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Global Warming
Global Warming is the century-scale rise in the average temperature of the Earth's surface, oceans, and atmosphere due to an increase in the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels or from deforestation trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth. This warming is causing climate patterns to change.
11,528 Questions
What misperceptions about US culture might exist as a result of global media and communication?
Some misperceptions about US culture that may arise from global media and communication include the belief that all Americans are wealthy, that life in the US is glamorous and effortless, and that everyone in the US is individualistic and self-centered. These portrayals in media can oversimplify the diversity and complexity of American society.
How might humans actions contribute to global warming?
- Humans 200 years ago began digging up and burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). This adds carbon dioxide to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which is extra to the normal carbon cycle. This is the main action causing global warming.
- Humans began cutting down the great forests that used to spread across the earth. Trees and vegetation remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their roots, trunks, branches and leaves. 50% of a tree weight is carbon. Deforestation is the second action.
How can minimize the global warming?
Turn off anything that is electronic when you leave a room (like lights or the TV), don't use your car a lot, and don't make smoke (like don't have campfires) because the smoke will burn holes in the Earth's ozone layer (which is one of the results of global warming).
How do factories release carbon dioxide?
This depends both upon their Size and what they use for their source of Energy.
In terms of total human output of CO2, we produce about 6% of the total annually produced CO2. The rest is a naturally occurring release. In terms of tonnes of CO2, the total is about 6 gigatonnes. The atmosphere holds about 720 billion tons of CO2.
Carbon dioxide is used by plants to produce sugars by photosynthesis. However too much CO2 in the atmosphere can be converted into carbonic acid which can be harmful to plant life. It also helps trap heat from the sun helping to raise global temperatures.
Why do some people want to call global warming climate change?
Some people prefer to use the term "climate change" because it encompasses the broader effects of global warming beyond just rising temperatures. The term includes changes in ecosystems, weather patterns, sea levels, and other impacts caused by human activities that alter the Earth's climate.
Why do carbon dioxide and water cause the greenhouse effect whereas nitrogen and oxygen do not?
CO2 (carbon dioxide), H2O (water), CH4 (methane), and NO2 (nitrous oxide or "laughing gas") absorb infrared radiation, which causes these molecules to vibrate faster (heat up). O2 (oxygen) and N2 (nitrogen) directly absorb far less infrared energy. The radiation mostly passes on through these diatomic gases unimpeded.
Heat is light in the infrared range. This radiation is not visible to the human eye (optic nerves), but this long wavelength radiation can be detected by nerves that respond to temperature in our skin. Light is not simply the very narrow range of the electromagnetic spectrum to which our eyes are sensitive, but the entire range from very long radio waves through extremely short ultraviolet wave lengths.
Insulation traps heat, whereas conductors permit heat to pass more easily. Nitrogen and oxygen are not conductors, but these gases do not absorb infrared radiation with the ease of H2O, CH4, CO2 and NO2. Without these four "greenhouse" gases in our atmosphere, our world would be far colder.
The atmosphere of Venus is almost entirely CO2, and as a result it experiences what is known as the "runaway" greenhouse effect, making it the hottest planet in our solar system.
Mars too has a mostly CO2 atmosphere, but this atmosphere is so very thin the planet doesn't retain as much heat as it might.
When the concentration of CO2 was higher in our planet's past, so was the resulting temperature. Throughout most of the Mesozoic (the age of dinosaurs) atmospheric CO2 concentrations were higher than they are now, and our planet was, as a consequence, much warmer.
What changed? About fifty million years ago a freshwater fern, Azolla, proliferated over Arctic seas. When it died it sank to the sea floor, where it remained preserved in the cold water. After just a few hundred thousand years of atmospheric carbon sequestered (stored) on the sea floor the CO2 level plunged, causing Earth to cool. A long series of ice ages ensued. While ice ages are driven by orbital variations known as "Milankovitch Cycles," these same cycles existed throughout the Mesozoic. It was the reduction in CO2 that allowed Earth to cool enough for vast sheets of ice to form, in much the same way unzipping a sleeping bag on a cold night might cause a camper to freeze.
