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Antarctic mud reveals ancient evidence of
global climate change
Mark Shwartz, Stanford Report (SR),
Stanford University
(General Audience)
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Global warming 55 million years ago caused migration to North America
Byron Spice, Health & Science, PG News,
post-gazette.com, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(General Audience)
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New evidence of global warming in Earth’s past
supports current models of how climate
responds to
greenhouse gases
Tim Stephens, Currents Online,
University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC)
(General Audience)
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A Paleo Perspective ... on Global Warming
National Climatic Data Center (NCDC),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)
(General to Advanced Audience plus Data Sets)
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Rapid Climate Change and Human Intervention
Fred Singer, Capitalism Magazine
(General Audience)
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Scientists Confirm Historic Massive Flood in
Climate Change
Looking at Earth, Life on Earth,
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
(General Audience)
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Global warming, a potential consequence of the greenhouse
effect, is one of the “hottest”, most controversial
topics in both science and world politics today. Due to the political
agendas of entities ranging from Greenpeace to the auto, energy and mining
industries, the waters regarding the subject have been muddied considerably.
Some people, including a number of prominent scientists and researchers,
deny the possibility of global warming altogether. The evidence, while
previously in conflict, now speaks clearly; global warming is a
reality. In my eyes, therefore, the issues requiring attention
are:
- Worldwide recognition of the problem by scientific, political and
civilian communities at large;
- Identification of causes;
- Accurate prediction of types of changes and speeds at which they
may occur;
- Determination as to what, if anything, can be done to reverse or
mitigate the process;
- Prediction and resolution of environmental, social, economic and
political impacts of resultant changes.
The greenhouse effect exists because certain gases, known collectively as
greenhouse gases, have accumulated in our atmosphere.
These gases, by virtue of their molecular structure, enable most solar
radiation (short wave infrared) to penetrate the atmosphere, but absorb
thermal energy radiated from the Earth’s surface (long wave infrared).
These gases prevent some surface heat from radiating into space, trapping
it within the atmosphere much as the glass in a greenhouse traps heat to
keep plants warm (albeit by a completely different process).
The greenhouse effect is essential for our survival; without it,
Earth would be a much colder place, incapable of sustaining life as we know
it. However, if the quantity of heat retained increases over time due
to an overabundance of greenhouse gases, the atmosphere and even the oceans
may begin to warm on a global scale. Heating of the air and oceans
would cause glaciers and polar ice to melt, raising sea levels worldwide.
In fact, we are witnessing the occurrence of such events now.
It appears that the debate over whether global warming is actually taking place
has been resolved, though there are still doubters. Global warming
is real, not imagined, and it is affecting our lives today.
Debate continues to rage over the causes of global warming,
since numerous greenhouse gases are produced by combustion and the burning
of fossil fuels. Is global warming a natural or man-made
phenomenon? When entertaining this debate, it is important to remember
that greenhouse gases are also produced by many natural processes that have
taken place throughout Earth’s geologic history.
Possible outcomes of global warming include food shortages, loss of natural
habitat, changes in ocean currents, and submergence of coastal and island
land mass; if abrupt, these changes could result in starvation, mass
migrations (of both animals and people), extinctions, world economic
catastrophe and, of course, wars fought over dwindling resources and
territory.
Emphasis must be given to resolving the debate over whether global warming
is a natural or man-made phenomenon; it is only through
resolution of this question that we can move forward. If global warming
is a natural process, it may very well be too large for mankind to
influence; we must then focus our efforts on how to adapt to its
consequences. If, on the other hand, global warming proves to be man-made,
we must determine what the effects of global warming are likely to be,
what can be done to moderate these effects, and whether the process has
already progressed too far to be influenced in a significant manner.
Finally, is global warming the end game? Will Earth simply
continue to warm; will our atmosphere reach a new, warmer equilibrium
state; or will global warming ultimately unleash physical changes that
result in dramatic atmospheric cooling effects, possibly plunging our
planet into a new Ice Age?
Authored by Kenneth L. Anderson.
Original article published 14 April 2003, updated 5 April
2005.
Follow links to the right to learn more about the history of global warming. Global warming
in the past has left distinct markers that give us clues about what we
can expect if present global warming trends continue into our future.
The featured websites and articles provide insights into past periods in
Earth’s history during which global warming has occurred.
At the left margin, Related Links address topics of interest
pertaining to global warming, greenhouse effect, climate change and other climatology and weather subjects. View the
Climate Change SiteMap
for a complete list of global warming and climate change topics.
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