What is global warming article?
The four major greenhouse gases, in order of their contribution to the greenhouse effect, are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and ozone.
Cloud cover plays a dual role in the greenhouse effect. The amount of cloud cover, along with ice coverage, largely determines the reflectivity of Earth. A change in the extent of either clouds or ice means that the surface of the Earth is hit with more or less energy. On the flip side, clouds absorb and emit infrared radiation from the surface.
Global warming is the term given to the anthropogenic (human-induced) intensification of the greenhouse effect. Since the beginning of human agriculture, and more sharply since the beginning of the industrial era, the human race has caused the average global surface temperature to rise. This is primarily caused by putting more carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels and mass deforestation.
The combination of putting more CO2 into the atmosphere and taking away the Earth's ability to remove it has greatly increased the amount in the atmosphere, especially in the past fifty years. The Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) records from Mauna Loa, Hawaii reveal that since 1961 the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased from 318 parts per million (ppm) to 392 ppm. This is 27 percent higher than pre-industrial levels and much higher than any level found in the past 650, 000 years.
Similar data can be found for rising methane levels, caused by landfills, livestock and oil and gas facilities. In 1750, the atmospheric methane count was 700 parts per billion (ppb). In 2008, the levels had risen to 1, 800 ppb. Over a century, methane is 72 times as prevalent a greenhouse gas as CO2.
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What is climate change? Incompatibility between the definitions used by science and policy organizations is an obstacle to effective action.: An article from: Issues in Science and Technology Book (Thomson Gale) |
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Is your lunch causing global warming? Cars and factories are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions that are heating up the planet. But what you ... An article from: New York Times Upfront Book (Scholastic, Inc.) |
RT @jjauthor: The global warming alarmists have proven that climate is still weather, & weather often changes! Finally, some agreement!
RT @FactsInYourFace: When the weather changes, people google global warming.