As Earth's CO2 rises due to its liberation (release) from the combustion of fossil fuel, so too has the planet's temperature increased. Some argue that the role of CO2 cannot be as important as that of H2O, but CO2 does not readily precipitate out of the atmosphere as H2O (water vapor) does. You have seen this gas literally rain right out of moisture laden air. In the early morning the ground is often coated with water condensed from the atmosphere--a phenomenon we call "dew."
CO2, in contrast, does not fall out so readily. As it increases, the amount of water vapor the air can hold increases as well, a sort of feedback loop further amplifying the temperature.
So while all gases contribute to Earth's "thermal blanket," CO2 and H2O are the chief insulating (greenhouse) gases.
Second Answer:
While Carbon dioxide and water absorb infrared, heat is transferred and absorbed in several ways. No substance is immune to being heated, which means that all gases absorb heat. In the earth's atmosphere, Nitrogen, Oxygen and Argon (>99% of atmospheric gases) absorb more heat than the tiny amount of CO2 and water vapor.
Heat consists of vibrating and colliding molecules. The motion of these molecules jostles their electrons around, and this emits light. Heat and light are thus strongly related, but they aren't the same. For instance, heat can't actually be radiated; only the light that heat brings about can. By the same token, light itself has no temperature because temperature is an index of molecular motion, and a beam of light isn't composed of molecules. In short, "heat" can be regarded as molecular excitement and light as electromagnetic excitement.
Heated masses always emit light (infrared). Always. That's a direct consequence of molecules in motion. And while it's true that some substances may be transparent to infrared light, it doesn't follow that they can't be heated or, if heated, might not emit infrared.
There are three ways for heat (better to say thermal energy) to move from one zone to another: by conduction, convection, and radiation. Conductive heat transfer involves direct contact, wherein vibrations spread from molecule to molecule. Convective transfer involves a mass in motion: expanded by heat, a fluid is pushed up and away by the denser fluid that surrounds it. Radiative transfer arises when molecules intercept the light that warmer molecules are emitting, which brings about a resonant molecular vibration -- i.e., heating.
By selective context and vagueness, then, NASA paints an impression that only light-absorbing substances can be heated. Thus, since nitrogen and oxygen don't respond to infrared, NASA feels justified to say that "only some gases have the unique property of being able to absorb heat."
The Climate Change movement fixates on the 1% of the atmosphere that can be heated by radiant transfer instead of the 99% and more that is heated by direct contact with the earth's surface and then by convection. If they made it clear that every species of atmospheric gas gets heated mainly by conductive transfer, and that all heated bodies radiate light, then even a child could connect the dots: "Oh. So the whole atmosphere radiates heat to the earth and makes it warmer. All of the atmosphere is a greenhouse gas."
How many percent of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
The air we breath, at sea level, consists of 21% Oxygen, 78% Nitrogen and the remaining 1% mixed Gases. The human body requires only 4% Oxygen to sustain life, therefore, we breath out approxamately 17% Oxygen and the balance is Carbon Dioxide. =Note: This is why CPR works so well - when ventilating a patient, we are giving that patient 4 times the required Oxygen, and because you're blowing into the lungs, that positive pressure, makes sure that Oxygen creeps into all areas of the lungs.=
What gas is more dense than carbon dioxide?
All gases are denser except those with a 'lower than 28.8 molar mass', so from molar mass of N2 downwards to smaller molecules (nitrogen -28-, ethene -28-, ethyne -26- neon -20-, hydrogen fluoride-20-, water -18-, ammonia -17-, methane -16-, helium -4- and hydrogen -2-) which are lighter.
Where did daru dhillon go from global?
Daru Dhillon was laid off at the request of Liza Fromer a solo performer who can't share a stage.
What are some alternative sources of energy for the sun?
