Global Effects Of Global Warming

Is Global Warming a Problem in today society?

I. Research Rationale

Why did I choose this topic? I chose this topic because I feel that it is a bigger problem then most people think. I have some prior knowledge to this topic but I have never researched it before. I hope to find out that it is not a big a problem as some people make it out to be. This is a topic that interests me a lot and I am look forward to doing research on it.

II. Prior Knowledge

Global Warming has always been a concern to me. I have always been interested in the science of it so I have some prior knowledge. I know that global warming is the affect of Carbon Dioxide getting trapped in the atmosphere, causing the average global temperature to rise. What that means is when the temperature rises, Storms and Hurricanes get stronger, Sea levels rises, and droughts will occur in more places and more frequently.

III. Research Diary

How I came up with my topic? I came up with my topic after watching a movie called the Inconvenient Truth by former vice president Al Gore. It really opened my eyes to how big a problem global warming really is. One problem I have been having with researching this topic is the political side of this problem. Democrats seem to stretch the truth a little. But Republicans seem to think that it is not as big a problem as it really is.

IV. Research Findings

So, what is Global Warming, Energy Information Administration defines it as an increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans. Although global warming has occurred in the past, the term is most often used to refer to the warming some scientists predict will occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases. What that means is that the more oil we burn off by cars, power plants and other factories, the more carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases we release into the our earths atmosphere, The more green house gases there is in the atmosphere, the higher the temperature is on the earth's surface. This might not seem like a big problem at first but, a whole lot of damage can be caused by just a few degrees. Since 1900, the average surface temperature has warmed by about 1.2-1.4 Ñ"F (Wikipedia, Effects of global warming). If you look at the last ice age the average global temperature was only a few degrees colder that what it is now. At the Peak of the last Ice Age (18,000 years ago) the average global temperature was only 7 degrees colder than it is today(epa.gov Climate Changes). This means that our average global temperature is very delicate.

So how much damage has global warming already caused in our world today? Global warming affects everything in our world. Weather has shown to be the quickest to respond to global warming. The number of category four and five hurricanes has doubled in the past thirty years (Inconvenient Truth). This is a direct effect from global warming because hurricanes and other tropical storms grow stronger in warmer waters. For years scientist has said that it was impossible for a hurricane to form in the South Atlantic Ocean (Inconvenient Truth). But in 2004 the science books had to be rewritten, when Brazil was hit by it's first ever hurricane (Wikipedia, Cyclone Catarina). Hurricane Catarina was a category 2 hurricane that killed at least 3 people and caused 174 million dollars in damage (wikipedia). Scientist says that this hurricane is a product of global warming, because the South Atlantic Ocean has never been warm enough for a hurricane to form (wikipedia). On the other side of the world in that same year Japan had 10 typhoons, the most Japan has ever had in recorded history (Inconvenient Truth).

Global warming has been an issue for a long time but since the year 2000, global warming has become an even bigger issue. 10 of the hottest years on record have occurred in the past 14 years (Hartford Courant). The hottest year ever recorded was 2005 (Inconvenient Truth). Scientist predicts that 2007 will break that record (Wikipedia Global Warming). In 2006 over 200 cities set all time heat records (Inconvenient Truth). Furthermore in 2003 a heat wave came through Europe killing around 35,000 people (Inconvenient Truth). Global warming also affects thunderstorms. In 2004 America had a record breaking 1,717 tornados (Inconvenient Truth). And in India in 2005, the city of Mumbai recorded 37 inches of rain in one day, killing as much as a 1000 people. That is the most rain ever recorded in one day (Inconvenient Truth).

Global warming has damaging affects on the oceans on earth. With an increase of average global temperature, the oceans expand in volume (Wikipedia, effects on global warming). When oceans expand, sea level rises, and when sea level rises it puts land under water. Rising sea levels is also caused by glacerial melts (Wikipedia). From 3000 years ago to the start of the 19th century sea level has raisin at a rate of .1mm to .2mm a year. Since the industrial revolution, sea level has raisin at a rate of 1 to 2mm a year (Wikipedia). And since 1992 sea level has raisin at a rate of 3mm a year (Wikipedia). In December of 2006 the island Lohachara, located in the Bay of Bengal, was claimed due to rising sea level (Wikipedia). This island was home to 1,000 people (Wikipedia). Global warming has other effects on the ocean. The ocean absorbs around half of all carbon dioxide generated by humans. In water carbon dioxide creates a weak carbonic acid, since the industrial revolution global warming has lowered the PH level by .1 units (Wikipedia). This has caused 16 percent of the worlds coral reefs to die since 1998 (Wikipedia).

Glaciers are most affected by global warming. They are the leading cause of sea levels rising, and are the biggest problem caused by global warming. Snow caps in the ocean reflect heat and light from the sun. When they melt away, it causes a chain reaction. They began melting at a faster rate; because the water around them absorbs the heat that is suppose to be reflected. This warms the outer layers of glacier causing them to melt away (Inconvenient Truth). This is a big problem for many reasons. About 99 percent of ice in the world in frozen in the great ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland, These ice sheets are about 1.8 miles in thickness. For as long as science has measured and researched, those ice sheets have been stable (Inconvenient truth). But in 2001 they began retreating rapidly, retreating 4.5 miles between 2001 and 2005 (Wikipedia). Since 2005 it is retreating at