PHYSICS TERM PAPER

ROLL NO RB1001B47

SEC B1001

REG NO 11002836

DOS 26/10/2010

SUBMITTE
D TO SUBMITTED BY

JASPREET KAUR UJWAL DAMANI

INTRODUCTION

The term “Global Warming” was first used in its modern sense by Wally Broecker in 1975. It
was used in a journal paper called “Are we on the brink of a pronounced global warming?”
His choice of words were new and represented a significant recognition that the climate was
warming.

Global warming is the rising of average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere due to
greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are the gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. These
consists of gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluro carbons and
water vapour insulating the earth’s surface and helping it maintain warm temperatures.
However since there is so much carbon dioxide filling the air, the earth’s atmosphere absorb
almost all of the sun’s emission. When the sun heats the earth, the atmosphere is supposed to
radiate most of the heat radiations but instead it takes all the warmth and uses it to power the
earth causing a collection of greenhouse gases. Global warming affects natural, geographical
as well as historical boundaries.
Global warming can be caused by the use of fossil fuels, and industrial or agricultural
processes. Man-made emissions are adding to the amount of carbon dioxide already being
naturally release. (In order for the Earth to remain at a constant temperature, the Earth must
lose as much energy through infrared radiation as it gains from the sun. This concept is called
energy balance.) The burning of fossil fuels, mainly petroleum and coal, produces carbon
dioxide as one of the by-products. As of 2003, the concentration of carbon dioxide is over
50% higher than it was before the start of the industrial revolution in the late 1800's—-which
is when the burning of fossil fuels really took off.
Now with the increasing population growth, increased fossil fuel burning it has started
becoming a menace.

It is an example of global climatic change. To understand the concept of global warming and
make decisions about how to respond to the seemingly contradictory information received
from various sources, it is important to distinguish between climate and weather.
Weather applie
s to short-term changes in properties of the lower atmosphere such as temperature, relative
humidity, precipitation, cloud cover, barometric pressure, and wind speed. Climate is the
general pattern of weather conditions, seasonal variation, and weather extremes over a long
time—at least thirty years. A summer with record high temperatures is not a signal that global
warming is occurring. A winter with record cold is not proof that global warming is not
occurring. Climate change, especially global climate change, must be determined from global
averages of weather conditions collected, averaged, and compared over decades
Evidence of warming of earth’s climate system includes observed increases in global average
air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice,and rising global average sea
level.

There seems to be pretty good evidence that globally-averaged temperatures have risen about
0.5 degrees Celsius (about 1 deg. F) in the last 100 years. But it is not known how much of
this is due to man-made greenhouse gases, or to natural processes. The Earth goes through
natural climate fluctuations without any help from mankind. It is reasonable to assume,
however, that some portion of the warming in the last century is man-made.
 CAUSES

While there are many natural causes of global warming, but these do not account for the extra
warming we are seeing currently. It is created by humans. We are accelerating the natural
climatological cycles with our human created emissions of green house gases. unless we help
stop those emissions there is little secure future for humans.

The main causes of global warming, in order of the magnitude of their impact, are:

1. Carbon Dioxide from:

I. Fossil Fuel
II. Deforestation
III. Failing Sinks
 2. Methane from:

I. Cattle and Rice Paddies

II. The Arctic Tundra
III. Clathrates

3. Nitrogen Oxides from Farming

4. Methane fram bacterial reaction on organic matter

5. Deforestation

6. Incapability of oceans to store carbon as much as it did previously

Carbon dioxide is burned everytime we burn something,like car, aeroplane or steel plant. This
increases the fossil fuels emitted by us and hence increases global warming.

EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

• Global warming will not just make sea levels rise, it will also affect sea life. Corals
are intolerant of temperatures just a few degrees warmer than usual. Small increases
 in the temperature can kill corals. There have been problems with corals dying in the
past few years because of increased water temperatures.

• Some diseases are likely to be spread more easily due to global warming. Mosquitoes
are a major carrier of tropical diseases. Malaria outbreaks are usually confined to
places where the minimum winter temperature reaches no lower than 16 [degrees
Celsius]. Scientists are beginning to notice that malaria outbreaks are occurring
outside these places. They are attributing this to increased temperatures from global
warming. Cholera and dengue fever are also carried by mosquitoes and thrive in warm
and moist climates. As with malaria, more cholera and dengue fever outbreaks would
occur because of migrating mosquitoes.

