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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 are the disadvantages for using oil?
Some disadvantages of using oil include its contribution to air pollution and climate change through the release of greenhouse gases when burned, the risk of oil spills causing environmental damage, and the finite nature of oil reserves leading to concerns about future availability and price volatility.
What are some predicted environmental damages if carbon dioxide emissions are not reduced?
Carbon dioxide is a gas most present in the greenhouse gases. If carbon dioxide emissions aren't reduced, they will continue to live on in the atmosphere destroying the ozone layer and resulting in detrimental climate changes.
Why do you hate global warming?
I don't have personal feelings like humans do. However, global warming is a serious issue because it leads to rising temperatures, melting ice caps, and more frequent natural disasters, all of which have negative impacts on ecosystems, wildlife, and human populations.
What are the 3 ways humans increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
- Deforestation. Humans have cut down the great forests of the world. This releases carbon that had been stored there.
- It also means that the trees no longer remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- Humans have also been burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) since the Industrial Revolution, 200 years ago. This burning releases carbon dioxide.
What are two examples of solid particles found in the atmosphere?
Dust and soot.
"Dust" are fine particles of rock that can be caused by weathering, wind, or meteors burning up in the atmosphere.
"Soot" is partially-burned hydrocarbons that result from burning something organic, like wood, coal or oil.
What is the result of the thinning of the ozone layer?
The thinning of the ozone layer leads to increased levels of harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the Earth's surface. This can result in negative impacts on human health, such as higher rates of skin cancer and cataracts, as well as harm to marine life, ecosystems, and agriculture. Efforts have been made to reduce ozone-depleting substances to help mitigate this issue.
How will global warming affect Maryland?
Scientists believe that the following impacts from Global Warming are already being seen in Maryland and Virginia, which are part of the Chesapeake Bay region:
2006 was the second warmest year on record for the US. It was the third warmest for Maryland. 2002 was the 5th warmest for Maryland. (Environment Maryland). 1998 was the warmest. Cities in the region are experiencing "an increased number, intensity, and duration of heat waves," threatening public health, particularly that of elderly Americans and infants, as predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. These heat waves also stress flora and fauna, including brook trout populations in Maryland, which are predicted to go extinct from global warming (Meisner) in most regions of Maryland. The heat also affects the number of code red air quality days. Increased droughts are arributed to global warming. The warmer, saltier, oxygen-depleted water in the Bay caused by drought is inhospitable to crabs. Increased droughts also stress other aquatic organisms like rockfish (a 6.6 billion dollar industry), cause billions in crop damage, and create water supply problems. Droughts also stress trees and make them more susceptible to damage from gypsy moths and other invasive pests.
Islands in the Chesapeake Bay are suffering from a combination of natural subsidence and increased sea level, including Smith, Hoopers and Bloodsworth Islands. Holland island was abandoned in 1992. 7000 acres of marsh have already been lost in the Blackwater refuge due to natural causes and more is expected due to global sea level increase.
According to the Arbor Day Foundation "based upon data from 5,000 National Climatic Data Center cooperative stations across the continental United States", USDA hardiness zones in Maryland and Virginia have shifted due to global warming and these shifts are predicted to continue. The period between first and last dates with snow on the ground has decreased 7 days over past 50 years.
The spread of diseases is affected by global warming; a flesh eating form of Cholera named Vibrio has made its way into the Chesapeake Bay region as a result. "In the last couple of decades, water temperatures in the Bay have increased by two degrees and by three to five degrees in some of its tributaries;" this is expected to create an increase in pathogens (Dr. Kevin Sellner, Director of the Chesapeake Research Consortium) that include West Nile Virus. Flooding is increasing in cities along waterbodies; Baltimore participated in the landmark Supreme Court Case Massachusetts vs EPA that successfully forced EPA to regulate Greenhouse Gases under the clean air act due to this flooding in the Harbor Region. visit http://local-warming.blogspot.com/search/label/local%20problems for an overview of documented and predicted issues from Global Warming in the region.
What potent greenhouse gas is trapped in large quantities in the permafrost of the tundra?
Unfortunately, this potent greenhouse gas - METHANE - is no longer Trapped!
Obesity contributes to risk of what serious conditions?
Obesity contributes to an increased risk of serious conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and certain types of cancer. It can also lead to decreased quality of life and increased healthcare costs.
How do particulates cause global warming?
Particulates, like black carbon and sulfate aerosols, can contribute to global warming by absorbing sunlight and trapping heat in the atmosphere. When they settle on snow and ice, they can reduce their reflective properties, causing them to absorb more heat and melt faster. Additionally, particulates can indirectly affect climate by influencing cloud formation and precipitation patterns.
What would happen if there was no mining in Antarctica?
