ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS

A Climatology project By Alma Kerketta 101110115 Section - B

GLOBAL WARMING
The term "global warming" refers to the increase in the average temperature of global surface air and oceans since about 1950, and to continuing increases in those temperatures. Another term for "global warming" is "climate change." "The global surface temperature is an estimate of the global mean surface air temperature. However, for changes over time, only anomalies... are used, most commonly based on the area-weighted global average of the sea surface temperature anomaly and land surface air temperature anomaly."

CAUSES
Too many greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere will increase the greenhouse effect The most dangerous aspects of the continuing dramatic climatic change is the effects of feedback loops (amplified change). As the earth warms, the levels of ice and snow decrease. This decrease leads to higher temperatures on the surface, leading to more warming.

HIGHLIGHTS OF

THE CAUSES

1. Carbon Dioxide From power Plants Largest contributors power plants Approximately 40% of all carbon dioxide emissions comes form power plants 2. Pollution Emitted from Cars Cars emit millions of tons of pollutants into the air. This causes some of the smog and ozone problems

HIGHLIGHTS OF CAUSES
3. Pollution from Trucks Trucks, although less in volume, make up for a large portion of the earth's pollution Diesel, the standard for trucks is known to be less clean than gasoline. 4. Pollution from Airplanes 10% of the green house gas emissions come from airplanes.

HIGHLIGHTS OF CAUSES
5. Pollution from Buildings The houses we live in may be a larger contributor to it Houses are mainly built to burn oil, or run on coal. In most houses, coal is used for electricity because it is the cheapest and most abundant resource.

HIGHLIGHTS OF CAUSES
6. Methane Stored in Water and Ice With the increase in temperature, a fear of methane being released into the air arises. Methane is approximately 60 times stronger than carbon dioxide as a green house gas. In the past, when the earth's temperature rose to a certain level, such as 8 degrees above normal, the earth's temperature then increased an additional 14 degrees.

SOLUTIONS
Products that help to reduce the green house emissions have emerged. Filters that improve the quality of the air released into the atmosphere have been created to solve this problem. Government regulations have been placed to force owners of large industrial buildings to improve the quality of the air produced by their buildings. Hydrogen power has also become a way of reducing carbon.

SOLUTIONS
One thing that can be done is a switch to more environmentally friendly vehicles such as hybrid or electric cars. Some countries are even using cars that run on hydrogen. Ethanol to replace gasoline in cars seems to be a promising change. Although airplanes do pollute the sky, they accidentally reflect some sunlight.

SOLUTIONS
Architects will have to start using materials that can reduce the consumption of fuels by making them better ventilated or better at holding in heat. Government regulators must pass laws forcing contractors to follow stricter guidelines when building homes to reduce energy consumption.

EFFECTS Prediction says that even if we stopped emitting heat-trapping gases immediately, the climate would not stabilize for many decades because the gases we have already released into the atmosphere will stay there for years or even centuries. The increased volumes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) released by the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing and agriculture, and other human activities, are the primary sources of the human-induced component of warming. An increase in global temperatures can in turn cause other changes, including a rising.

EFFECTS
Recognition of global warming Melting of glaciers Most of the mountain glaciers on our planet that have been monitored for the past 150 years are reportedly shrinking. The glaciers most affected by global warming those located in the lower latitudes and many of them are disappearing. If glaciers continue to shrink, it could affect water supply in areas that depend heavily upon mountain watersheds.
1.

EFFECTS
Ocean warming Sea level increase is attributed to warmer temperatures, which in turn result to the melting of ice glaciers. Over the last 100 years, sea level has increased from 10 cm to 25 cm. Projections over the next hundred years indicate that sea level will rise higher, from about 15 cm to 90 cm.

CLIMATE CHANGE DUE TO

GLOBAL WARMING The earth's climate has always been changing, although not at an abrupt rate. There had been periods of warming and cooling in the earth's 4.65 billion-year history. Global warming will raise the temperatures in some regions of the Northern Hemisphere, causing the melting of mountain glaciers. This means that areas that are currently experiencing light snow may no longer experience snowfall anymore.

CLIMATE CHANGE DUE TO

GLOBAL WARMING Snowlines found in mountains in temperate regions may also be higher and packs of snow will melt earlier than before. Spring may be experienced earlier and temperatures during night time and in winter will rise. The world will experience a more humid atmosphere since sea water will have a higher rate of evaporation. With greater humidity, rainfall is expected to increase on average.

