Do you keep hearing those rumors about global warming, and wondering “Is this all true?” What is global warming, anyway? Is it really happening? Do I need to pack a suitcase and move to the moon? Let’s learn more about this phenomenon and get to the bottom of it.
Global warming is a global increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, usually due to the greenhouse effect, which is the result of excessive carbon dioxide (CO2) and other pollutants in the air. The temperature here on earth can skyrocket past 104˚F and can drop lower than 32˚F.
Countries all over the world have stations that monitor the weather, some of which date back to the late 1800s. Satellites also aid in calculating the average temperature by measuring the radiation that oxygen gives off in the atmosphere. With this information, scientists are able to calculate the global average.
The results: 2014 was officially the warmest year on record. The temperature keeps rising, so much so that this year, we might actually surpass that record altogether. Additionally, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration carbon dioxide levels have increased by 38% since 1750—a considerable rise in air pollutants since the advent of the steam engine just a few years later.
Historical records continue to prove that temperatures have been rising exponentially for the past 100 years, according to Allegra LeGrande, a climate scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the Center for Climate Systems Research. LeGrande also studies the different isotopes in the atmosphere, specifically hydrogen and oxygen isotopes. Her studies show that warmer temperature and drier conditions lead to snow containing heavier isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen, while cooler and wetter conditions contain lighter isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen. These isotopes date back to millions of years ago and are found in glaciers and ice sheets. Each year, a new layer of ice compacts together, forming these sheets and glaciers. The innermost layers of these formations can date back millions of years.
In order to retract these isotopes, scientists drill through the ice and determine how many isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen there are. The amount of isotopes in each layer can reveal how the temperature was back then. These sheets of ice and glaciers have indeed proved that “global warming” is happening more rapidly than in the past.
Why are temperatures rising so fast? These rapidly increasing temperatures are due to the release of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. These include exhaust from vehicles, various power plants and even smoking. When the sun warms the ground and water, they radiate that heat back into the atmosphere—a vicious cycle. That radiated heat is trapped by the greenhouse gasses in the planet’s surface, and cannot escape.
The pros of this? We do need some warmth to survive. The cons? The heat is slowly suffocating us. More worryingly, the heat is melting the poles and glaciers, which will lead to a huge increase in water levels on earth, covering some islands or peninsulas completely, like Florida, for instance.
Clearly, global warming is a big problem that we must try to prevent. So what can you do?
1. Walk Instead of Drive — This way you can stay fit AND help save the planet!
2. Change those Bulbs — Replace regular lights for some compact fluorescent light bulbs to reduce energy use and CO2 emissions.
3. Power save — Unplug devices when not in use to help reduce the use of energy.
4. The 3 R’s — Reuse. Reduce. Recycle.
These are some of the simplest things you can do to help save the world. Together, we can help reduce the growing pandemic of global warming.
From Student Society for Science