• As the temperature of oceans rises, so will the probability of more frequent and
stronger hurricanes

• Although some areas of Earth will become wetter due to global warming, other areas
will suffer serious droughts and heat waves. Africa will receive the worst of it, with
more severe droughts also expected in Europe. Global warming will exacerbate the
conditions and could lead to conflicts and war.

• Most of the effects of anthropogenic global warming won’t be good. And these effects
spell one thing for the countries of the world: economic consequences. Hurricanes
causes billions of dollars in damage, diseases cost money to treat and control and
conflicts exacerbate all of these.

• An increase in the flow of freshwater into the world's oceans is on the hands partly
from melting ice and partly from increased precipitation driven by an increase in
global ocean evaporation. Much of the increase is in areas which already experience
high rainfall.

• There are three major ways in which global warming will make changes to regional
climate:

 Melting or forming ice

 Changing the hydrological cycle (of evaporation and precipitation)

 Changing currents in oceans and airflows in atmosphere

 • Dissolving CO2 in seawater increases the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration in the
ocean, and thus decreases ocean pH. Since the industrial revolution began, it is
estimated that surface ocean pH has dropped by slightly more than 0.1 units and it is
estimated that it will drop by a further 0.3 to 0.5 units by 2100 as the oceans absorb
more human emitted CO2.

• Rising sea level is one of the most dangerous effects of global warming. Global
average sea level had risen at an average rate of 1.8 [1.3 to 2.3] mm/yr. Between 1993
and 2003, the rate increased above the previous period to 3.1 [2.4 to 3.8] mm/yr.Sea
level was projected to rise by 18 to 59 cm (7.1 to 23.2 inches).

• Rise in temperature is the most drastic effect of global warming.

Some effects of rising temperature are

 Ice is melting worldwide, especially at the Earth’s poles. This includes

mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland,
and Arctic sea ice.
 Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on
average.

 Some butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants have moved farther north or
to higher, cooler areas

 Spruce bark beetles have boomed in Alaska thanks to 20 years of warm

summers. The insects have chewed up 4 million acres of spruce trees.

• Birds are laying eggs earlier than usual, plants are flowering earlier and mammals
are breaking hibernation sooner

Global Warming Effects that will happen in the future

 Global warming will have serious impacts on the environment and on society.
Higher temperatures will cause a melting of ice in Greenland and Antarctica. This will
accelerate the rise of sea level. The speed at which global warming is expected to occur in
the 21st century is faster than most plant and animal species will be able to cope with. Some
will adapt but others will suffer and may become extinct.

 Global warming will affect agriculture. New crops will be able to be grown in areas
that are currently too cold to support them. However, more pests and diseases may offset
any benefits higher temperatures may have. Water resources will also be affected. Some
reservoirs may dry up if temperature increases, especially if rainfall also decreases. Rising
sea levels may pollute fresh groundwater supplies with salt water.

 Global warming will also affect human health. There may be more heat-related
illnesses in hotter summers, and increased breathing problems as higher temperatures
increase air pollution in cities, reducing air quality. The malaria mosquito may also be able
to spread to other regions of the world where it is currently too cold to survive and breed.

 More extreme weather, for example storms, floods and droughts will have severe
impacts on the environment and on society. The poorest people in society will unfortunately
be those least able to cope with the impacts of global warming.

 Your hometown could be underwater by the end of the century. Major cities
including New York, Miami, Tokyo, Mumbai, Venice, Shanghai, and many others will be
among those affected.

 Species that depend on one another may become out of sync. For example, plants
could bloom earlier than their pollinating insects become active.

 Less fresh water will be available. Thousands of people will be stranded for
drinking water and electricity without a source of either.

 Hurricanes and other storms are likely to become stronger.

 Ecosystems will change—some species will move farther north or become more
successful; others won’t be able to move and could become extinct. Wildlife
research has found that since the mid-1980s, with less ice on which to live and fish
for food, polar bears have gotten considerably skinnier. It is feared that if sea ice
disappears, the polar bears will as well.
  Sea levels are expected to rise between 7 and 23 inches (18 and 59 centimetres) by
the end of the century, and continued melting at the poles could add between 4 and 8
inches (10 to 20 centimetres).

Global warming is an extremely severe problem facing the world today. Its effects and causes
have been on the rise and people need to do something about it before the problem gets any
worse.