Global Warming
Below is one of our free research papers on Global Warming. If the term paper below is not exactly what you're looking for, you can search our essay database for other topics or order a custom essay.
Global Warming
The scientific definition of Global warming is the worldwide warming of the atmosphere. Global warming has recently imposed a serious risk to our environment. The rising global temperatures are expected to raise sea levels due to the melting of ice caps, cause flooding in many low-lying areas of the world and change precipitation and other local climate conditions.
To understand global warming you have to first understand the greenhouse effect. The Greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that controls the balance of heat within the earth’s atmosphere. The process begins when the natural layers of gases in our atmosphere trap a small percentage of the sun’s radiation reflected from the earth’s surface. The energy from the sun drives the earth’s weather and climate and heat’s the earth’s surface. The earth then radiates the energy back into space. Without the greenhouse effect the average surface temperature of the world would be about -18 degrees Celsius. You can think of atmospheric greenhouse gas like the glass panels of greenhouse. It traps some of the outgoing energy and retains some of the heat.
Global warming is caused by an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases being released into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels. These gases add to the natural greenhouse effect and in result cause global temperatures to rise. Combustion of fossil fuels and other human activities are the primary reason for the increased concentration of carbon dioxide. Fossil fuels are used to run cars, heat businesses, and power factories. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide have increased nearly thirty percent.
Emission inventories account the amount of air pollutants discharged into the atmosphere. Inventories of natural and anthropogenic emissions are used by scientists as inputs as inputs to air quality models. Scientists have said that estimating the amount of future emissions is very difficult....
- Submitted by: Lauren413
- Date Submitted: 04/16/2008 06:00 PM
- Category: Science
- Words: 2418
- Pages: 10
- Views: 718
- Rank: 27043