Global Warming

							Global Warming




   http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Global_Warming_Predictions_Map.jpg




                                                            Rachelle Gawlista
What is global warming?
     Global warming is a significant increase
     in the Earth's climatic temperature over a
      relatively short period of time as a result
             of the activities of humans.


                 Specifically, global warming is
                 the increase of one or more
                 degrees Celsius in a period of
                 one to two hundred years.
Temperature: What is Celsius?
O degrees Celsius = 32 degrees Fahrenheit
The human body is 98.6 ˚F or 37˚C
Freezing is 32˚F or 0˚C
To convert a Fahrenheit
temperature into a Celsius
temperature:
Tc = (5/9)*(Tf-32)

To convert a Celsius
temperature into a Fahrenheit
temperature:
Tf = ((9/5)*Tc)+32
What Causes Global Warming?
 • Global warming is caused by greenhouse
   gases in the atmosphere that absorb and emit
   thermal radiation.
 • Greenhouse gases aren’t necessarily bad
   though! Without them, Earth would be too
   cold for us to live on.
 • The most common Greenhouse gasses are:
   –   Carbon dioxide
   –   Methane
   –   Nitrous Oxide
   –   Ozone
   –   CFC’s
   Where does Carbon Dioxide come from?


• Carbon dioxide
  comes from:
  – Fossil Fuels
  -Deforestation
  -Failing Sinks
Fossil Fuels
               A fossil fuel is Any
               natural carbon-containing
               material which when
               burned with oxygen
               produces heat or energy.
               Fossil fuel emissions are
               humans most significant
               contribution to the buildup
               of CO2 in the
               environment.
Deforestation
 Deforestation increases the severity of global warming
 because all living plants store carbon and when those plants
 die and decay, CO2 is released back into the atmosphere. As
 forests and grasslands are cleared for use, enormous
 amounts of stored carbon enter the atmosphere.
  Failing Sinks
A carbon sink (such as the Artic
Tundra) is a natural system
that stores carbon over a period of   As the earth warms,
thousands of years.                   natural carbon sinks are
                                      at great risk of failing
                                      and If carbon sinks, such
                                      as the Arctic Tundra, fail
                                      or destabilize, carbon will
                                      be released into the
                                      atmosphere.
                                      Since tundra's contain
                                      1/3 of earth’s soil bound
                                      carbon, the failure of
                                      carbon sinks will cause
                                      significant amounts of
                                      carbon to be released into
                                      the atmosphere in the form
                                      of CO2.
Where does methane come from?

Methane comes from:
 -Herbivorous animals
 -Rice paddies
 -Clathrates


*Methane is 100 times more
powerful than carbon dioxide as a
greenhouse gas!
              What is Methane?
• Methane is a chemical
  compound that is created
  when bacteria breaks down
  organic matter under
  oxygen-starved conditions.
  This occurs when organic
  matter is trapped
  underwater, such as in rice
  paddies and in the
  intestines of herbivorous
  animals, such as cows,
  sheep, and goats.
Herbivorous Animals

                              • Bacteria in the gut of a
                                herbivorous animal
                                breaks down food and
                                converts some of it to
                                methane. When these
                                animals belch,
 Imagine the 1.3 billion        methane is released.
 cattle on this planet
                              • In one day, one cow
 burping several times a
                                alone can emit half a
 minute, releasing methane
                                pound of methane into
 into the environment.
                                the environment!
 That’s a lot of methane!!!
Rice Paddies
               A paddy field is a
               flooded parcel of arable
               land used for growing
               rice.
               Since paddy fields are
               flooded, they are
               significant
               contributors to the
               formation and release
               of methane in the
               environment.
Clathrates
   Clathrates are a hidden source of methane. They are
   frozen chunks of ice and methane that rest at the bottom
   of the world's oceans.


                                            As global warming
                                            causes the worlds
                                            oceans to get
                                            warmer, the ice at
                                            the bottom of the
                                            ocean melts and
                                            methane is
                                            released.
                                     Greenhouse
                                     gases can take
                                     several years
                                     to leave the
                                     atmosphere!


Greenhouse gasses absorb and emit infrared radiation and
therefore have the ability to trap heat within the Earth’s
surface-troposphere system. As greenhouse gases become
trapped in our atmosphere, so does the solar radiation from
the sun. The more greenhouse gases buildup in the
atmosphere, the more the warmth from the sun is trapped
and the warmer Earth becomes.
Why can global warming be bad?
• An increase in global
  temperatures can lead
  to:
  – A rise in sea levels
    which can lead to
    flooding, droughts, heat
    waves, hurricanes and
    tornados
  – Reduced flow of
    summer streams
  – Extinction of species
  – More disease
Global Warming Cartoons




              www.cartoonsbyray.com
Michael Guthrie
  Now you will each
   have a chance to
   make your own
   global warming
       cartoon!
1. The person at the end of each aisle will come to the front of
   the classroom and get enough worksheets so that each
   person in their row has their own worksheet. Please also
   get enough crayons, markers or colored pencils for
   everyone in your row.
2. You will draw a cartoon that depicts one of the causes for
   the buildup of greenhouse gasses that we discussed today.
3. Once your cartoon is finished, please answer the questions
   at the bottom of your worksheet.
         Causes for the buildup of
            greenhouse gases:
• CO2:
  – Burning of fossil fuels
  – Deforestation
  – Failing carbon sinks
• Methane:
  – From herbivorous
    animals
  – Rice paddies
  – Clathrates
                             Sites Used:
•   http://www.acoolerclimate.com/causes-of-global-warming.html
•   http://www.flickr.com/photos/mella_kasuitku/3293495743/
•   seljacionline-forum.com
•   perso.crans.org
•   www.flickr.com/photos/57402879@N00/164177653/
•   moretorah.com
•   www.maxgladwell.com/.../shark-global-warming.jpg