Running head: GLOBAL WARMING

Global Warming & Its Impacts on Our World

Jose N. Balderas
Midland High School
4/11/16

Author Note
Prepared for Larry McBride first period Advanced Placement Biology class.

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Abstract

Global Warming is the increasing temperature on Earth, affecting climate and oceans. It is
believed that global warming is a permanent effect of air pollutants and other factors, and that
even with environmental solutions it will no longer recede. Global Warming is caused by a
greater part of air pollutants and the damage inflicted by chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer.
Certain air pollutants are trapped in earths atmosphere prohibiting the exit of heat. This heat that
originally exits the atmosphere is now being trapped by these air pollutants, while damage to the
ozone layer is caused by chlorofluorocarbons depleting this layer. The ozone layer is vital to
Earth, by filtering out the suns rays and repelling UV radiation. Pockets are now appearing in
this layer allowing UV radiation to pass through, the majority of it concentrating at the poles
melting huge quantities of ice each year and causing drastic changes to the oceans and the
organisms that live in them. Even though Global Warming is destined not to stop, solutions are
needed to slow down this process and allow the life on Earth more time to adapt.

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Global Warming & Its Impacts on Our World

Global Warming is the gradual increase in temperature on earth, affecting climate, the
environment, and its oceans. It occurs due to the immense amount of air pollutants that are
released every day, not allowing these gases to escape from earths atmosphere. The suns rays
and solar radiation are reflected off earths surface, but instead of escaping, they are trapped and
absorbed by these gases. Radiation would normally escape back into space, but these pollutants,
which last for centuries, trap the heat causing the Earth to get hotter. (MacMillan, 2016)
Gases that trap and hold heat are known as Green House Gases. The most abundant
greenhouse gas is water vapor, but the gas that affects the oceans and climate the most is carbon
dioxide (CO2). Humans have increased CO2 by a third and still producing it in large amounts
today. Other greenhouse gases include: methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), also known as chlorinated fluorocarbons, are also a great
contributor to global warming by creating pockets in the ozone layer allowing UV radiation to
enter. (Turekian, 1996)
The ozone layer is a layer that protects the earth form harmful UV rays. This layer is now
being destroyed by chlorofluorocarbons, synthetic compounds industrially made in numerous
consumer products. These CFCs destroy the ozone layer by burning it, thus allowing radiation to
enter, contributing to the heat produced by greenhouse gases.

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Solutions to Global Warming are out there but it depends on the people as a whole to take
action. Such solutions are reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions by practicing more
efficient ways in transportation and production. Buying appliances with the governments Energy
Star label meets higher standards, and purchasing products that do not contain CFCs.

Green House Gases

There are many Green House Gases that contribute to Global Warming, but there are four
gases that contribute the most. These four gases are Water Vapor (H2O), Nitrous oxide (N2O),
Methane (CH4), and Carbon Dioxide (CH4). (Lockwood, 2009) Of all gases water vapor is the
most abundant in the atmosphere.
Before air pollution became a worldwide problem, heat rays and radiation from the sun
escaped out of earths atmosphere, nothing impeding their exit. There was no heat being trapped
or radiation entering the atmosphere, because there was little to no air pollutants that came
directly from human intervention. Today there are millions of metric tons of air pollutants (most
of the bulk being the four gases mentioned above) in the atmosphere that are inflicting damage to
the earths climate, environment and oceans.
Air pollutants take centuries to degrade or be absorbed, removing them from the
atmosphere. These pollutants form a blanket around the earth absorbing the heat, thus making
our planet hotter. The process starts with the sun rays coming towards earth. When the rays
impact earth the heat is then reflected back, but before these gases reach the atmosphere to exit
they encounter these gases. These gases absorb the heat rather than letting them pass through and
re-emit them in all directions back to earth.

