Climatic Phenomena Occurring on a Global Level

 Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is the natural warming process of the Earth that results when gases in
the atmosphere trap heat from the earth that would otherwise escape into space. Sunlight makes
the earth habitable. While 30 percent of the solar energy that reaches our world is reflected back
to space, approximately 70 percent passes through the atmosphere to the earth’s surface, where it
is absorbed by the land, oceans, and atmosphere, and heats the planet. This heat is then
radiated back up in the form of invisible infrared radiation. While some of this infrared
radiation continues on into space, the vast majority—indeed, some 90 percent—gets absorbed by
atmospheric gases, known as greenhouse gases, and redirected back toward the earth, causing
further warming.

The different greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride, and water vapor. These gases can be
naturally occurring, or man-made. The effect of each greenhouse gas on earth’s climate depends
on its chemical nature and it’s relative concentration in the atmosphere. Some gases have a
high capacity for absorbing infrared radiation and occur in significant quantities, whereas
others have considerably lower capacities for absorption and occur only in traces. Among
the different greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide absorbs the least amount of energy.

For most of the past 800,000 years, much longer than human civilization has existed, the
concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere was between about 200 and 280 parts per
million. But in the past century, that concentration has jumped to more than 400 parts per
million, driven up by human activities such as burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. The
higher concentrations of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide are causing extra heat to be
trapped and global temperatures to rise.

Figure1.TheGreenhouseEffect

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  Global Warming
Global warming is caused by several factors such as man-made, anthropogenic, or
natural. Example causes is methane , tundra and wetlands. Burning fossil fuels is one of the
man-made causes of global warming resulting to pollution. When fossil fuel is burned it
gives off carbon dioxide. Global warming can bring sea level to rise due to the melting of ice
caps and glaciers. Consequently, people may experience severe weather disturbances like
strong typhoons, heavier rainfalls, and climate change. Normally, sunlight enters the earth’s
atmosphere, absorbed and then reradiated by back into space. However, because of the
greenhouse effect where the earth’s atmosphere is accumulating additional greenhouse gases
and trapping the earth’s infrared radiation from leaving into space raises the earth’s
temperature and causes climate change.

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  Climate Change
Climate Change is a long-term change in the average weather patterns. It
is in corporate with the two phenomena, the global warming and large –scale
change in weather patterns. Changes in Earth’s climate since the start of the
twentieth century are mainly caused by human activities, such as burning of
fossil fuels for energy and transportation, agricultural and industrial activities,
deforestation and others. Deforestation is the primary cause of carbon dioxide
release because forest and trees store carbon dioxide and commonly known as
“carbon sinks”.The average temperature of the Earth is determined by
greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases in the lower atmosphere trap the heat, that
should be reflected back to the outer space, and contributed much to the increase
of the Earth’s average surface temperature. Natural processes also contribute to
global climate change such as volcanic activity, changes within the Sun’s energy
output, and variations in Earth’s orbit. Climate records give proof of global
climate change key indicators, like land and ocean temperature increase, rising
ocean levels, melting of ice at Earth’s poles and in mountain glaciers, severe and
frequent change in extreme weather phenomena like hurricanes, heat waves,
wildfires, droughts, floods and precipitation, and cloud and vegetation cover
changes.

El Niño

Some parts of the

world may experience
two cyclical events the El
Niño or the La Niña and
may lead to the extinction
of some fauna and flora.
El Niño is a lengthy
warming in the eastern
part of the Pacific Ocean.
This natural phenomenon
occurs at irregular
intervals of two to seven
years and lasts for nine Figure3.Drought
months or two years at
most.

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 .

Normally, as trade wind moves from east to west, it collects warm air. But
when trade winds is weakened, it causes the piling up of warm surface water and
making the part of the Pacific Ocean warmer leading to El Niño phenomenon.
This happens when the upwelling of colder water is blocked by the large
quantities of warm surface water. El Niño will most likely bring severe drought.
It is believed that it causes stronger thunderstorm disturbance and massive
storms. It also causes the decrease of the population of some species.

La Niña

La Niña is the opposite climatic disturbance to El Niño. This natural

phenomenon may but does not always follow El Niño events. It may last for nine
to twelve months but in some cases, it lasts for two years. This event is triggered
by the cooling of the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. Trade winds that move
from east to west are strengthened.

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 LET ME SPEAK!
Write a reflection on any the following images (you may also select only one image for
reflection). Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

Source:Dorothe,GarbageParadiseSunAircraftTrashMountain,https://pixabay.com/photos/garbage-paradise-sun-aircraft-4277613/.PixabayLicense

Source:GerdAltmann,ForestFireForestClimateChangeFireHeatFlame,https://pixabay.com/illustrations/forest-fire-forest-climate-change-3836834/.PixabayLicense

Source:Yuri,DroughtDesertElephantDryGlobalWarming,https://pixabay.com/illustrations/drought-desert-elephant-dry-1733889/.PixabayLicense.

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