Thursday, April 14, 2016

Global Warming and Its Underlying Problems

Global warming can cause many problems. From 1880 to 2010 the average temperature of the earth increased .8 degrees celsius. Now this may not see like much but if it continues on this pattern we don't know what will happen. A mere 1 degree increase could cause catastrophic consequences. wind patterns could change, climates could get warmer in some areas and colder in others, there could be a drought, melting glaciers may release a disease we can't fight off, sea levels could rise, and many more unpredictable things could happen. The question is how are we going to fix it.



On earth we have several major glacier regions. Among these regions are Antarctica and Greenland. These glaciers have outlived us for billions of years. The only difference is now they are melting. There are many plagues and diseases we as the human race have faced throughout time and many of these diseases have been frozen in the glaciers, among with many unknown diseases. This is quite a controversial topic among scientists as there are many different opinions on what could happen. Some scientists believe that most of the diseases won't resurrect. Others believe that they won't affect us anymore because we may have antibodies that could fight off these ancient viruses. Some scientists have woken up minor viruses that can still do some serious damage, and other scientists theorize that as the human race has not seen it in so long our bodies will have no immune system for it because we adapted and evolved after many of these harmful viruses were frozen. Whether or not you choose to believe this is important is up to you because scientists are still investigating this subject and what will and won't wake up.
Global warming will also affect the temperature and precipitation around the well… globe. NASA has gathered data and has used it to predict that by 2084 the summers will be 9-12 degrees warmer all over the United States and lower parts of Canada. This may not sound that bad but if you usually get 75.2 degrees fahrenheit (24 celsius) in the summer it will be around 87.2 degrees (30.7 celsius) which may sound wonderful but, how will crops grow? How will all our fresh water not evaporate? People all over will get sunstroke which will make their immune systems more susceptible to colds, flu’s and other harsher diseases. As for how crops would grow, I've done some research and found that rice is the most commonly eaten food in the world, and the hottest conditions rice can grow at is 25-30 degrees (celsius) so we will definitely be pushing the limit if we reach 30.7 degrees (celsius). And if the planet's temperature continues along that pattern how will anything grow? The simple answer is; it won't. If the temperature does increase, many of our fresh water sources will likely evaporate, and then we will have to go to the polluted ocean for water, we will need to disinfect and take the salt out of it which will take a long time and oceans aren't neverending. Due to global warming precipitation patterns will also change in Canada the precipitation will largely increase, and in the USA precipitation will largely decrease, this will likely damage crops greatly, as nothing can grow with too much or too little water.


Global warming will also affect sea level.Since reliable records started in 1880 the sea has risen about 8 inches. This may not seem like a large amount but, due to the increase in temperature it is estimated that by 2100 the sea level will have risen almost 4 feet. This may not seem like a big deal, but for places at sea level or that are along the shore line, it will be devastating as they will likely be in water. Thanks to NASA we have a lot of information on this topic. According to NASA satellite sea level measurements the current rise in sea level is 3.42mm per year. This once again may not seem like a lot but this estimation will only rise as the glaciers continue melting. The other problem with this is the loss of good farmland and areas for housing, and for the still increasing population we need both. The water will continue to increase after 2100 but from this point in time we are unable to predict whether it will speed up or slow down. That is why the rise in sea level is a big deal.


There are many things you can do to help slow the process of global warming. For starters you can manage electricity in your home, switch off lights, change to LED lightbulbs.Another thing you can do is switch to renewable power sources. You can also be careful of what you eat, buy organic foods and more. You can also do the trademark for global warming, that's right recycling! Try  to minimize the waste that you send out. You can change how you get around. For example you can fly less, and do green transportation, like bike or take the bus. Those are some of the many things you can do to help slow global warming.


Here is a poem about global warming:
Who Made A Mess
By Steve Turner
Who made a mess of the planet
And what's that bad smell on the breeze?
Who punched a hole in the ozone
And who took an axe to my trees?


Who sprayed the garden with poison
While trying to scare off a fly?
Who streaked the water with oil slicks
And who let my fish choke and die?


Who tossed that junk in the river
And who stained the fresh air with fumes?
Who tore the fields with a digger
And who blocked my favourite views?


Who's going to tidy up later
And who's going to find what you've lost?
Who's going to say that they're sorry
And who's going to carry the cost?
This photo shows the maximum temperature which the world will reach in 2100 as is predicted by NASA:
Those are some of the many things that make global warming a big problem. I listed many terrible things that can happen although none of this is definite. What I do hope is that my article has sparked your mind to make a change. If you don't believe me do some research of your own! Those are the reasons that global warming is important.

Brianna R

Works Cited:
IPCC 2007, Summary for Policymakers, in Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, p. 17.

March 7th 2013 National Climate Assessment and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

March 7th 2013 National Climate Assessment and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

March 7th 2013 National Climate Assessment and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

February 12th 2015 NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio



Data source: Satellite observations. Credit: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio













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