Nature and Sources:

Nature and Sources: The Earth's climate is fueled by the Sun. Most of the Sun's energy, called solar radiation, is absorbed by the Earth, but some is reflected back into space. A natural layer of atmospheric gases absorbs a portion of this reflected solar radiation, eventually releasing some of it into space, but forcing much of it back to Earth. There it warms the Earth's surface creating what is known as the natural "greenhouse effect," as illustrated in the diagram below. The greenhouse effect is being accelerated by releases of certain gases to the atmosphere that are causing the Earth's temperature to rise. Without the natural greenhouse effect, the Earth's average temperature would be much colder, and the planet would be covered with ice. Recent scientific evidence shows that the greenhouse effect is being increased by release of certain gases to the atmosphere that cause the Earth's temperature to rise. This is called "global warming." Carbon dioxide (CO2) accounts for about 85 percent of greenhouse gases released in the U.S. CO2 emissions are largely due to the combustion of fossil fuels in electric power generation. Methane (CH4) emissions, which result from agricultural activities, landfills, and other sources, are the second largest contributor to greenhouse gases in the U.S. Industrial applications such as foam production, refrigeration, dry cleaning, chemical manufacturing, and semiconductor manufacturing produce other greenhouse gas emissions such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Smelting of aluminum produces another greenhouse gas called perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). Emissions of NOx and VOC from automobile exhaust and industrial processes contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone or smog, also a greenhouse gas. Health and Environmental Effects: Greenhouse gas emissions could cause a 1.8 to 6.3° Fahrenheit rise in temperature during the next century, if atmospheric levels are not reduced. Although this change may appear small, it could produce extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods; threaten coastal resources and wetlands by raising sea level; and increase the risk of certain diseases by producing new breeding sites for pests and pathogens. Agricultural regions and woodlands are also susceptible to changes in climate that could result in increased insect populations and plant disease. This degradation of natural ecosystems could lead to reduced biological diversity. International Developments: Over 150 world leaders have responded to the early warnings of climate change. In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formed, and in 1992, these 150 countries signed a treaty known as the "Framework Convention on Climate Change" (FCCC) to stabilize atmospheric greenhouse gases. Early indications suggest that most countries are not on track to meet the year 2000 target for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, and further, that holding emissions at 1990 levels will not prevent or solve the problem. In 1997, the FCCC will meet in Japan, where agreement may be reached on a legally binding international pact to prevent or reduce the risk of climate change. U.S. Programs to Mitigate Climate Change: The United States adopted a Climate Change Action Plan in 1993 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Hundreds of companies and nonprofit organizations are working together to effectively reduce their emissions. The Plan involves 50 programs implemented by EPA, the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, and other Government agencies. EPA's voluntary pollution prevention programs seek to prevent greenhouse gas emissions through partnerships with business, government, and other groups by stimulating investments in energy-efficient technology and practices. Combined, EPA's voluntary pollution prevention programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have over 2,000 partners. Since 1992, participants in these programs have prevented the release of over 2.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.y8,miniclip free blogs.

Effects of Global Warming

Global warming is expected to have far-reaching, long-lasting and, in many cases, devastating consequences for planet Earth. For some years, global warming — the gradual heating of Earth's surface, oceans and atmosphere — was a topic of heated debate in the scientific community. But the overwhelming consensus of researchers today is that global warming is real and is caused by human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels that pump carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Additionally, global warming is having a measurable effect on the planet right now. Increase in average temperatures One of the most immediate and obvious impacts of global warming is the increase in temperatures around the world. The average global temperature has increased by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degrees Celsius) over the past 100 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Since recordkeeping began in 1895, the hottest year on record for the 48 contiguous U.S. states was 2012. Worldwide, 2012 was also the 10th-warmest year on record, according to NOAA. And nine of the warmest years on record have occurred since 2000. Extreme weather events Scientists have found that the number and severity of extreme weather events — record-breaking high or low temperatures, high rainfall events or intense storms — are an effective measure of climate change and global warming. The U.S. Climate Extremes Index (CEI) was established in 1996 to track these events. The number of extreme weather events that are among the most unusual in the historical record, according to the CEI, has been rising over the last four decades, according to NOAA. Scientists project that extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, blizzards and rainstorms will continue to occur more often and with greater intensity due to global warming, according to Climate Central. Shift in climate patterns Climate models forecast that global warming will cause climate patterns worldwide to experience significant changes. These changes will likely include major shifts in wind patterns, annual precipitation and seasonal temperatures variations. And because high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are likely to remain high for many years, these changes are expected to last for several decades or longer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the northeastern United States, for example, climate change is likely to bring increased annual rainfall, while in the Pacific Northwest, summer rainfall is expected to decrease. Snow and ice y8 Since 1970, the area of snow cover in the United States has steadily decreased, according to the EPA, and the average temperature of permafrost (soil that's at or below freezing temperature) has grown warmer.

