Q&A: What is some evidence that global warming is real?
Question by flamintos: What is some evidence that global warming is real?
I have a project due for tuesday on global warming and I don’t even believe in it. All I can find for evidence on the internet is the “Green House Effect”. I’d really appreciate any answer you have to give me!
Best answer:
Answer by Nathan Birnbaum
Al Gore made a movie called An Inconvenient Truth. Perhaps you could rent/watch it, and it might have some ideas for you.
Give your answer to this question below!
This entry was posted by environmental4u on January 1, 2013 at 11:48 PM, and is filed under Green Technology. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0.You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.
-
#4 written by antarcticice 4 months ago
The evidence is quite solid
http://climate.nasa.gov/
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2010/13
http://nsidc.org/images/arcticseaicenews/20110504_Figure3.png
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/detect/ice-glacier.shtml
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11462-climate-change-a-guide-for-the-perplexed.htmlNote the lack of links provided by the negative answer’s so far, and when deniers do supply links it is to blogs and political lobby sites like Heartland Institute, simple because there is no scientific group (in the world) that do not support AGW. Denial groups really are out on their own on this one.
About the best they can offer is the blog of Anthony Watts who was a TV/radio weatherman and has no scientific credentials at all, he offers a new theory on an almost daily basis
Today’s seems to be we will be at solar max soon
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/05/08/solar-max-so-soon/
of course not that long ago he was talking about a Dalton minimum
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/12/20/a-dalton-minimum-repeat-is-shaping-up/
All this seems to work for deniers who don’t seem to possess medium term memory and happily embrace each new theory while conveniently forgetting the previous ones. -
#5 written by Jeff M 4 months ago
Global warming is occurring without a doubt. You can see the effects global warming has by such things as ecological responses to a warming climate ( http://web4.cns.utexas.edu/communications/File/AnnRev_CCimpacts2006.pdf ) glacial mass balance ( http://www.ibcperu.org/doc/isis/7076.pdf ) and poleward movement of disease vectors ( http://aquaticpath.phhp.ufl.edu/waterbiology/handouts/McMichael_2006.pdf )
Global warming via an increased greenhouse effect is also not a myth giving that measurements show that there is more longwave radiation, mainly at CO2 absorption wavelengths, within the biosphere ( http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/JCLI4204.1 | http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2009/2009JD011800.shtml ) and upper atmospheric cooling combined with lower atmospheric warming ( http://www.ann-geophys.net/16/1501/1998/angeo-16-1501-1998.pdf ) as well as the rate at which both nights and days are warming ( http://www.knmi.nl/publications/fulltexts/2005jd0062903.pdf )
And we know that the increase in CO2 would not occur without anthropogenic emissions present due to the fact that atmospheric increase, at roughly 15gt per annum, is less than estimated anthropogenic emissions, at roughly 30gt per annum, as well as the 13C to 12C atmospheric ratio ( http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/publications/sioref4_2001.pdf ), O2 atmospheric decrease ( https://bluemoon.ucsd.edu/publications/manning/ManningandKeeling2006.pdf ) on top of that we have ocean decrease in pH during a warming period ( http://www.bu-eh.org/uploads/Main/doney_ann_rev_proof.pdf )
-
#6 written by Trevor 4 months ago
I guess there’s two ways of answering the question – we can observe what’s happening around the world or we can look at the science behind global warming.
We know from actual observations taken right around the world that the atmosphere is warming up. Historically we used thermometers sited in weather stations, observatories, airports, universities etc but with the advent of satellite technology we’ve been measuring the temperature of Earth from space for the last 30+ years. Here’s a graph of global temperatures over the last 160 years http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevorandclaire/4981026117/sizes/l/in/photostream/ , to put that into context here’s the graph for the last 2,000 years http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/File:2000_Year_Temperature_Comparison_png
2010 was the hottest year ever recorded and in the last decade we find nine of the ten hottest years on record http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/
We also know that sea levels have been rising faster than at any time since the end of the last ice-age. At the moment they’re rising by 3.2mm a year. Here’s a graph of recent rises http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/File:Recent_Sea_Level_Rise_png and again, a graph to put it into context http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/File:Holocene_Sea_Level_png .
There has been a very significant increase in the number of adverse weather events – from heatwaves, to droughts, to floods etc. Here for example is a graph produced by the United Nations that shows how the number of floods has significantly increased in recent decades http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/number-of-flood-events-by-continent-and-decade-since-1950
There is much other evidence of a warming climate from the longer growing seasons, the melting of glacial ice, the expansion of biomes etc.
All these factors, and more, provide us with the evidence that the climate is warming up but what they don’t do is to tell us how or why it’s warming.
To answer these questions we need to turn to science and specifically to quantum mechanics. It’s here, at the molecular level, that we find the reasons as to why warming is occurring.
In a nutshell, the greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, vibrate at the same frequency as the wavelength of thermal radiation (infrared). It’s this type of heat energy that becomes trapped in the atmosphere and causes the greenhouse effect. The more of these gases there are the more heat is going to be retained.
