space. Because greenhouse gasses emit the same amount of radiation they absorb and because this radiation is emitted equally in all direction that is as much downward as upward), the net effect of absorption by the greenhouse gasses is

to increase the total amount of radiation emitted downward toward earths surface and lower atmosphere. To maintain equilibrium, Earths surface and lower atmosphere must emit more radiation that the original 70 units. Consequently, the surface temperature must be higher. This process is not quite the same as that which governs a true greenhouse, but the end effect is similar. The presence of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere leads to a warming of the surface and lower part of the atmosphere (and a cooling higher up in the atmosphere) relative to what would be expected in the absence of greenhouse gasses. It is essential to distinguish the natural or background, greenhouse effect from the enhanced greenhouse effect associated with human activity. The natural greenhouse effect is associated with surface warming properties of natural constituents of Earths atmosphere, especially water vapor. Carbon dioxide and methane. The existence of this effect is accepted by all scientists. Indeed in its absence, Earths average temperature would be approximately 33 degree Celsius (59 degree Fahrenheit) colder than today, and Earth would be a frozen and likely uninhabitable planet. What has been subject to controversy is the so-called enhanced greenhouse effect, which is associated with

increased concentrations of greenhouse gases caused by human activity. In particular, the burning of fossil fuels raises the concentrations of the major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and these higher concentrations have the potential to warm the atmosphere by several degrees. B. Natural Causes Natural causes are causes created by nature. One natural cause is a release of methane gas from arctic tundra and wetlands. Another natural cause is that the earth goes through a cycle of climates change usually lasts about 40,000 years or so. Basically this danger of global warming has been created by mankind and as have been through a series of years is responsible for most of geological disturbances which has been happening in the past few years. Here are some causes of global warming that are not caused by man but mother earth its self. 1.) Solar Variation Is the change in the amount of radiation emitted by the sun and in its spectral distribution over years to millennia. Variations is total solar

irradiance were too small to detect with technology available before the satellite era. Although the small fraction is ultraviolet lights has recently found to vary significantly more than previously through over the cause of a solar cycle. 2.) Feedback Effect At first climate change was expected to worsen the problem of ground level once which is bad for human health. Thats because tree and plant species will be migrating due for future climates change. Significant forest loss is predicted for the Amazon, and New England maple tree will be migrating due north. C. Anthropogenic Refers to the production of greenhouse effects gases emitted by human activities. Caused or influenced by humans. Anthropogenic carbon dioxide is that portion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is directed by human activities, such as the burning fuels, rather than but such processes as respiration and decay.