Permafrost And The Warming Of The Atmosphere example essay topic

The global warming is caused by emissions of over 20 gases into the atmosphere. The major contributors are carbon dioxide (CO 2), ozone, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Although these gases are produced by many industrial processes, the major source is the burning of fossil fuels in boilers, furnaces and automobile engines. When released into the air in large quantities, these gases cause the earths atmosphere to warm by trapping the suns heat. Infrared radiation that would normally be reflected back into space hovers in the atmosphere, like thick blanket over the earth. Author Brian Han werk of National Geographic News maintains that the arctic is melting fast.

Studies are now being done on the Arctic climate. The 300 scientists involved here used climate models and made moderate estimates of future emissions of carbon dioxide. It is a revelation that the Alaska, western Canada and eastern Russia average temperatures that have already increased considerably. And then in the next hundred years, temperatures will rise to 7 to 13 degrees Fahrenheit. This spells disaster in terms of the health of people and challenge the survival of some cultures. (Warming to Cause Catastrophic Rise in Sea Level?

). Scientists claim that "Sea ice is retreating, glaciers are reducing in size, permafrost is thawing, all [these indicators] provide strong evidence that it has been warming rapidly in the Arctic in recent decades". This means that climate will be changed globally (Warming to Cause Catastrophic Rise in Sea Level? ). The solution: Slow climate change.

When: as soon as possible. However, people seem to be oblivious to the problem even if the Arctic is already showing signs for people to be alarmed. ). Similarly, author Stefan Lofgren says that the biggest danger in global warming is caused by sea levels that rise dramatically. The thermal expansion raises oceans to 4 8 inches.

However, scientists still feel that Greenland's massive ice sheet is dangerous if it starts melting. Some scientists have even drawn computer models to show how vulnerable coastal cities are to sea rising. It can submerge and completely wipe out entire cities (Warming to Cause Catastrophic Rise in Sea Level? ). It is appalling to know that the current rate of warning is warming at the fastest rate in millions of years. Meanwhile, a compilation of paleo climate records from lake sediments gives a view of the Arctics environmental variability over the last 400 years.

There were retreats of glaciers and melting of permafrost and the warming of the atmosphere.