The Artic is probably feeling the most effects of global warming. As the ice rapidly disappears animals and plant species are already suffering from the loss of sea-ice.

Montana’s Glacier National Park now only has twenty-seven glaciers due to the rapidly melting mountain snows and glaciers, in 1910 there were 150 glaciers in the Park.

Coral reefs, which are very susceptible to the slightest temperature changes, suffered the worse bleaching, ‘dying off’, due to stress ever recorded in 1998. Some areas had bleaching of over seventy percent. Scientists believe that over the next fifty years, as the sea temperature carries on rising, that these events will increase in both frequency and intensity.

The increase in natural disasters such as heat waves, tropical storms and wild fires, are thought by some experts to be due to climate change and global warming.

It is a fact that man is pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere much faster than plants and oceans can absorb it. Industrialization, deforestation and pollutants produce greenhouses gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor and nitrous oxide, which attribute to heat being trapped near the earth’s surface. As these gases remain in the atmosphere for years if global warming were eliminated global warming would not be stopped immediately.

There are some experts who tell us that the change in the earth’s orbit can also have an effect on global warming, which may be the reason or be part of the reason for the diverse natural occurring weather conditions, which are being experienced around the world. Other research suggests that the variation in the sun’s out-put may be a cause of global warming; however, this has not been proven or validated.

Recent facts on global warming based on a report written regarding the work of over two and a half thousand scientists in over one hundred and thirty countries concluded that humans were the cause of all or the majority of the current planetary warming. Global warming caused by humans is often called and known as anthropogenic climate change.

Technorati Tags: facts about global warming, Facts Global Warming, Global Warming Facts

The term global warming refers to the average rise in the earth’s temperature, this in turn causes climate change. As the earth becomes warmer this may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea levels and potentially an enormous effect on animals, plants and humans.

It is known that the Artic circles are shrinking and that glaciers are melting at a faster rate than previously recorded. Loss of ice sheets on polar land could potentially have a dramatic effect on the amount the sea levels rise; the rising sea levels will in turn have an impact on the coastlines, also with major changes being seen as the sea inundates low lying lands.

Manmade gases, predominantly carbon dioxide and to a lessen extent methane, trap infrared radiation, in other words the heat radiation which cools the earth. For the earth to remain at a constant temperature it must lose the same amount of energy through heat radiation as it gains from the sun, this is known as energy balance. The burning of fossils fuels such as oil and coal produce carbon dioxide, which is now fifty percent higher than it was at the turn of the twentieth century.

One of the ways the earth loses its heat is via rain clouds, and it is thought that changes in current rain patterns and expected changes in future rain patterns will contribute to global warming.

Deforestation by man and by natural causes are also contributing to global warming; while natural deforestation caused by forest fires raging out of control can most probably be counter effected by nature’s natural rhythms the vast amount of deforestation by man is making the balance tilt towards the lack of plants and vegetation being able to absorb the increase in carbon dioxide.

So the answer to the question ‘what is global warming?’ can be partly explained by scientists and researches however, there is still much uncertainty as to the actual or potential impact global warming will have on the earth.

Technorati Tags: What Is Global Warming

The use of hydro power, solar power, wind power, geothermal power and even nuclear power will produce significantly less carbon dioxide.

It is not only the large industries which can change their fuel source to help prevent global warming, all people who drive cars can opt to walk or cycle rather than using petrol or diesel fuel and using less electricity in the home and workplace will also contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere.

Many small business, groups of people and individuals have turned to wind or solar power in an attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by adopting some small but significant steps in their living styles and habits; for example by leaving a television or DVD player on stand by can increase the ‘phantom loads’ of electricity which is estimated to be as high as eleven percent ‘wasted’ residential electricity. One of the easiest ways to help prevent global warming is to make sure your house and offices are draught free and insulated properly also by using more efficient light bulbs and by turning lights off when they are not needed. If people were to turn down their heating by just ten degrees it is estimated that the energy saving would be between three and five percent. If every car owner were to walk on one of their journeys everyday the resulting reduction in greenhouse gases would be profound. Not only will these simple changes help prevent global warming but will also save money!

Another major way to prevent global warming is for humans to bring a slow down and ultimately a halt to deforestation. Nature has its own way of getting rid of excess carbon dioxide through photosynthesis with plants and trees. As huge areas of forest are destroyed there are insufficient flora and fauna left to perform photosynthesis and remove bad gases.

Technorati Tags: Ways To Prevent Global Warming

Methane is gas is naturally released from the aortic tundra and wetlands, methane is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the earth’s atmosphere and is a natural cause of global warming.

