GLOBAL

WARMING
 The Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is a natural occurrence that

maintains Earth's average temperature at approximately 60
degrees Fahrenheit

Under normal conditions some of the sun's heat is radiated back into space
The 'Greenhouse Effect' occurs when heat is trapped in the atmosphere by
gases
 The greenhouse effect is a necessary phenomenon that keeps all
Earth's heat from escaping to the outer atmosphere. Without the
natural greenhouse effect it is certain that life on Earth would be difficult
to sustain.

Temperatures on Earth would be much lower than they are now, and the
existence of life on this planet would not be possible. The global average
temperature would drop precipitously 33 degrees from its current 15° to
-18°C. The Earth would become an ice planet
 However, too many greenhouse gases in Earth's
atmosphere could increase the greenhouse effect.

This could result in an increase in mean global

temperatures as well as changes in precipitation
patterns
1.The Earth's atmosphere, a thin blanket of
gases, protects the planet from the
harshest of the sun's ultraviolet radiation.

2. The atmosphere, by trapping the Earth's

warmth, keeps rivers and oceans from
freezing.
3. Carbon dioxide and water vapor are the
most important gases in creating the
insulating or "greenhouse effect" of the
atmosphere
 What Are Greenhouse Gases?
• Some greenhouse gases occur naturally in the
atmosphere, while others result from human
activities. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases
include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane,
nitrous oxide, and ozone. Certain human
activities, however, add to the levels of most of
these naturally occurring gases:
 Carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere when solid
waste, fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), and wood and
wood products are burned.

Methane is emitted during the production and transport of

coal, natural gas, and oil. Methane emissions also result from
the decomposition of organic wastes in municipal solid waste
landfills, and the raising of livestock.

Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial

activities, as well as during combustion of solid waste and
fossil fuels.

Very powerful greenhouse gases that are not naturally

occurring include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),
perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), which
are generated in a variety of industrial processes.
 >Each greenhouse gas differs in its ability to
absorb heat in the atmosphere.
> HFCs and PFCs are the most heat-
absorbent. Methane traps over 21 times more
heat per molecule than carbon dioxide, and
nitrous oxide absorbs 270 times more heat per
molecule than carbon dioxide.
>Often, estimates of greenhouse gas
emissions are presented in units of millions of
metric tons of carbon equivalents (MMTCE),
which weights each gas by its GWP value, or
Global Warming Potential.
 The principal greenhouse gases are:
•
Carbon dioxide-main gas (CO2)
• Water vapor (H2O)
• Methane (CH4)
• Nitrous oxide (N2O)
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
• Ozone (O3 )

The amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere in the

next 30 years is expected to double or triple. The number of
cars in operation around the world will double by the year
2030
Over the last 400,000 years the Earth's climate has been
unstable, with very significant temperature changes, going from a
warm climate to an ice age in as rapidly as a few decades.
These rapid changes suggest that climate may be quite sensitive
to internal or external climate forcing and feedbacks. As can be
seen from the blue curve, temperatures have been less variable
during the last 10 000 years.
Based on the incomplete evidence available, it is unlikely that
global mean temperatures have varied by more than 1°C in a
century during this period. The information presented on this
graph indicates a strong correlation between carbon dioxide
content in the atmosphere and temperature.
A possible scenario: anthropogenic emissions of GHGs could
bring the climate to a state where it reverts to the highly unstable
climate of the pre-ice age period. Rather than a linear evolution,
the climate follows a non-linear path with sudden and dramatic
surprises when GHG levels reach an as-yet unknown trigger point.
 2006 Global Temperatures
Warmest Year on
January-December Anomaly Rank
Record

2005
Global
(+0.97°C/1.75°F)
Land +0.78°C (+1.40°F) 4th warmest
2003
Ocean +0.45°C (+0.81°F) 5th warmest
(+0.48°C/0.86°F)
Land and Ocean +0.54°C (+0.97°F) 5th warmest
2005
(+0.61°C/1.10°F)

Northern Hemisphere 2005

Land (+1.02°C/1.84°F)
+0.87°C (+1.57°F) 3rd warmest
Ocean 2005
+0.49°C (+0.88°F) 4th warmest
Land and Ocean (+0.54°C/0.97°F)
+0.63°C (+1.13°F) 2nd warmest
2005
(+0.72°C/1.30°F)

Southern Hemisphere
2005
(+0.83°C/1.49°F)
Land +0.54°C (+0.97°F) 6th warmest
1998
Ocean +0.43°C (+0.77°F) 5th warmest
(+0.50°C/0.90°F)
Land and Ocean +0.44°C (+0.79°F) 6th warmest
1998
(+0.54°C/0.97°F)
 The global annual temperature for combined land and ocean
surfaces in 2006 was +0.54°C (+0.97°F) above average, ranking
5th warmest in the period of record. Globally averaged land
temperatures were +0.78°C (+1.40°F) and ocean temperatures
+0.45°C (+0.81°F) above average, ranking 4th and 5th warmest,
respectively. The land and ocean surface temperatures for the
Northern and Southern Hemisphere ranked 2nd and 6th
warmest, respectively.

Temperature Trends
During the past century, global surface temperatures have increased
at a rate near 0.06°C/decade (0.11°F/decade) but this trend has
increased to a rate approximately 0.18°C/decade (0.32°F/decade)
during the past 25 to 30 years. There have been two sustained
periods of warming, one beginning around 1910 and ending around
1945, and the most recent beginning about 1976. Temperatures
during the latter period of warming have increased at a rate
comparable to the rates of warming projected to occur during the next
century with continued increases of anthropogenic greenhouse gases.