What is causing global warming?
Question by enig·mat·ic: What is causing global warming?
The planet is warming for sure. But what is causing it? Some say it is CO2 emissions, others say activity from the sun because other planets are warming as well. Others say it is a natural cycle.
Global warming is real and all the proof I need is in front of my eyes. Back in the early 70′s the weather got cold in the month of September and then dropped to frigid freezing in November. There was so much snow on the ground that people would put chains around their tires so that they could drive through the streets. Now it only gets really cold in December and in recent years sometimes there is snow on the ground during the Christmas holidays and sometimes there isn’t. I now see people riding their bicycles during the winter when decades ago that was impossible.
The pollution is bad in the city during the summer months when they have smog warnings, but during the winter there isn’t a serious problem with smog or dangerous UV index readings. The high winds and cold air must have something to do with it.
The most notable damage is in the Arctic regions so I am wondering if the ozone depletion -the worse in those areas- have something to do with the warming trend. Anyone know for sure?
Best answer:
Answer by tiff tiff
i think pollution
What do you think? Answer below!
There are two major causes of warming and they are solar output and geothermal output. Right now the major source the sun is fairly quiet and so things have cooled off slightly. But the oceans are still warming because of the approaching planetary alignment that induces massive gravitational stresses on the planets structure. These stresses are responsible for the current increase in earth quakes and volcanic activity around the world. They are also responsible for under sea volcanic activity such as that in the Artic oceans mid sea ridge that is providing most of the hydrothermal heating that is interfering with ice formation despite the extreme cold of the Artic air mass.
So there is more than enough cause for Artic sea ice loss despite the co2 release from the warmer water that cools the air through conduction of the heat into space if the air is dry enough.
Pollution can cause global warming.cfc’s,particulates,carbon monoxide,sulphur dioxide and other types of pollution aid with global warming.another cause of global warming is the green house effect.i think the most prominent source of global warming in society is carmon monoxide due to gas emissions from cars.another main cause is use of cfc’s like aerosol sprays.
The scientific consensus is that the warming is caused by an enhancement of the greenhouse effect. This, they believe, is caused by humanity’s emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, the most important being carbon dioxide and methane.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/question746.htm
http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/climatechange1/02_1.shtml
97.4% of climatologists agree on this point.
http://tigger.uic.edu/~pdoran/012009_Doran_final.pdf
Now, realize we have only increased by a few tenths of a degree since the 70′s, less so in the US, so your comparison between when you were a kid and today probably doesn’t mean a whole lot. The climate is, generally, too gradual to be able to feel (though we can look at things like arctic sea ice extent and how it changes over the years.)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Average_March_Arctic_sea_ice_extent_for_1979_through_2008.png
As far as the ozone hole, this is mostly a separate issue, and is caused primarily by chemicals called CFC’s, in addition to other potential causes. There are a few relationships between global warming and ozone depletion however, one being that the same mechanism that warms the lower atmosphere actually causes the upper atmosphere to cool. This, in turn, makes the breakdown of ozone molecules occur more rapidly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_depletion#Ozone_depletion_and_global_warming
Oh, and here is what the science has to say to the “it’s the sun” folks:
http://www.skepticalscience.com/solar-activity-sunspots-global-warming.htm
http://www.mps.mpg.de/solar-system-school/pictures/Climate2.png <— solar activity has not increased in almost 70 years.
Actually, it is universally agreed that cycles of the sun affect the earth and have contributed to global warming over the past 100 years. However, the rate of warming is greater than the earth has ever experienced as is beyond what can be explained by the sun or other natural causes. The only explanation for the degree of observed warming is man-made greenhouse gases.
The ozone depletion is not related to global warming; that is a different problem. In fact, the aerosols that contributed to depletion of ozone actually cause global cooling. We could cool the atmosphere somewhat by emitting vast amounts of aerosols, as long as we didn’t mind all the skin cancers and other problems from ozone depletion.
Several things in your statement are in need of some info.
1. CO2 is at a near saturation point already when it comes to how much it can influence the global temperature. You do know that CO2 concentration and its ability to effect global temperature follows a decending logrithmic curve right?
2. Your point of reference being the 1970′s is deceptive. The 1970′s was a period of cooling. so much so that people of that time fearing a coming Ice Age.
3. The earth was in a warming trend through the 1980′s and up to 1998. 1998 to present, the earth has been cooling. The rate at which the earth has been cooling has recently accelerated.
Do some web searches and you will find enough data on this to fill a few books.
Search topics:
“Spotless days” – This iwll link yoiu to a number of sites from vaious scientific and non-scientific sources. Some are from NASA. Read em.
“Dalton Minimum” – This will get to more scientific than non-scientific sites. It will also provide a great deal of data on the current solar trend. This minimum is blamed for the cold snap during the early 1800′s.
“Solar Cycle 24″ – You will get data on what is the most drastic solar minimum in over a century. (current day. today) You will also find infor on what this means to the global climate.
“Maunder Minimum” – This solar minimum is blamed for the “Little Ice Age” 1645 – 1700++.
The sun, as quoted by NASA scinetist Dr. Hathaway, experienced an extraordinary period of high activity over the past 50 years.
do your research and you will learn that
high solar activity = global warming (evidenced by Mars Saturn Jupiter Venus etc all showing signs of it just like the earth)
low solar activity = global cooling (evidenced by Mars Saturn Jupiter Venus etc all showing signs of it just like the earth) Presently the earth has trending data saying we are cooling and we also see the ice caps on Mars expanding again.
If this is not enough to at least make you think, then you are a lemming. Sorry.
Global warming and cooling are natural processes. The Earth has gone through several cycles.
Humans are so dang arrogant to believe that we have a major impact on climate.
How did the last ice age end? Hunters cooking woolly mammoth over wood fires?
We are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
“Friends of Science.org”
You’ll find none better with proof.
Al Gore’s Movie and him lining his pockets.
Al Gore and his scientific loolahs. Also the Club of Rome has a lot to do with it.