Solar panels
Trap heat energy from the sun.
photosynthesis
Plants use the suns energy to make food and oxygen.
Evaporation
Suns heat evaporates water to form clouds and rain.
Weather
Suns heat stirs up the atmosphere causing wind and waves.
Direct Heating
Some animals use the heat of the sun to activate them.
photocells
Convert light to electricity.
What is the cause of the warming of the atmosphere?
The primary cause of the warming of the atmosphere is the increase in greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, contribute significantly to the rise in greenhouse gas concentrations, leading to global warming.
Why do so many people believe global warming is not real?
Some have claimed that climate change is not real in spite of the scientific consensus, and some have even suggested that the scientific consensus is based on the availability of government grants to perform climate research.
One respected scientist who believed that global warming is not real, and who was a longtime critic of the global warming consensus, is Professor Muller, a physics professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He set out to challenge the scientific consensus on global warming but is finding results nearly identical to those underlying the prevailing view. Professor Muller has conceded that the work of the three principal groups that have analysed the temperature trends underlying climate science is "excellent ... We see a global warming trend that is very similar to that previously reported by the other groups."
How can carbon tax help slow global warming?
A carbon tax makes it expensive to emit greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Therefore if a company want to avoid paying this tax it has to change its methods or invest in new equipment that will reduce the amount they emit and therefore have to pay in carbon tax.
the large amounts of companies undertaking this activity results in large amounts of greenhouse gasses not being emitted, therefore slowing global warming.
Why are polar regions melting?
The north pole is melting because of the global warming, this may cause countries in Europe and others like belgium, holland, danmark, England, etc. be overflowing because of melted ice.
How does the green hose and the ozone layer effect climate change?
The color of a hose does not impact climate change. However, the ozone layer plays a crucial role in regulating Earth's temperature by absorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Damage to the ozone layer through human activities, such as releasing ozone-depleting substances, can contribute to climate change by allowing more harmful UV radiation to reach the Earth's surface.
When did Kiribati start sinking?
Kiribati didn't start sinking. The sea level started rising , which is a threat to Kiribati since the Highest point in South Tarawa is only 3 meters. so you can imagine the rest of the island.
Does the decrease of fossil fuels decrease global warming?
Yes, decreasing the use of fossil fuels can help reduce global warming. Fossil fuels release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide when burned, which trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere and contribute to climate change. Transitioning to cleaner sources of energy, such as renewable energy, can help mitigate the impacts of global warming.
What is the name of the process that traps greenhouse gases inside the earth?
Kind of guessing, but I think its called the Greenhouse Effect.
How are plant fossils used as evidence for climate change?
the adaptations of species shown in the fossil record gives an idea to what their surrounding were like.
scientists study fossils to learn about climates long ago. If a plant fossil looks like a modern plant , sicentist guess two plants need the same climate.
Global dysphasia is typically caused by severe damage to multiple language areas of the brain, often due to a stroke or traumatic brain injury. This damage affects both receptive and expressive language abilities, resulting in significant difficulty understanding and producing language. Treatment usually involves intensive speech and language therapy to help individuals regain some language functions.
How is water vapour responsible for global warming?
Water in the air doesn't heat the air up. Water in the air moderates temperatures. It tends to make daytime temperatures cooler and nighttime temperatures warmer than they would be in drier air.
What happens if all the icebergs melt?
sea levels will rise which will cause flooding to the crustal plates. flooding leads to loss of life, destruction of infrastructure and vegetation
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This is, in part, the wrong question; and that, in turn, stems from a misconception about the difference between icebergs and glaciers.
Icebergs are floating masses of ice in the ocean. As such, their melting would NOT raise sea levels. The same goes for masses of sea ice such as that found in the Northern Polar regions. They already displace a volume of water equal to their weight, such that when they melt, they do not significantly increase the volume of the oceans. Given a large enough volume of melting ice, however, it might locally affect temperature and salinity, which can have an effect on ocean currents (see below for more on that).
