Is Global Warming the Biggest Issue of Our time? By: Jennifer Segura,Cristal Zenon, and Omar Sanchez

How global warming works The sun sends solar radiation towards Earth, and as the planet starts warming, it sends radiation back to the atmosphere. The Sun and Earth have different radiations. Since the sun is hot, it emits ultraviolet radiation. Earth emits infrared radiation, which is not visible (the radiation that the sun emits is visible). About one-third of the radiation is emitted back into space while the other radiation goes to clouds and the ozone layer in the stratosphere. Infrared radiation does not pass through the atmosphere very easily because greenhouse gases trap the radiation. Greenhouse gasses emit infrared radiation into space and back to Earth causing Earth’s surface to become warmer.

Impact on the Arctic The Arctic is warming two times faster than the world average. Global warming is melting ice caps which are leading to a decrease in the polar bear population. Without the ice caps, it causes polar bears to drown when they are hunting for food and lose their habitats. Scientists are also predicting a 30% decrease in polar bear population in the next 25 to 40 years.

The global temperature for the Earth has increased throughout the years.

Wildlife According to the National Wildlife Federation, wildlife animals need healthy habitats, water, food, temperature, and places to raise their babies to survive. Global warming is impacting these survival requirements by causing floods which can kill plants and can cause soil erosion and making the water unsafe for animals. The temperature changing can kill fish that are not adapted to either cold or warm water. Global Warming can also cause droughts, which can dry up lands leaving animals, such as ducks, with no habitats to breed.

Impact on plants. According to plant physiology, there are plants that adapt well to either cold or warm temperatures so depending on the earth’s change in temperature there will be “winners and losers”, meaning that some plants will survive and others will not. Since Earth’s climate is changing, scientists are expecting a floral mass extinction in a few centuries.

Water Cycle The water cycle can also be affected by the rising global temperature. It can cause an increase on droughts and heavy rains. Global change has affected water vapor concentrations. precipitation, and even clouds.

Greenhouse Gasses The major Greenhouse Gases are the following: Water Vapor (H2O) Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Methane (CH4) Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Chlorofluorocarbons

Anthropogenic sources of Greenhouse Gases Anthropogenic means originating in human activity. Anthropogenic sources cause there to be more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere because they release either one of the major greenhouse gases. Here are the most significant anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases: Burning of fossil fuels Agricultural practices Deforestation Landfills Industrial production of new greenhouse chemicals

Natural sources of Greenhouse Gases There are also natural sources for greenhouse gases. Natural sources do create a big amount of greenhouses gases. But anthropogenic sources deal the most amount of contribution to greenhouses gases. These are the following natural sources for greenhouse gases: Volcanic eruptions Decomposition Digestion Denitrification Evaporation

Is it a big issue? Yes. Climate change is affecting all of us: Plants, animals, the whole ecosystem. Every organism relies on something else. If their habitat is lost, so is their own kind.