Volcanic eruptions can be a natural cause of global warming, as the smoke and gases cause an umbrella effect that does not allow sunlight to pass through the atmosphere.

Any change in the earth’s orbit, no matter how slight, could cause the earth to move closer to the sun or further away from it, the earth would then become hotter or colder respectively.

From studying and researches of the world’s history it is known that the earth has gone through periods of Ice Ages and global warming periods for millions of years. Although the scientists do not know for definite what causes these changes it is believed that natural occurrences such as ‘sun spots’ (explosions of the sun), massive volcanic eruptions and explosions on a massive scale caused by meteors hitting the earth may contribute to natural causes of global warming.

Another cause if natural deforestation caused by forest fires that rage out of control, these fires are not caused by man.

The permafrost, frozen wastelands of both the North Pole and South Pole, have become known as carbon sinks; carbon, methane and other gases are locked into the permafrost and unable to escape. As man builds on the permafrost it is causing it to slowly thaw, and so the gases are escaping into the atmosphere. When this occurs the permafrost becomes a natural cause of global warming.

The oceans can also be a natural cause of global warming; the surface of the oceans carries about 800 billion tons of carbon, which are dissolved within the top layers. The atmosphere, without any artificial chemicals holds about 750 million tons.

Although there are natural causes of global warming, it is believed that man’s contribution of greenhouse gases is increasing global warming at an unnatural rate.

Technorati Tags: Natural Causes Of Global Warming

Global warming has increased the earth’s temperature by 1.0 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. The last nine years are among some of the hottest on record in the last twenty-five years. According to NASA 2005 was the hottest year on record.

The results of this is having a marked affect on the amount of ice sheets and glaciers that are declining in size at an alarming rate. The Arctic ice pack has become forty percent thinner over the past four decades. Rising temperatures are also melting glaciers and ice caps. In 2000 the Ward Hunt Ice shelf, the Arctic’s largest single block of ice, began cracking and by 2002 had split all the way through, it is continuing to break into pieces.

Other evidence of global warming has been recorded, since 1979 there has been a sixteen percent increase in some of the areas of the Greenland Ice Sheet, which has experienced some degree of melting. There has also been a fifteen to twenty percent decline in summer sea-ice over the last thirty years.

NASA satellite imagery has shown a reduction in sea-ice covering of some nine percent since 1979 and it believed that if this rate of decline continues there will be no ice in the Arctic by the end of the century.

A MIT study shown that there has been a one hundred percent increase in the ferocity and duration of tropical storms and hurricanes since the 1970s, which is believed to be due to the increased amounts of carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere, this in turn has increased the earth’s surface temperature.

Evidence of Global Warming also shows that between the years 1800 and 2000 the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide has risen by thirty one percent, rising from two hundred and eighty parts per million to three hundred and sixty seven parts per million. Scientists believe that by 2100 carbon dioxide levels could be as high as nine hundred and seventy part per million.

Technorati Tags: Evidence Global Warming, Global Warming Statistics

Kids to need to be informed of how fossil fuels like oil and coal burn greenhouse gases that escape into the air and it is these that are the cause of global warming. Deforestation caused by man cutting down vast areas of forests is another major cause of global warming kids should be informed of.

Kids also need to know that the sea levels are already beginning to rise above the natural rate, which means that coastline around the world are changing and some animals are having to find new places to live.

If global warming continues at the present rate there will be some animals and plants, trees and shrubs, which will no longer exist, they will become extinct.

There are many ways in which kids can be educated to help reduce global warming by relating their actions and habits to their everyday lives, global warming for kids will then become a natural and relevant topic to discuss.

Kids should be given the opportunity to make their own suggestions on what they can do to lessen their carbon footprint, as their own ideas will give them the responsibility to act rather than think it is a chore and just adults nagging.

The discussions can be guided by an adult, parents, teachers etc. and could include the following suggestions.

Why using energy saving bulbs or fluorescent lights in their room and by turning lights off when they leave rooms can reduce greenhouse gases.

As heating water uses energy showers rather than baths are not only more economical financially, showers use far less water than a bath.

Rather than keep turning the heating up put on a sweatshirt or jumper when they feel cold, likewise when it is hot instead of turning on the air conditioning or using a fan, close the blinds and wear lightweight clothes.

One of the ways which will have the most impact on reducing global warming for kids is to walk rather than ask for a lift in the car. Kids should be encouraged to start walking or cycling to school. There are many different ‘walk to school’ campaigns which kids can become involved with.

Technorati Tags: Global warning for kids