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Water Vapor, as mentioned, is the most abundant gas in our atmosphere, not only is it a
greenhouse gas but also acts as a feedback to the climate and weather. The amount of water
vapor tells meteorologists how much clouds or precipitation there might be on a particular day.
The more water vapor there is in the atmosphere the more instability there is for weather. The
warmer the temperature the more instability there is, indicating more water vapor. Making this
one of the most important feedback processes to the greenhouse effect. (Lockwood, 2009)
Another greenhouse gas is Carbon dioxide, the gas that is most abundantly emitted into
the air by humans. Carbon Dioxide is naturally produced by volcanoes, human activities, and
plants through the process of photosynthesis. (Lockwood, 2009) Deforestation, burning of fossil
fuels, and exhaust systems on cars emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide adding more to what is
already in the atmosphere. This gas is the most important long-lived gas of climate change.
Methane and Nitrous oxide are gases produced naturally and industrially. Such activities
that produce methane are decomposition on wastelands, agriculture, and rice cultivation. Nitrous
oxide is powerfully produced by soil cultivation. (Lockwood, 2009) On a one-to-one
competition, carbon dioxide is more abundant in the atmosphere, but methane has a more active
greenhouse gas effect.
Another gas that is industrially made is Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which damage the
ozone layer contributing to the greenhouse effect. The ozone layer is protective layer which
repels UV radiation, but many CFCs have damaged it allowing the radiation to enter and further
heating up the planet.

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The ozone layer is a protective shield found in the stratosphere, formed by ultraviolet
radiation. Once it goes through this process, ozone can now absorb and deflect radiation coming
directly from the sun, thus preventing it from entering the earths atmosphere. (Erickson, 1990)
Ozone is very important, it blocks radiation from entering, reducing the risk of exposure
that may cause cancer. Direct rays from the sun carry a certain amount of radiation that may
cause human skin to later develop problems, such as skin cancer. This layer also helps keep earth
cool by deflecting heat back, and absorbing radiation, but there is a very dangerous enemy to
ozone that is constantly depleting it, Chlorofluorocarbons.
Chlorofluorocarbons are industrially made in many consumer products. CFCs are
manmade, with certain chemicals capable of depleting the ozone. Ozone depletion results in
many drastic effects. Such effects are the pockets that are now appearing in the layer, allowing
radiation, and direct sun rays to enter. Due to the way earth is positioned many of these pockets
are positioned over the poles, magnifying the radiation that enters in those two spots. Not only is
this allowing for the planet to heat up faster, but it concentrated over great masses of ice, melting
and reducing them each year.
These polar ice caps are vital to the animals living there, and for some is the only habitat
in which they can survive. Marine organism are also greatly affected by these changes, due to
warmer water temperatures, salinity level changes, and rising sea levels.
Humans are also affected directly too. Rising temperatures cause discomfort outside on
sunny days. The chance of getting sunburnt rose, along with the chances of getting skin cancer.
People are now noticing these changes, and many have stepped up and voiced their concerns for
the government.

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Oceans are taking a heavy toll, due to global warming and ozone depletion. Due to the
rapid increase in temperatures, the polar ice caps are rapidly malting causing drastic changes to
the organisms living on them, around them, and all through the worlds oceans.
As mentioned, many of the pockets appearing in the ozone layer are located at the poles
magnifying there intensity. The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, mainly the top
layer showing increasing temperatures in water. The Greenland and Atlantic ice sheets have
decreased in size, studies have shown that 150 to 250 cubic kilometers are lost per year, between
2002 and 2006. (Authors, 1996)
Another major effect that is not directly related to global warming is ocean acidification.
The ocean is the largest CO2 reservoir on the planet, putting the atmosphere in second place, each
year the ocean absorbs millions of metric tons of CO2, because of humans carelessness with air
pollutants. All the CO2 entering the ocean is raising the acidity level, harming organisms and
damaging coral reefs.
Global Warming has caused a drastic change to our world, affecting many different
environments on land and in the ocean. It is up to the people to help slow down this change by
making efficient choices every day to allow the living organisms of this planet to adapt better
and keep up with the increasing temperature.

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References

Authors, N. C. (1996, July 4). Global Cimate Change; Vital Signs of the the Planet. Retrieved
April 8, 2016, from Climate change: How do we know?: X
Erickson, J. (1990). Greenhouse Earth. Pensalyvania: _.
Lockwood, M. (2009, 12 2). Climate. Retrieved from Climate change causes: A blanket around
Earth: http://climate.nasa.gov/causes/
MacMillan, A. (2016, March 11). Global Warming 101. Retrieved from Global Warming 101:
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101
Turekian, K. K. (1996). Global Environmental Chance; Past, Present, and Future. In K. K.
Turekian, Global Environmental Chance; Past, Present, and Future (pp. 123-143). Upper
Saddle River, New Jersey, USA: Prentice Hall. Retrieved April 11, 2016