Glaciers, on the other hand, are masses of ice on land. The mass of water contained within them is not already part of the ocean. Most glacial masses flow downhill slowly; they also melt/retreat seasonally and are replenished by snowfall (whether they are replenished at the same rate they melt is another matter entirely).
The largest ice sheets (glacial masses that cover more than 50,000 sq. km) exist on Greenland and Antarctica. If those and the major mountain glaciers (such as the ones in the Alps and Himalayas) were to melt, sea levels WOULD rise by several meters.
In addition, if they melted, the coastline flooding, while significant, could be the least of humanity's worries. Temperature and salinity of the oceans at the edge of the ice masses could be drastically affected by the influx of meltwater. This, in turn, could have a major impact on ocean currents. The movie The Day After Tomorrow (over)dramatized this in typical Hollywood fashion.
The theory goes that a major release of fresh cold water into the North Atlantic could disrupt the Thermohaline circulation (also known as the Ocean Conveyor Belt). This current is instrumental in transporting heat north from the equatorial regions. If it were disrupted, a sudden climate shift would follow, potentially involving a new ice age in the (presently) temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Such changes would most likely occur over a matter of years or decades (still terribly sudden in climatic and geological terms), rather than months or weeks as depicted in the movie.
As a matter of fact, there is a significant body of evidence indicating that similar events have occurred in the past. Large influxes of low density meltwater from Lake Agassiz (an immense glacial lake) and deglaciation in North America are thought to have led to a disruption of deep water formation and subsidence in the extreme North Atlantic and caused the climate period in Europe known as the Younger Dryas - a period of intense, dry cold lasting approximately 1300 years.
Some recent experiments with carbon dating of peat cores from Ireland indicate that the Younger Dryas may, in fact, have come on quite suddenly, over a matter of months or a year or two at most.
None of this is predicated one way or the other on whether or not the current spate of warming is human-caused or human-influenced at all. Obviously, humans were not pouring several gigatons per year of extra carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere way back before the Younger Dryas. That is NO reason to suppose that we couldn't be influencing the process now.
Bottom line: If all the icebergs/sea ice melt, it sucks for the polar bears and seals but not much else. On the other hand, if those all melt, the chance of major impacts on the ice sheets is high. If the ice sheets start to go, significant sea level rise is probable. If the thermohaline circulation is significantly disrupted, the impacts of our current warming trend are nothing compared to what humanity could face over the next century or two from the onset of a minor ice age. Consider the probable geopolitical impact of the rise in global grain prices from our current drought in North America; now, extend that to include massive crop failures worldwide for decades at a time. A trifle unnerving, no?
Are we looking at the extinction of the human race? Most likely not. Could it cause mass starvation, war, and the collapse of civilization as we know it, to the tune of billions of deaths? Quite possibly. Serious political problems and resource wars worldwide, suffering on a global scale? At the very least.
Is paper a positive or negative impact in the environment?
it help people write easily on paper than drawing or writing on wall of caves
atmosphere acts as a protective blanket for the organisms to exist. it keeps the average temperature of the earth fairly steady during the day and even during the course of the whole year. in addition the ozone shield (high concentration of ozone about 18-50km above the surface of the earth) of the atmosphere absorbs most of the harmful UV radiations coming from the sun thereby protecting man and animals from their harmful effects.
Answer2: The atmosphere acts as a shield and a blanket. An outer layer of the atmosphere, the stratosphere, contains a form of oxygen called ozone, which absorbs 99 percent of incoming ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Thus, the ozone layer helps protect many form of life, including humans and plankton, from dangerous radiation. The amount of stratospheric ozone is not fixed but is directly proportional to the intensity of UV radiation, making the ozone layer a dynamic, efficient shield. The atmosphere also protects from a barrage of millions of meteoroids, ranging in size from tiny particles to boulders. Fortunately, the majority of these burn up in the atmosphere, becoming flashes of light called meteors.