Without mining in Antarctica, there would be a reduced risk of environmental damage, such as pollution and habitat destruction, to this fragile and pristine ecosystem. It would help preserve the unique wildlife and landscapes found in the region, as well as prevent any potential conflicts over resource extraction in the area.
How does the burning of fossil fuels by humans affect the carbon cycle?
The carbon cycle moves carbon in and out of the atmosphere and has kept a balance there for millions of years. The carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have kept the earth warm. Burning fossil fuel releases CO2 that has been held underground for millennia, so this carbon is an extra burdenon the carbon cycle, and it is not able to remove all the extra CO2.
This is how the carbon cycle is being disturbed. This is what is causing global warming and hence climate change.
Which process causes the temperature to decrease as one goes higher in the mesosphere?
Above the stratopause and extending to an altitude of about 80 Km is the atmospheric layer called the mesosphere.In this layer,the temperature decreases as the altitude increases.In fact,the mesosphere is the coldest layer of the atmosphere,dropping to a temperature of -90C.The upper boundary of the mesosphere,called mesopause ,is market by a return to increase temperatures.
How is carbon dioxide consumed on earth?
The earth's carbon cycle moves carbon dioxide in and out of the atmosphere, into oceans, soil, animals and vegetation and back again. The oceans absorb some CO2, but only the surface water. The oceans are becoming more acidic and damaging coral and fish. Trees and vegetation take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This carbon is stored within the plant or tree and stays there until the tree is destroyed. About half the weight of a tree is carbon.
Will a change in temperature cause the dew point to change?
By definition, Dewpoint is:
"The Temperature at which the water vapour present in the air saturates the air and begins to condense ie dew begins to form"
(from "A Dictionary of Science" Penguin Books 1964)
To understand "Dewpoint" one must understand Condensation, and to understand "Condensate" one must understand States of Matter and Molecular Energy, and only then can the Question be answered.
Condensation happens when several gas molecules come together and form a liquid. It all happens because of a loss of energy. Gases are really excited atoms. When they lose energy, they slow down and move to a lower-Energy State of Matter, where the molecules get denser or packed closer together. An example of a Condensate is when Water (H2O) vapor in the form of steam loses energycondenses on the lid of the kettle when boiling water, it cools, and becomes a liquid again. You would then have a condensate.
However, there are actually 5 states of Matter, not 3, but 3 are straightforward because the 3 states of Solid [ice], Liquid [water], and Gas [steam] are visible . The other two States of Matter are 'Plasma', and 'Bose-Einstein Condensate' or BEC, and both are invisible and both are total opposites. However, the only difference between all five States of Matter is the Temperature and therefore the amount of Molecular Activity.
Bose-Einstein Condensate or BEC
Two scientists, Satyendra Bose and Albert Einstein, had predicted a 5th state of matter which would occur at very very low temperatures in 1924, but they didn't have the equipment and facilities to make it happen at that time. But now we do: the Bose-Einstein condensate was physically discovered for the first time in 1995 by Wolfgang Ketterle and his team of graduate students, and in 2002, Ketterle and two other scientists received the Nobel Prize for it. It is known for short as the BEC..By definition, at zero degrees Kelvin (Absolute Zero) all molecular motion stops, but scientists have figured out a way to get a temperature only a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero. When temperatures get that low, atoms are super unexcited and super cold, and can no longer bounce around as individuals. Instead they must all act in exactly the same way, and you can no longer tell them apart!. The substance is not just a frozen solid, but is in its 5th state of matter , that of .Bose-Einstein Condensate' or BEC
Solid
When a substance is in the state of BEC and then its atoms begin to bounce around as individuals it is said to be a Solid. They then have Structural rigidity. i.e. they have definite shape and occupy a specific area and volume. When temperatures are increased Solids become the next State of Matter, Liquid.
Liquid :
Liquids lack rigidity in shape, but take the shape of the container which contains them. They occupy a specific volume and generally do not expand to occupy the entire available volume unless the Temperature is heated and they become a Gas.
Gas :
A Gas has no definite shape, and they expand to occupy the entire available volume unlike solids and liquids. Gases are really excited atoms, but when Temperatures are massively increased they become a Plasma.
Plasma :
.A Plasma is a result of rise in temperature causing the Ionization of a gas. This means that Atoms are heated to super-high temperatures between between 1000°C and 1,000,000,000°C. until their nucleus and electrons are detached from one another, at which point they are said to be 'Ionized' and are called a 'Plasma'. Plasma is the ultimate possible result of rise in temperature of anything. Plasmas are super hot and super excited atoms, but the atoms in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) are total opposites: they are super unexcited and super cold atoms.
So, to answer the Question,
the higher the Dewpoint the more Watervapour there is in the Air.
How is heat from the sun tranfered to the surface of soil and then into soil that is deeper?
Radiation absorption.
