GLOBAL WARMING

- diotima
hazra

INTRODUCTION
Climate change is any long-term change in the statistics of weather over
durations ranging from decades to millions of years. It can be manifest
in changes to averages, extremes, or other statistical measures, and
may occur in a specific region or for the Earth as a whole.In recent
usage, especially in the context of environmental policy, climate change
usually refers to changes in modern climate.

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the

Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century and its
projected continuation.

The greenhouse effect is the process by which absorption and emission

of infrared radiation by gases in the atmosphere warm a planet's lower
atmosphere and surface.

GREENHOUSE GASES AND EFFECT

Greenhouse gases are gases in an atmosphere that absorb and emit
radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the
fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect.[1] Common greenhouse
gases in the Earth's atmosphere include water vapor, carbon dioxide,
methane, nitrous oxide, and ozoneGreenhouse gases greatly affect the
temperature of the Earth; without them, Earth's surface would be on
average about 33°C (59°F) colder than at present.[2][3][4]Human activities
since the start of the industrial era around 1750 have increased the
levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It is observed that
changes in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosols,
land cover and solar radiation alter the energy balance of the climate
system. In order, Earth's most abundant greenhouse gases are:

• water vapor - 36–72%

• carbon dioxide- 9–26%
 • methane- 4–9%
• nitrous oxide- (not specified)
• ozone- 3–7%
• CFCs – (not specified)

Other greenhouse gases include sulphur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons

and perfluorocarbons. The major non-gas contributor to the Earth's
greenhouse effect, clouds, also absorb and emit infrared radiation and
thus have an effect on radiative properties of the greenhouse gases.
This increase in the greenhouse gases leads to a global phenomenon
known as global warming.

GLOBAL WARMING

Research work has concluded that increasing greenhouse gas

concentrations resulting from human activity such as fossil fuel burning
and deforestation are responsible for most of the observed temperature
increase since the middle of the 20th century. However, warming is
expected to continue beyond 2100 even if greenhouse emissions stop,
because of the large heat capacity of the oceans and the long lifetime
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The most commonly cited indication
of global warming is the trend in globally averaged temperature near the
Earth's surface. It usually is impossible to connect specific weather
events to global warming. Broader effects are expected to include
glacial retreat, Arctic shrinkage, and worldwide sea level rise. Other
effects may include changes in crop yields, addition of new trade
routes,[62] species extinctions,[63] and changes in the range of disease
vectors.

Increased atmospheric CO2 increases the amount of CO2 dissolved in the

oceans.[75] CO2 dissolved in the ocean reacts with water to form carbonic
acid, resulting in ocean acidification. Since organisms and ecosystems
are adapted to a narrow range of pH, this raises extinction concerns,
directly driven by increased atmospheric CO2, that could disrupt food
webs and impact human societies that depend on marine ecosystem
services. Ocean temperatures increase more slowly than land
temperatures because of the larger effective heat capacity of the
oceans and because the ocean loses more heat by evaporation.
Effects on the Environment
Increasing global temperature will cause sea levels to rise and will
change the amount and pattern of precipitation, probably including
expansion of subtropical deserts.[7] The continuing retreat of glaciers,
permafrost and sea ice is expected, with the Arctic region being
particularly affected. Other likely effects include shrinkage of the
Amazon rainforest and Boreal forests, increases in the intensity of
extreme weather events, species extinctions and changes in agricultural
yields. Some effects on both the natural environment and human life
are, at least in part, already being attributed to global warming. These
effects include water scarcity in some regions and increased
precipitation in others, changes in mountain snowpack, and adverse
health effects from warmer temperatures.

The effects of global warming are of concern both for the environment
and human life. Scenarios predict that global warming will continue and
get worse much faster than was expected even in their last report.
Research works indicate that the effects of global warming are already
largely irreversible.[2] Reports attribute many specific natural phenomena
to human causes. It is suggested that glacier retreat, ice shelf
disruption such as that of the Larsen Ice Shelf, sea level rise, changes
in rainfall patterns, and increased intensity and frequency of extreme
weather events are attributable in part to global warming.