ARTICLE-GLOBAL WARMING AND ITS EFFECTS

 

ARTICLE

GLOBAL WARMING AND ITS EFFECTS

ABSTRACT

Global warming is a serious issue that our earth is facing for a long time ago. But the conditions and the effects of global warming get worsened day by day by human activities. global warming adversely affects all the living things on earth through increased atmospheric temperature, heavy rainfall, flood, storm, drought, etc. that can eventually lead to the extinction of life from the earth. The control of global warming is in the hands of humans. If humans arrange their activities in a way that reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, we can reduce global warming together

 

 

INTRODUCTION

The term global warming is used to represent the condition of increasing average temperature in the earth's atmosphere. Studies reveal that one of the major reasons for global warming is the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. The accumulating greenhouse gases like water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone in the upper layer of the atmosphere tend to trap the heat radiation from the sun on the earth's surface itself. The heat-trapping greenhouse gases produce a burning and churning effect that results in our atmosphere getting hotter, more turbulent, and more unpredictable. It is mainly human activities like the burning of coal, fossil fuels, deforestation, oil drilling, etc are responsible for the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

 

CONTENT

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that occurs when the gases on the atmosphere of the earth trap the heat radiations from the sun and makes the earth warmer. The greenhouse effect is one of the phenomena that make the earth a suitable planet to live on. The gases responsible for the greenhouse effect include carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, ozone, etc, and these gases are named greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are already present in the earth’s atmosphere from different natural sources, but various human activities resulted in the release of a tremendous amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas by humans in their transportation, factories, industries, and as a source of energy, results in the release of carbon dioxide gas and other greenhouse gases. On earth plants and trees plays a major role in balancing the amount of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere. But human activities like deforestation and cutting of trees result in the building up of carbon dioxide gas concentration in the atmosphere. The increased amount of greenhouse gases on the earth's atmosphere traps more heat radiations that eventually lead to an increased average atmospheric temperature and that is called global warming. Global warming is a dangerous condition for the earth and its adverse effects include:

Increase in average temperature and temperature extremes

One of the obvious and immediate effects of global warming is the increase in atmospheric temperature around the world. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2020 Annual Climate Report, the combined land and ocean temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.13 degrees Fahrenheit (0.08 degrees Celsius) per decade since 1880, however, the average rate of increase since 1981(0.18oC/0.32F) has been more than twice that rate. The year 2020 tied with 2016 for the warmest year on record since the record-keeping began in 1880.

Extreme weather events

Extreme weather events are another adverse effect of global warming. Global warming contributes to the intensity of heatwaves thereby the chances of hot days and nights increases. Increased atmospheric temperature rise the rate of evaporation that worsens the conditions of drought. Drought produces more dry fields and forests that are prone to catching fire.

The increased amount of water vapor in the atmosphere results in heavy rain and snowstorms. The hot and moist atmosphere over the ocean increases the chances and intensity of hurricanes, produces heavy rains that eventually lead to coastal storms and destructive floods.

Melting of glaciers

About 10 percent of the land on earth is covered with glacial ice. Almost 90 %is in Antarctica and the remaining 10% in the Greenland icecaps. Increased atmospheric temperature as a result of global warming led to the melting of glacial ice. As the thickness of the ice sheets and the area covered with ice sheets decrease the land and ocean absorb more solar radiation from the sun instead of reflecting that. This boosts up the rate of melting of glaciers and that leads to a rise in sea level. Coastal low lands are vulnerable to sea-level rise. Increased sea levels would submerge a substantial number of islands and lowland regions. According to NASA, the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate of 9 % per decade. The thickness of the Arctic ice has decreased by 40% since the 1960s.

Effect on plants and animals

Plants and animals live in specific habitats with suitable temperatures, rainfall patterns, and food availability to thrive. Any change in the climate entirely affects their habitat. The climatic change and increased atmospheric temperature due to global warming unbalance the ecosystems, which threaten the existence of different species on earth and force the animals to migrate to other places where they can survive.

The aquatic plants and animals are also adversely affected by the increased temperature of water bodies. Warmer ocean water already bleaches the coral reefs, the habitat for lots of fish and other ocean creatures.

Illness

Exposure to extreme heat can lead to heat stroke and dehydration as well as cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular diseases. Extreme weather conditions like heavy rainfall, drought, flooding, storms that happen as a result of global warming threaten the health and life of people.

CONCLUSION

Global warming is a danger that our earth has been facing for a long time. Day by day the sources of greenhouse gases are increasing that worsens the condition of global warming. The major source of emission of greenhouse gases is human activities like burning of coal and fossil fuels, mining, etc.  Now the condition of the earth is at an alarming rate. If humans continue their life like this, the entire species including humans will get wiped out from the earth soon. So, start changes in the life of each human by reducing the emission of the greenhouse gases into the atmosphere through their activities, and plant more trees in their surroundings. if humans are ready to change, we can control global warming.

 

REFERENCE

“Global warming” retrieved from “https:// www.worldwildlife.org:

“Climate change” retrieved from “https:// www.climate.gov”

“The world counts” retrieved from “https:// www.theworldcounts.com”