Effects of Global Warming

The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between. Globally, the mercury is already up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius), and even more in sensitive polar regions. And the effects of rising temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future. They’re happening right now. Signs are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising. The heat is not only melting glaciers and sea ice, it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting animals on the move. Some impacts from increasing temperatures are already happening. Ice is melting worldwide, especially at the Earth’s poles. This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and Arctic sea ice. Researcher Bill Fraser has tracked the decline of the Adélie penguins on Antarctica, where their numbers have fallen from 32,000 breeding pairs to 11,000 in 30 years. Sea level rise became faster over the last century. Some butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants have moved farther north or to higher, cooler areas. Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on average. Spruce bark beetles have boomed in Alaska thanks to 20 years of warm summers. The insects have chewed up 4 million acres of spruce trees. Other effects could happen later this century, if warming continues. Sea levels are expected to rise between 7 and 23 inches (18 and 59 centimeters) by the end of the century, and continued melting at the poles could add between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters). Hurricanes and other storms are likely to become stronger. Species that depend on one another may become out of sync. For example, plants could bloom earlier than their pollinating insects become active. Floods and droughts will become more common. Rainfall in Ethiopia, where droughts are already common, could decline by 10 percent over the next 50 years. Less fresh water will be available. If the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru continues to melt at its current rate, it will be gone by 2100, leaving thousands of people who rely on it for drinking water and electricity without a source of either. Some diseases will spread, such as malaria carried by mosquitoes. Ecosystems will change—some species will move farther north or become more successful; others won’t be able to move and could become extinct. Wildlife research scientist Martyn Obbard has found that since the mid-1980s, with less ice on which to live and fish for food, polar bears have gotten considerably skinnier. Polar bear biologist Ian Stirling has found a similar pattern in Hudson Bay. He fears that if sea ice disappears, the polar bears will as well. y8

Global Warming effects

Global Warming effects Greenhouse gases 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. 1. 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. 2. 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. 4. 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 billions of dollars in damage, diseases cost money to treat and control and conflicts exacerbate all of these. 5. 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 Northeast 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 reflected 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.

Global-Warming Warnings

Global-Warming Warnings This map represents global temperature anomalies averaged from 2008 through 2012. DISRUPTION This NASA map represents global temperature anomalies averaged from 2008 through 2012. Credit: NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio Global warming is occurring at record levels and is due to increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases generated by human activities, according to several new government scientific reports issued in recent weeks. The rapidity of greenhouse gas impacts will make projections and mitigation efforts increasingly difficult and will result in a drastic transformation of Earth’s environment, the reports say. In a related development, researchers are reporting that airborne black carbon particles—which are a component of soot—hold twice the warming potential as previously thought. Rising seas, heat waves, erratic and intense rainfall, storm surges, and droughts are among the effects accelerating climate changes now under way. That is one conclusion of a draft report by the National Climate Assessment & Development Advisory Committee, a 60-member federal advisory body established to advise the President and Congress on climate-change issues. The draft assessment presents a grim picture of the ongoing impact from climate change. Looking to the future, the assessment warns of accelerating effects and the potential to reach a “tipping point” where cumulative climate extremes will exceed mitigation efforts. The draft report, which is expected to be finalized in 2014, recommends active adaptation to a changing climate and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst cumulative climate-change impacts. It warns that scientists may no longer be able to use past climate conditions to predict future ones. Meanwhile, analyses by the National Aeronautics & Space Administration and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration show that 2012 was one of the 10 hottest years on record, on the basis of global average temperature. Earth’s global average temperature in 2012 was about 58.3 °F, NASA says, further noting that global average temperature has risen about 1.4 °F since recordkeeping began in 1880. Scientists from the federal agencies say the ranking of one year’s global average temperature over another is less important than the fact that 2012’s temperature is part of a warming trend that began in the late 1970s. “What matters is this decade is warmer than the last decade, and that decade was warmer than the decade before,” explains Gavin Schmidt, climatologist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. “The planet is warming. The reason it’s warming is because we are pumping increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.” Another aspect of warming is the effect of airborne black carbon particles. A comprehensive analysis indicates that their climate-warming capability is double what was previously believed (J. Geophys. Res.: Atmos., DOI: 10.1002/jgrd.50171). Black carbon particles are aggregates of carbon spherules that are produced during combustion of carbon-based fuels. They directly influence climate by strongly absorbing sunlight. When deposited on snow or ice, they reduce the reflectivity of those surfaces and cause melting. Black carbon particles also change the formation and radiation absorptive or reflective properties of clouds, with mixed warming or cooling effects. Researchers had estimated black carbon climate effects before, but the numbers had varied, says Tami C. Bond, the study’s lead author and an engineering professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Given the large role black carbon plays in global warming and its shorter lifetime in the atmosphere compared with carbon dioxide and methane, controlling black carbon emissions could be “a short-term, immediate action that we can take to slow climate change,” Bond says. Diesel engines and household wood and coal burning would be the best black carbon sources to control to limit warming, Bond says.