C L I M A T I C

PH E N O M E N A O N A
GLOBA L L E V E L
 GREEENHOUSE 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, HYDRO FLUOROCARBONS (HFCS), PER
FLUOROCARBONS (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 ITS 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 IS CAUSING EXTRA HEAT TO BE TRAPPED
AND GLOBAL TEMPERATURES TO RISE.
 GLOBAL WARMING
GLOBAL WARMING IS CAUSED BY SEVERAL FACTORS SUCH AS MAN-MADE,
ANTHROPOGENIC, OR NATURAL. ONE EXAMPLE OF NATURAL CAUSES IS THE RELEASED
OF METHANE GAS FROM ARCTIC 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.
CLIMATE CHANGE
CLIMATE CHANGE IS A LONG-TERM CHANGE IN THE AVERAGE WEATHER
PATTERNS. IT IS INCORPORATED 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
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 MONTHS OR TWO YEARS AT MOST.
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.
MOVING AIR BRINGS ALONG TOO MUCH WATER
VAPOR. AREAS THAT EXPERIENCED SEVERE
DROUGHT WHICH WAS CAUSED BY EL NIÑO MAY
ENCOUNTER ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL. BUT IN
SOME CASES, AREAS THAT EXPERIENCE DRY
SEASON WILL BE DRIER THAN NORMAL
CONDITIONS. LA NIÑA’S EFFECTS ARE THE
OPPOSITE OF EL NIÑO.
C O N S T E L L AT I O N S