Global warming and the greenhouse effect Global warming is related to changes in the Earth's greenhouse effect. Gases naturally occur in the Earth's atmosphere and act both to protect and retain heat. These gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapor. Of these, water vapor is the…
Another way that humans cause global warming is by deforestation, which lowers the amount of oxygen being produced and carbon dioxide being consumed because there are less plants to facilitate these processes. This increases carbon dioxide emissions and this release of carbon dioxide heats the atmosphere. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, when carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere, it absorbs infrared photons rising from the surface and re-emits them back towards the surface. This creates a constant heat loop which essentially heats the Earth because heat can not escape the atmosphere.…
Over the last century global temperatures have increased rapidly, and this period has been called global warming. However many have disputed how this rapid increase in the change in the temperature have been brought about. There is a general agreement among scientists that the changes in the climate over the last century are as a result of human activities. They have reached this consensus as they have been able to link the sudden change in rate of the temperature increase to the development of industrial activities beginning with the industrial revolution. The industrial activities that our modern civilisation depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels causing a rise in the amount of greenhouse gases that insulate the Earth. These extra emissions of greenhouse gases have led to a thicker layer of greenhouse gases present in the Earth’s atmosphere. The main causes of this rise in greenhouse gas emission are fossil fuels. The burning of these fossil fuels has allowed us to develop, both economically and technologically, which in turn has enabled us to advance as a civilisation. However the use of these fossil fuels has…
Satellites orbiting the earth and other advanced technologies have enabled scientists to collect many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. This body of data, collected over many years, reveals the signals of a changing climate.The heat-trapping nature of carbon dioxide and other gases was demonstrated in the mid-19th century. Their ability to affect the transfer of infrared energy through the atmosphere is the scientific basis of many instruments flown by NASA. There is no question that increased levels of greenhouse gases must cause the Earth to warm in…
There is a scientific consensus that the recent rise in global temperature (global warming) is caused by human enhancement of the greenhouse effect, where greenhouse gases absorb outgoing long-wave radiation, so less is reflected back to space and is essential for keeping the planet warm. However, too much greenhouse gas in the atmosphere means too much energy is trapped and the planet warms up. One of the key findings in the IPCC report is the attribution of more than half the increase in global surface temperatures from 1951-2010 to human activities, underlining the dominant role of fossil fuel burning as a…
Around 30% of the sun's energy that reaches the Earth is reflected back into space. Changes in how much sunlight is absorbed, and how much is reflected, can affect global temperatures. Using satellite and land-based observations and computer models, scientists have calculated how Earth's reflectivity has changed over time.…
According to the article Global Warming on NASA’s website, published by Holly Riebeek on June 3, 2010, between 1906 and 2005 the Earth’s average surface temperature rose between 1.1 to 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This is not the first time the Earth’s climate has changed. The climate has experienced changes since the beginning of time. Small differences that occur in the Earth’s orbit cause a somewhat different temperature. The sun is the main ingredient when it comes to temperature. In the past, the Earth’s orbit has changed, causing a slight change in temperature (Riebeek 1). This is not what the controversy sweeping the world. The problem is the more drastic change recently because of humans. The Earth has a natural heating mechanism called the Greenhouse Effect. The Greenhouse Effect is a necessary part of human existence. However, the problem is humans are increasing these greenhouse gasses by burning fossil fuels, such as oil, and burning down forests, increasing the carbon dioxide level (2). Without all this, humans would face an inevitable downfall.…
Earth’s atmosphere contains mostly water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane (natural greenhouse gases) which act to keep the lower layers of the atmosphere warmer than they otherwise would be without those gases. Greenhouse gases trap infrared radiation. The radiant heat energy that the Earth naturally emits to outer space in response to solar heating. Mankind’s burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and this is believed to be enhancing the Earth’s natural greenhouse effect. As of 2008, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was about 40% to 45% higher than it was before the start of the industrial revolution in the 1800′s.…
One cause contributing to the increased average of global temperatures is the increase of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse” gases in our atmosphere. The greenhouse effect causes an increase in the Earth’s temperature from atmospheric gases, including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, disrupts the cycle of energy by trapping the outgoing energy from the Earth, which is supposed to be on its way back to space (Shah, 2012). Instead, the energy is retained on Earth; causing natural temperature to increase as well as polluting the air. Human activity has contributed to this natural effect through the excessive burning of fossil fuels since these fuels rapidly release carbon dioxide into our atmosphere while not removing the gas, which leaves high levels of CO2…
A certain percentage of the solar energy that reaches our planet is trapped in the atmosphere by a process known as the “greenhouse effect”. The primary gas responsible for this effect is carbon dioxide. Human activities since the industrial revolution has caused a dramatic jump in the carbon dioxide levels, as we have developed a fossil fuel based economy. This increase in carbon dioxide means that a greater fraction of the sun’s energy is trapped rather than escaping each day, driving overall temperatures up.…
Global warming can be defined as; “An increase in the earth’s atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting especially from pollution” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2008). According to University of Phoenix Global Warming (2008), the data accumulated from daily measurements indicate that the Earth’s average surface temperature in 2005 was the third highest since the mid-1800s. Apparently the last two decades of the 20th century were its warmest.…
Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.”IPCC, 2007.…
Other scientists subscribe to the theory that global warming of the earth is taking place due to something called the greenhouse effect. According to this hypothesis, carbon dioxide is released into the air by the burning of fossil fuels and is trapped in the atmosphere, causing a rise in temperatures. If you agree with this theory, then you place responsibility on people and their life-styles for the warming trend and believe that action should be taken to slow down this trend.…
Planet Earth is getting a lot warmer due to the greenhouse effect which heats up the surface of our planet from the presence of gases in our atmosphere. These gases allow for invisible rays of energy called infrared radiation to be emitted. It is widely believed that this is happening likely because of human activity and the burning of fossil fuels. But there is also great skepticism that it may not be human created, but rather a dramatic increase in solar activity due to the increased burning of hydrogen by our sun.…
This effect occurs because “greenhouse gases allow incoming solar radiation to pass through the Earth 's atmosphere, but prevent most of the outgoing infrared radiation from the surface and lower atmosphere from escaping into outer…