Thursday, July 22, 2010
• Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss.
• Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana's Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910. In the Northern Hemisphere, thaws also come a week earlier in spring and freezes begin a week later.
• Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature, suffered the worst bleaching—or die-off in response to stress—ever recorded in 1998, with some areas seeing bleach rates of 70 percent. Experts expect these sorts of events to increase in frequency and intensity in the next 50 years as sea temperatures rise.
• An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts.
• Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana's Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910. In the Northern Hemisphere, thaws also come a week earlier in spring and freezes begin a week later.
• Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature, suffered the worst bleaching—or die-off in response to stress—ever recorded in 1998, with some areas seeing bleach rates of 70 percent. Experts expect these sorts of events to increase in frequency and intensity in the next 50 years as sea temperatures rise.
• An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts.
Our earth: the changes & impacts of global warming.
Impacts of global warming can be seen all around the world. Melting glaciers, rising sea levels, stronger storms and higher floods. Why does the climate change? The Earth’s climate is driven by a continuous flow of heat energy from the sun. This heat energy from the sun passes through the Earth’s atmosphere and warms the Earth’s surface.As the temperature increases, the Earth sends heat energy (infrared radiation) back into the atmosphere. Some of this heat is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and halocarbons.These naturally occurring gases, act as a blanket, trapping in the heat and preventing it from being reflected too far from the Earth. And keep the Earth's average temperature at about 15°C: warm enough to sustain life for humans, plants and animals. Without these gases, the average temperature would be about -18°C... too cold for most life forms. This natural warming effect is also sometimes called the “greenhouse effect”.The climate changes everything. The earth’s climate plays a major part in our environmental system that even minor changes have impacts that are large and complex.
Impacts of global warming can be seen all around the world. Melting glaciers, rising sea levels, stronger storms and higher floods. Why does the climate change? The Earth’s climate is driven by a continuous flow of heat energy from the sun. This heat energy from the sun passes through the Earth’s atmosphere and warms the Earth’s surface.As the temperature increases, the Earth sends heat energy (infrared radiation) back into the atmosphere. Some of this heat is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and halocarbons.These naturally occurring gases, act as a blanket, trapping in the heat and preventing it from being reflected too far from the Earth. And keep the Earth's average temperature at about 15°C: warm enough to sustain life for humans, plants and animals. Without these gases, the average temperature would be about -18°C... too cold for most life forms. This natural warming effect is also sometimes called the “greenhouse effect”.The climate changes everything. The earth’s climate plays a major part in our environmental system that even minor changes have impacts that are large and complex.
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