CLIMATE CHANGE DUE TO

GLOBAL WARMING Storms will also occur with more frequency and intensity. Ironically, water in the soil will evaporate faster, causing dryness between rains. Regions that are already considered dry will experience more dryness. With warmer weather, some hurricanes will be more severe and winds are expected to blow stronger. It is also possible that wind patterns may shift.

CLIMATE CHANGE DUE TO

GLOBAL WARMING Extremely cold periods may be experienced as well. With changes in climate brought about by global warming, health concerns and risks may also increase. Heat stress and diseases may become common in places that did not have any problems with them before.

GREEN HOUSE EFFECT

Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are some of the main compounds that we are releasing more and more, causing something known as the Greenhouse Effect'. While a little greenhouse gas helps to keep our planet warm, the more and more that we release, the hotter the planet is going to get.

GREEN HOUSE EFFECT

GREEN HOUSE EFFECT

Although greenhouse gases make up only about 1 percent of the Earth's atmosphere, they regulate our climate by trapping heat and holding it in a kind of warm-air blanket that surrounds the planet. This phenomenon is what scientists call the "greenhouse effect." Without it, scientists estimate that the average temperature on Earth would be colder by approximately 30 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit), far too cold to sustain our current ecosystem.

GREEN HOUSE EFFECT

How Do Humans Contribute to the Greenhouse Effect? While the greenhouse effect is an essential environmental prerequisite for life on Earth, there really can be too much of a good thing. The problems begin when human activities distort and accelerate the natural process by creating more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than are necessary to warm the planet to an ideal temperature.

CAUSES OF GREEN HOUSE EFFECT

Burning natural gas, coal and oil -including gasoline for automobile engines-raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Some farming practices and land-use changes increase the levels of methane and nitrous oxide. Many factories produce long-lasting industrial gases that do not occur naturally, yet contribute significantly to the enhanced greenhouse effect and "global warming" that is currently under way.

CAUSES OF GREEN HOUSE EFFECT

Deforestation also contributes to global warming. Trees use carbon dioxide and give off oxygen in its place, which helps to create the optimal balance of gases in the atmosphere. As more forests are logged for timber or cut down to make way for farming, however, there are fewer trees to perform this critical function.

CAUSES OF GREEN HOUSE EFFECT

Population growth is another factor in global warming, because as more people use fossil fuels for heat, transportation and manufacturing the level of greenhouse gases continues to increase. As more farming occurs to feed millions of new people, more greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere.

OCCURRENCE OF GREEN HOUSE EFFECT

WHAT IS THE OZONE LAYER?

The ozone layer is a deep layer in the stratosphere, encircling the Earth, that has large amounts of ozone in it. The layer shields the entire Earth from much of the harmful ultraviolet radiation that comes from the sun. The ozone layer became more widely appreciated by the public when it was realized that certain chemicals mankind manufactures, called chloroflurocarbons, find their way up into the stratosphere where, through a complex series of chemical reactions, they destroy some of the ozone.

OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

Causes of Ozone Depletion The cause of ozone depletion is the increase in the level of free radicals such as hydroxyl radicals, nitric oxide radicals and atomic chlorine and bromine. The most important compound, which accounts for almost 80% of the total depletion of ozone in the stratosphere are chlorofluorocarbons (CFC). These compounds are very stable in the lower atmosphere of the Earth, but in the stratosphere, they break down to release a free chlorine atom due to ultraviolet radiation.

CAUSES OF OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

A free chlorine atom reacts with an ozone molecule (O3) and forms chlorine monoxide (ClO) and a molecule of oxygen. Now chlorine monoxide reacts with an ozone molecule to form a chlorine atom and two molecules of oxygen. The free chlorine molecule again reacts with ozone to form chlorine monoxide. The process continues and the result is the reduction or depletion of ozone in the stratosphere.

EFFECTS OF OZONE DEPLETION

Harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. The ozone layer is responsible for absorbing the ultraviolet rays and thereby preventing them from passing through the atmosphere of Earth. Ultraviolet rays of the Sun are associated with a number of health related and environmental issues. The most important of these is the association between ultraviolet rays and an increased risk of developing several types of skin cancers including malignant melanoma, basal and squamous cell carcinoma. Even the incidents of cortical cataracts can also increase significantly with the increased exposure to ultraviolet rays.

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