We can also trace where these gases come from. For example, carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas that humans emit, this gas has different isotopes (forms). Naturally occurring carbon dioxide has a different ration of isotopes to human produced CO2 and we can measure the proportions of these different isotopes within the atmosphere. This tells us that the CO2 that is now accumulating in the atmosphere has been emitted from human sources.
There’s more about the science side of global warming on this website http://brneurosci.org/co2.html.
It’s worth noting that human induced global warming is one part of a larger picture. We also need to remember that there is a lot of natural warming. And in fact, in terms of the effect on temperatures, the natural warming heat our planet up by 33°C and the human component adds a further 1°C on top of this.
Whilst the human part is small, it is enough to cause quite widespread disruption within the climatic systems.
Natural climate change is something that happens over thousands and millions of years, it allows time for many species to adapt. Indeed, our modern civilisation was largely developed during periods of relatively stable climates. We’ve built cities ad infrastructure in places which were originally safe but are now threatened by rising sea levels. Island nations are having to be evacuated as they become inundated by rising seas.
Agriculture and settlements were located due to their proximity to reliable water supplies, these supplies are being disrupted and already millions of people have been forced to relocate.
It’s only in recent decades that warming has taken off, if it continues into the future – as all indications suggest it will – then the effects on our lifestyles will be quite dramatic and it will become necessary to evacuate many millions of people from coastal areas and to provide aid to up to two billion people in Asia and Africa who will face droughts and famines on an unprecedented scale.
-
#7 written by GABY 4 months ago
Global warming is real. I find it hard to believe there is anyone left that does not believe the earth is in a warming trend. It has been for over 16,000 years. There is no question about this. Don’t need any models or theories. The actual data is there to look at by anyone that cares to.
The question is can we do anything about it, and just how much man-made activity really has on it. Does man-made activity make it a lot worse, or is man-made activity not very significant and Nature is the primary cause.
-
#9 written by liberal_60 4 months ago
Happy to oblige. Here is evidence that global warming is real.
Starting with summaries from NOAA and NASA
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/indicators/
http://climate.nasa.gov/Then moving on to other specifics.
Reduced Arctic Sea Ice extent:
http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/images/daily_images/N_stddev_timeseries.pngReduced Arctic Sea Ice Volume:
http://psc.apl.washington.edu/ArcticSeaiceVolume/images/BPIOMASIceVolumeAnomalyCurrent.pngReduced ice mass in the Antarctic:
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v2/n12/full/ngeo694.htmlGlobal reductions in Glaciers:
http://www.grid.unep.ch/glaciers/
Local reductions in Glaciers
http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/repeatphoto/download_info.htm
Reduced Greenland Glacier Mass:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=gravity-measurements-confDon’t be misled by people who claim that the current global warming is a natural cycle. They can’t identify a natural cycle that is rapid enough to account for the current warming trend.
Don’t be misled by people who claim the sun is getting warmer. There is no data to support that claim.
Don’t be misled by people who claim that humans can’t be the cause because it has been warm before. Being warm before doesn’t prove that humans aren’t causing the current changes.
Don’t be misled by people who claim that the world can’t be warming because it is cold this winter where they are. That argument proves nothing about global averages.
Don’t be misled by people who claim that global warming is all just based on models. Look at the data and you will see that they are wrong.
Don’t be misled by people who cite nothing for a source, or nothing but political blogs and tabloid newspapers.
Instead you may wish to consider the opinion of the Royal Society (British)
http://royalsociety.org/climate-change-summary-of-science/And the opinion of the editors of Science Magazine
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/326/5960/1646.full
-
#10 written by Dave Mar 4 months ago
You’re right not to believe the global warming hoax. It attracts goosestepping fascists and knuckle-dragging cultists with room temperature IQs.
The Al Gore hoax is done. All that’s left is to throw the con-men “scientists” and bureaucrats in prison for stealing taxpayer money. And that’s where they will end up.
All the knucklehead warmists here will end up looking like the fools they are. But be assured they’ll find some other insane Pied Piper to follow. It’s what happens when you stick an electric egg beater in your ear every morning and scramble your brains.
-
- Comment Feed for this Post
- Why does the Republican Party continue to ignore global warming and other environmental problems?
- Q&A: What are some interesting facts about anodized aluminum?
- What are some cons of physical education as an academic subject?
- World Connect Expands School Programming to Promote Global Citizenship
- Advanced Global Trading AGT Praises Lotus F1 Team’s Start to the Season
- Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Passkey Expand Global Partnership
- Q&A: There is controversy still, do we humans cause global warming or is it a natural process?
- Q&A: Discuss how has global energy consumption changed over the past decade and its relationship to one other envir?
- Lucintel Study Indicates Global SUV Manufacturing Industry to Witness Good Growth to Reach $414 Billion in 2017
- What are some major political, economic, and social issues in Europe today?


I don’t believe it either. I believe Earth has cycles. But The polar ice caps are melting is another one.