8.) Name two ways that the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations could be slowed down.…
The purpose of this report is to determine the increase or decrease in CO2 emission over the past 40 years. Showing that human activity is the reason for the altering of the CO2 emissions to the earth. Resulting in the unbalancing of ecosystems across the globe. (M.U.S.E., 2010)…
An important issue affecting the world today is climate change due to the increase in the amount of greenhouse gases that is released into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are gases that accumulate in the atmosphere due to human activity and the earth's natural biological and chemical processes. The four major greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide , methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011). The main contributing factor to climate change is the abundance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Due to the burning of fossil fuels, solid waste, trees, and other chemical reactions carbon dioxide is absorbed into the atmosphere enhancing the greenhouse effect.…
Greenhouse Gases: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas in the atmosphere that may raise average temperatures on Earth. The burning of fossil fuels could be responsible for the increased levels of carbon dioxide. If current trends continue, future concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide in parts per million (ppm) could reach the levels shown in the accompanying table. The CO2 concentration in the year 2000 was greater than it had been at any time in the previous 160,000 years.…
It is predicted that the concentration of CO2 will triple to what the pre-industrial average of 280 ppm. Currently, according to the CO2 detector on Mauna Loa Observatory is registering 398.78 ppm. Kaster (1998) states that,” Of the 7.1 gigatons of carbon released each year about 3.3 Gt C accumulates in the atmosphere.” An increase of air pollutants is a result of continued use of fossil fuels. Air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and hydrocarbons are produced as fossil fuels are used (Union of Concerned Scientist, n. d.). Carbon monoxide causes headaches and aggravates people with heart disease. Nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxides create smog, a yellowish-brown “cloud” layer that settles on the ground. And these substances irritate lungs causing issues like bronchitis and pneumonia. Sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides are the primary components of acid rain and snow that affect plants and buildings. Hydrocarbons are another pollutant made from burning fossil fuels. Smog is also tropospheric ozone, which affects lungs, and crop yields. In addition, fossil fuels produce small particles that irritate the lungs. Pollution also impacts water and land. Oil spills leave shorelines uninhabitable for animals. Coal mining adds water pollutants by adding sulfur…
In our society today global warming has become a topic of great debate. While many individuals are skeptical or disregard the theories regarding the Earth’s climate change, others look to the scientific literature that clearly supports the changes of our climate. According to the article “No Need to Panic About Global Warming”, global warming should be of no concern to individuals. “Many scientists and engineers who have looked carefully and independently at the science of climate” offer no evidence regarding the inflated climate changes and increased occurrence of aggressive greenhouse gasses. The article explains that carbon dioxide (CO2) is not a pollutant and is a key component to the life cycle of the biosphere. The author argues…
The carbon-dioxide content in the Earth’s atmosphere before 1500 A.D. was between 200 and 300 ppm. The carbon dioxide content today is about 450 ppm. Which single historical development can be blamed for this increase?…
Over recent years global warming has been causing climate change through rising sea levels and many extreme events such as floods, heat waves, and droughts and storms these events could have massive consequences economically, socially, environmentally and politically on a large scale, from international level down to local areas.…
This is important to consider because “in the 20th century, the world’s average surface temperature rose by approximately 1 degree Fahrenheit, the fastest rate in any period over the last 1,000 years” (Source A). Although this one degree change may not seem drastic, over the coming years it can dramatically increase the temperature of the earth if the human population does not intervene. This is why regulating the changes in surface temperature is so important to global warming policies. In addition to this, the graph is Source B clearly depicts that the measured ocean temperatures over approximately 150 years, from 1880-2004, have increased rapidly, especially since the mid-1900’s (Source B). This supplements the data from Source A, and clearly interlinks changes in surface temperature to global warming. Lastly, it was show that the “best estimates suggest an average temperature increase of 1.4-5.8 [degrees Celsius and] a sea-level rise in the order of a metre…” (Source E). No matter what the increase is, the fact that the surface temperature on the Earth is increasing is a wakeup call to the human race on how their daily lives are contributing to global warming. Changes in surface temperature are important to consider when making policies that affect global…
The increase of the global temperature and the new composition of the atmosphere lead to several alterations which affect the elevation of the sea level, heat waves, droughts and heavy rainfall, ocean acidification and species extinctions, to name a few.…
The most well-known effect of global warming is that the rise in temperature could cause ice caps, glaciers and sea ice to melt. Since the 1950’s arctic sea ice has reduced by 10-15%, and the Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland retreated by 10km between 1997 and 2007, both of which are evidence that the recent increases in temperature are causing ice to melt. This melting of ice, along with thermal expansion of water, caused by increased temperatures will lead to rise in sea levels; average global sea levels could rise almost 1m between 1990 and 2100. A rise in sea levels could have devastating social impacts on low lying coastal areas; a 1m rise in sea levels could flood over…
In this English 0812: Analytical Reading and Writing, I have learned a great deal of beneficial knowledge in writing. As a bilingual person who knows Chinese and English, I struggle with Literature writing a lot ever since young. Even though I grew up in the United States from Kindergarten, English is still a challenging subject in my educational path. After attending the English 0812 class in this semester, I have improved on my writing, analyzing, revising, and editing skills. I am very satisfied and pleased with my development. Throughout the English 0812 class, I have written a total of 3 essays: “Technology Influence American Student’s Perceptions on Plagiarism”, “Privacy Concerns on Internet”, and “Integration of Chinese Food with American’s…
Compared to Lesson 2, there is a drastic change in the atmospheric carbon levels. There is almost a 2,000 difference in the carbon levels. However, in Lesson 1, the atmospheric carbon levels are very like Lesson 3. (All in the year 2110)…
“The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a pre-industrial value of about 280 ppm to 379 ppm in 2005. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide in 2005 exceeds by far the natural range over the last 650,000 years (180 to 300 ppm) as determined from ice cores. The annual carbon dioxide concentration growth rate was larger during the last 10 years (1995–2005 average: 1.9 ppm per year), than it has been since the beginning of continuous direct atmospheric measurements (1960–2005 average: 1.4 ppm per year) although there is year-to-year variability in growth rates .”…
4) Naturally occurring disasters cause a greater and more damaging effect on the earth’s climate than…