global warming– causesand consequences（全球变暖的原因和后果–）.docVIP

Global Warming – Causes and Consequences What is the Greenhouse Effect? The earth’s atmosphere is like the roof of a greenhouse; it allows the sun’s energy to enter, but prevents some of the energy from radiating back into space. The atmosphere absorbs much of the sun’s energy and controls the temperature of our planet. Without the greenhouse gases, the Earth’s surface temperature would be about 0°F. The “greenhouse effect” refers to the fact that this blanket is getting “thicker” because we are increasing the concentration of gases in the atmosphere. As a consequence, more of the sun’s energy is being absorbed by the atmosphere and re-radiating back to Earth, thus increasing the temperature of our planet. What are the Greenhouse Gases? Water Vapor – the #1 greenhouse gas. This is a surprise to most people, because we keep hearing about CO2. Global warming is likely to cause more water to evaporate from the surface and more water to be absorbed by the warmer atmosphere. However, we don’t really know what the consequences will be of an increase in atmospheric water vapor. Will the increase in water vapor increase temperatures (a positive feedback loop)? Or, will the increase in water vapor lead to more clouds to reflect incoming solar radiation, thus preventing it from reaching the surface? Carbon Dioxide – the #2 greenhouse gas. CO2 is naturally released into the atmosphere as a result of respiration by living organisms, and by geological events such as volcanic eruptions. However, these processes have always gone on and are not the cause of the current level of global warming. What has changed recently is the production of CO2 by humans through burning coal, oil, natural gas, and wood. CO2 is responsible for about 62% of human-made greenhouse gases. The increase in CO2 is unequivocal. The figure below shows the CO2 concentration measured at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, and represents the globally mixed concentration of CO2. Ot