Whether the cause is natural or humandriven, global warming is a serious issue that everyone should be aware of. The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action. Global warming causes of global warming britannica. Pdf global warming and climate change, causes, impacts.
Climate change is a direct consequence of the continued increase in the atmospheric co2 mainly resulting from the anthropogenic emissions from fossil fuel. Global climate change global warming greenhouse effect. Most scientists working on climate physics agree that storminess will decrease in a warmer world. Climate change is the defining issue of our time and we are at a defining moment. Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change 3. Summary history of climate change science history in hypertext basic data the modern temperature trend. Global warming is a longterm increase in earths average surface temperature. Natural sources of atmospheric co2 include outgassing from volcanoes, the. Climate is the weather experienced by a given location, averaged over several decades. A regions climate tells how hot or cold, wet or dry, windy or still, and cloudy or sunny it generally is. Humancaused increases in greenhouse gases have been the major influencing factor on global climate change over the past 140 years.
Of the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide co2 is the most significant. Students will use nasas global climate change website to research five of the key indicators vital signs of earths climate. Solar activity it is widely recognized that variations in solar radiation and activities, such as solar flares or sunspots, if large enough, could have an impact on the global. Earths climate has changed over various timescales since the dawn of geologic time, and the force of human activities since the industrial revolution has been woven into the fabric of climate change. In 2014 the ipcc reported that concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane. Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change s. Observed changes and effects warming of climate warming of the climate is definitely occurring and can be observed by the. The encyclopedia of global warming and climate change is a collection of approximately 750 articles in a threevolume set, presented in an a to z alphabetical format, exploring major topics related to global warming and climate change. A guide for the perplexed 16 may 2007 news service michael le page our planets climate is anything but simple. The national security strategy, issued in february 2015, is clear that climate change. Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change, second. Discovery of global warming files formatted for printing pdf. For example, the paleoceneeocene thermal maximum petm involved an initial increase.
Global warming is related to the more general phenomenon of climate change, which refers to changes in the totality of attributes that define climate. This report provides the scientific certainty that humans are the main cause of climate change. Even the title of the work, encyclopedia of global warming and climate change, was carefully considered to include paleoclimatology in the discussion of weather, climate, and the current debate about global warming. Project oecd climate change documents western regional climate center. Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change in. Climate change has increased the risk to workers health and safety. Science tracer bullets research guides from the library of congress, science reference services. Department of agriculture research, education and economics office of the chief scientist july 24, 2012 there is considerable sciencebased evidence that the global climate. Global warming is the ongoing rise of the average temperature of the earths climate system and has been demonstrated by direct temperature measurements and by measurements of various effects of the warming. For example, heat waves are becoming more frequent, cold snaps are now. This reached a new peak in 20 with the publication of the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change ipcc.
The encyclopedia of global warming and climate change helps readers learn about the astonishingly intricate processes that make ours the only planet known to. This valuable resource provides an excellent historical overview and framework of this topic and serves as a general resource for geography, oceanography, biology, climatology, history, and many other subjects. Global warming global warming causes of global warming. China and india are particular bad contributors to global warming. Most scientists working on hurricanes agree that katrina cannot be attributed to global warming. In polar regions, the warming global temperatures associated with climate change. Climate change, the periodic modification of earths climate caused by changes in the atmosphere and interactions between the atmosphere and various other geologic, chemical, biological, and geographic factors. Epidemiologists have noted that more lives will be saved from reduced cold than will be lost to increased warmth. Workers, especially those who work outdoors or in hot indoor environments, are at increased risk of heat stress and other.
Global warming, the phenomenon of rising average air temperatures near earths surface over the past 100 to 200 years. The climate change agenda has risen substantially in global and national importance and the topic has thus been given a dedicated chapter in this 2. Pdf encyclopedia of global warming and climate change. Global warming and global climate change have led to an increase in the temperature in the area. The first edition of the encyclopedia of global warming and climate change provided a multiauthored, academic, yet.
Climates are shaped by a global machinery of ocean currents, winds, forests, ice caps, mountain ranges, bacteria, planetary orbital motions, and many other factors. All kinds of factors influence it, from massive events. The first edition of the encyclopedia of global warming and climate change provided a multiauthored, academic yet nontechnical resource. Recent climate change would still cause a 6 meters 20 ft. Global warming and climate change, causes, impacts and mitigation article pdf available september 2015 with 51,801 reads how we measure reads. Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change 3 volume set 2008 best reference, library journal the impact of global warming. Oecd climate change document s o ce of naval researc h. Pdf on jan 1, 2008, nsikak benson and others published global warming find, read and cite all the. Although large changes in climate are a natural part of earth history, there is little doubt that human activities have caused observed patterns of global warming in the twentieth and twentyfirst centuries. The first edition of the encyclopedia of global warming and climate change provided a multiauthored, academic yet nontechnical resource for students and teachers to understand the importance of global warming, to appreciate the effects of human activity and greenhouse gases around the world, and to learn the history of climate change and the research enterprise examining it. Climate change online lab earths vital signs teacher guide lesson overview. It is a major aspect of climate change which, in addition to rising global. Most small islands, inhabited and uninhabited, are found in the pacific. Impacts of climate change on workers health and safety.
A critical and perhaps the dominant global environmental problem in the last three decades is global warming, resulting from global climate change scholz and hasse, 2008. Temperature, winds, heat waves and cold snaps, rainfall, when seasons begin and end, and other weather patterns and events are all aspects of climate. But expert analysts across the world found that wholesale adjustments had been made to the figures in the main surface temperature records, giving an impression that the global. Increases in global sea and air temperatures widespread melting of snow and ice rising global sea level temperature change.
Global warming carbon dioxide encyclopedia britannica. Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change contents about. The average surface temperature of earth is maintained by a balance of various forms of solar and terrestrial radiation. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of. The encyclopedia of global warming and climate change helps readers learn about the astonishingly intricate processes that make ours the.
Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change 3 volume set book title. In addition to changes in air temperature, climate change involves changes to precipitation patterns, winds, ocean currents, and other measures of earths climate. Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change, second edition 9781412992619. Modern global warming is the result of an increase in magnitude of the socalled greenhouse effect, a warming of earths surface and lower atmosphere caused by the presence of water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, and other greenhouse gases. Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change book summary. Global warming means that antarctica and greenland ice sheets are melting and the oceans are expanding. Because global warming does not cause uniform warming in all locations and because many other changes in climate are occurring, scientists often prefer to speak of global climate change rather than of global warming. In reading this chapter, it needs to be borne in mind. The climate change may also initiate positive feedback in which the initial impact is further enhanced by its own effects, for example if melting ice reduces the reflective properties of white surfaces the albedo effect or if melting tundra releases frozen methane, leading to further warming.
See especially global warming information on the world wide web pdf. Implications for business the department of defense recognizes the reality of climate change and the significant risk it poses to u. Earths temperature and climate have fluctuated over the course of. Small islands are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Some argue that the recent global warming is due to natural fluctuations and not to human. Climate change is the longterm change in global weather patterns, associated especially with increases in temperature, precipitation, and storm activity benson, 2008. Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change edited by s. The first edition of the encyclopedia of global warming and climate change provided a multiauthored, academic yet nontechnical resource for students and teachers to understand the importance of global warming, to appreciate the effects of human activity and greenhouse gases around the world, and to learn the history of climate change. Climate change has also been connected with other damaging weather events such as more frequent and more intense hurricanes, floods, downpours, and winter storms.
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