Global Warming and Future Expectations

What effects of these things do we see in the world's climate? We will talk about the major one in a minute, which is global warming. There are other effects we need to think about and work on in order to reduce our adverse impact on the environment. Global warming has been caused by overuse of petroleum fuels, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, disruption of the water resources, loss of the rainforests, and wasting the land to be used instead for livestock raising.

We have also contributed to environmental and climate changes by adding acid to our soil and water. This comes from the burning of fossil fuels, which return to earth as acid rain. We also disrupt the nitrogen cycle by producing too much nitrogen oxides in our industries and adding ammonia to the soil through fertilization practices. These can have long-term implications for our climate.

GLOBAL WARMING AND FUTURE EXPECTATIONS

These are the main things humans have done to contribute to global warming:

• Increased the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, adding a warming effect to the environment. Carbon dioxide is the greatest contributor to global warming as a greenhouse gas.

• Deforestation and other land surface changes adding a warming effect.

• Increased aerosols into the atmosphere, which could have a cooling effect.

Efforts have been made to predict the future of the earth and its weather as a result of warming temperatures. This is done by looking at what has been done so far to our climate and moving this forward several decades. Let's look at what these predictions indicate.

We have talked about what the different effects are of human activities on our climate, but there are other things we need to consider from the perspective of meteorology, such as whether or not there really has been an increase in extreme weather events. There has definitely been an increase in the incidence of hot summers in recent years. This might translate to an increase in extreme weather events overall. Expect stronger hurricanes and prolonged droughts.

It is predicted that nearly the entire globe will be warmer than it is now by 2100 and that there will be more extreme heat events. The actual end result depends mainly on the number of fossil fuel sources we use. Even if we do a great deal, the temperature will increase by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit and the sea level will rise by 17 inches. If we do not do anything, the global temperatures will increase by 7.4 degrees Fahrenheit and sea levels will rise by 29 inches.

Rain and snow predictions can also be made. Some areas will be rainier or snowier, while others will be drier. Storms in general will become more intense, leading to more erosion and flood conditions. Alaska and the Northeastern parts of the US will be wetter and so will areas near the equator. India, Canada, Northern China, and Russia will also be noticeably wetter. The countries in the Mediterranean and areas in Australia and Africa will be drier, on the other hand. The belief is that wet areas will be wetter and dry areas will be drier.

Sea level rise will occur all over the world but will impact different parts of the world in various ways. Areas near low-lying shorelines risk severe damage and loss of land as the ocean reclaims these areas. Other areas will have a loss of infrastructure, such as railways, highways, and sewage processing areas. The problem is that a warmer earth will melt the ice caps and glaciers, sending this water into the oceans of the world. A warmer ocean will also take up more physical space. Estimates vary but you might see up to 3 feet of extra seawater in coastal areas.