What Causes Global Warming - YouTube - Top 3 Causes of Global Warming

Posted by Rolf Joho on August 23rd, 2010 filed in What Causes Global Warming

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10 major causes of global warming with explanation?

The Sun – As solar irradiance increases the amount of energy striking the Earth increases as well as does the amount of energy able to be trapped via the greenhouse effect

Milankovitch Cycles – The orbit and axial tilt of the Earth is in a constant, slow change. Approximately every 100,000 years or so this change allows the planet to become colder and an ice age begins due to the distance and axial tilt of the planet.

Atmospheric greenhouse gases – These gases trap radiation at specific wavelengths. When this occurs the energy is absorbed, the molecule speeds up and transfers the gained energy to other molecules, then releases the energy to be absorbed by another molecule.

Loss of albedo – In order for the greenhouse effect to occur the radiation must be in the infrared wavelength. The emittance of energy from the Sun is mostly in the ultraviolet wavelength due to the temperature of the Sun. This energy then strikes the Earth and re-released as heat in the infrared wavelength due to the temperature of the surface. However certain types of surfaces, such as snow, have a higher albedo and instead of absorbing that radiation instead bounce that ultraviolet radiation back into space so it can't be absorbed by greenhouse gases. A loss of these surfaces, due to such things as the ice caps melting, will cause an increase in the planets overall absorption due to an increase in the amount of energy that can be absorbed by greenhouse gases.

Lapse rate – The lapse rate is the speed at which an air parcel cools as it ascends. the more moisture in an air parcel the slower it will cool and the longer it will retain heat.

Deforestation – Deforestation decreases one of the carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, sinks. Trees sequester CO2, a greenhouse gas, from the air and, with a series of chemical reactions, emit oxygen, which is not a greenhouse gas.

Fossil fuel burning – Fossil fuels are collectively known as hydrocarbons because they consist of both hydrogen and carbon atoms. When a fossil fuel is burned the reactions splits the hydrogen from the carbon and releases it into the air where they both combine with oxygen forming carbon dioxide, CO2, and water vapour, H2O, both greenhouse gases. This increases the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and allows for more radiative trapping as mentioned above.

Animal Farming – Due to the types of feed we feed specific animal types, known as ruminants, these animals emit methane, another greenhouse gas, through beltching and, to a lesser extent, flatulence. Many factors influence methane emissions from cattle and include the following: level of feed intake, type of carbohydrate in the diet, feed processing, addition of lipids or ionophores to the diet, and alterations in the ruminal microflora. Manipulation of these factors can reduce methane emissions from cattle.

[ http://jas.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract… ]

Anyways there's some, I'm sure you can think of others.

Tags: causes global warming, causes of global warming, What Causes Global Warming