![]() ![]() Over the course of the 20th century, precipitation increased in eastern parts of North and South America, northern Europe, and northern and central Asia. Another effect involves changes in precipitation, such as rain and snow. Greenhouse gas emissions affect more than just temperature. Rapid loss of these glaciers would devastate those countries. Millions more people in countries like Bolivia, Peru, and India depend on glacial meltwater for drinking, irrigation, and hydroelectric power. Rising sea levels cause flooding in coastal cities, which could displace millions of people in low-lying areas such as Bangladesh, the U.S. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that the global sea level rose about 1.8 millimeters (0.07 inches) per year from 1961 to 1993, and about 3.1 millimeters (0.12 inches) per year since 1993. If all of this ice melted, sea levels would rise by about 70 meters (230 feet). They hold between 70 and 75 percent of the world’s freshwater. Glaciers and ice caps cover about 10 percent of the world’s landmasses. The meltwater drains into the oceans, causing sea levels to rise. Perhaps the biggest, most obvious effect is that glaciers and ice caps melt faster than usual. The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change Even slight increases in average global temperatures can have huge effects. The rise in Earth’s average temperature contributed to by human activity is known as global warming. As the level of these gases rises, so does the temperature of Earth. They are produced during the manufacturing of refrigeration and cooling products and through aerosols.Īll of these human activities add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Fluorinated gases include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Nitrous oxide comes from agriculture and fossil fuel burning. People add methane to the atmosphere through livestock farming, landfills, and fossil fuel production such as coal mining and natural gas processing. Another way humans release CO2 into the atmosphere is by cutting down forests, because trees contain large amounts of carbon. Cars, trucks, t rains, and planes all burn fossil fuels. Most of the CO2 that people put into the atmosphere comes from burning fossil fuels. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere far exceeds the naturally occurring range seen during the last 650,000 years. Emissions of CO2, rose by about 80 percent during that time. Greenhouse gas emissions increased 70 percent between 19. ![]() That amount has skyrocketed in the past century. Since the Industrial Revolution of the late 1700s and early 1800s, people have been releasing larger quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. ![]() Volcanoes-both on land and under the ocean-release greenhouse gases, so periods of high volcanic activity tend to be warmer. There is evidence that suggests methane is released in low-oxygen environments, such as swamps or landfills. ![]() Methane is released naturally from decomposition. Animals and plants release carbon dioxide when they respire, or breathe. Some greenhouse gases come from natural sources, for example, evaporation adds water vapor to the atmosphere. The gases act like the glass walls of a greenhouse-thus the name, greenhouse gas.Īccording to scientists, the average temperature of Earth would drop from 14˚C (57˚F) to as low as –18˚C (–0.4˚F), without the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases allow the sun’s light to shine onto Earth’s surface, and then the gases, such as ozone, trap the heat that reflects back from the surface inside Earth’s atmosphere. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), ozone (O3), and fluorinated gases. The greenhouse effect happens when certain gases, which are known as greenhouse gases, accumulate in Earth’s atmosphere. ![]()
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