And because the superheated particles from the sun have hardly any mass they can traverse through the microscopic gaps in the material allowing them to traverse down further.
How are humans contributing to the problem?
Humans are doing things that make more ozone in the troposphere, where it damages plants, animals and humans. Primarily, this is done by combusting fuels in air, which produces NOx. NOx can be converted into ozone, and either is bad.
Humans are doing things that make for less ozone between us and Earth's surface, which lets more UV-B reach Earth's surface, damaging the DNA of all surface life on Earth. There are many human-sourced causes, including adding water vapor to the air, warming the thermocline that should keep water vapor out of the ozone layer, and adding chemicals that contain chlorine and bromine to the air (they are so stable only the intense radiation of the ozone layer can break them down, and they help destroy ozone then).
Which question might guide a writer to make a global revision?
"How can I improve the overall structure and flow of my writing to create a more cohesive and engaging piece?"
How is sulphur dioxide released in to the atmosphere?
Sulfur dioxide is released into the atmosphere primarily through human activities such as burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil, and industrial processes like metal smelting. It can also be released by natural sources like volcanic eruptions.
How does chlorofluorocarbon rise to the stratosphere?
CFC is lighter than air just like hot air. Once freed, it rises readily to the upper atmosphere at the level of the ozone layer where it can react with the extra atom of oxygen in the ozone.
What are green house gases or atmospheric gases?
Atmospheric gases trap heat so that Earth is not a frozen wasteland. Greenhouse gases is the term used to refer to heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide and methane because these gaseous components of the atmosphere make Earth function like a greenhouse-heat from the Sun that is reflected off the Earth is reflected back up to the atmosphere and the greenhouse gases trap some of this heat.
Understand that greenhouse gases are necessary to retain some of the Sun's heat, but they are bad in excess; to much carbon dioxide( a greenhouse gas) contributes to global warming-too much heat from the Sun is trapped by the atmosphere so that temperatures on the surface rise.
What is the largest source of greenhouse gases produced by people?
The biggest contributor of Carbon Dioxide is natural and not man made.
With carbon dioxide, it is important to distinguish between natural and man-made sources. One of the largest sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide is through plant and animal decay as microorganisms break down the dead material, releasing carbon dioxide into the air as part of the process. Other naturally occurring sources include forest fires and volcanoes.
Burning fossil fuels is a primary source of greenhouse gases caused by man; as the chemical energy in a hydrocarbon-rich fossil fuel is converted into heat, carbon dioxide is produced as a byproduct. Forest clearing - or deforestation - and the burning of solid waste, wood, and wood products are also sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
What countries signed the UN climate change agreement?
195 countries signed the UN climate change agreement, also known as the Paris Agreement, in 2015. The agreement aims to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
What are some human activities that contribute to the worsening effect of global warming?
In our daily activities, whenever we contribute carbon dioxide or methane to the atmosphere we are adding to the greenhouse gas layer and making the world warmer. Carbon dioxide is put into the atmosphere during the production and burning of coal, oil and natural gas (to produce electricity). So in every day we contribute to global warming by: * using electricity in any form (TV, computer, heating and cooling, lights)
* traveling, using vehicles * eating food (it had to be grown, harvested and transported to you, then cooked) * wearing clothes (the material had to be grown, etc... same as food) * washing and drying clothes (all that water and electricity)
* buying a new computer (all the material and the production and transport used energy) * throwing something away into garbage, then into landfill, and buying a new one.
As you can see, just about everything we do contributes to global warming. We can't cut out everything. But we certainly can cut down on a lot of things. Compare your lifestyle with a simple farmer living in a poor country and think how big your global footprint (the amount of energy you use) is compared with his.
If we all did a little more of some of these it would help slow global warming:
* Turn off the lights when you leave a room. * Turn off TVs etc at the wall instead of with the remote. * Hang your clothes out to dry. * Use public transport or bicycle. * Recycle all those cans and plastic bottles. * Buy local food and eat it all. * Wear warmer clothes instead of turning up the heating. * and many more...
Methane is produced when organic matter decomposes anaerobically (without air). This happens in the intestines of some animals, and in landfill (garbage dumps). There are millions of cattle, pigs and sheep all over the world being raised for us to eat. So every time we eat meat some farmer has to buy an extra animal just to make up for it. So, to cut down on the amount of methane being added to the atmosphere we should:
* Eat vegetarian meals more often * Eat white meat (chicken) instead of red (beef, pig, sheep)
* Put food scraps into a worm farm or a compost bin Two products of respiration -- carbon dioxide and water vapor -- are greenhouse gases, so breathing contributes to global warming. Also, methane is a more powerful greenhouse gas than even carbon dioxide, so flatus, gas expelled from the digestive tract, known in the vernacular as farts, also contributes to global warming.
