Perhaps the question that first comes in your mind is: How? How might global warming could threaten life on planet earth?
Global warming Facts 1: Melting ice in the polar north & south
Global warming has a direct impact on the continued melting of ice in the Polar Regions north and south poles. Ice in Greenland has melted nearly 19 million tons! And the volume of ice in the Arctic in the summer of 2007 only a half of from 4 years earlier!
The melting ice is currently running much faster than forecast models ever invented by scientists. Some early predictions have been made previously estimated that the polar ice caps will disappear in the years 2040 to 2100. But the annual ice data were recorded until the year 2007 to make them think again about the predictive models that have been made previously.
By using the latest ice data and models is more accurate prediction, Dr. H. J. Zwally, a NASA climate expert to make a new prediction astonishing:
Almost all of North Polar Ice caps will disappear in late summer 2012!
Recently, a natural phenomenon again indicates how serious this condition. On March 6, 2008, a chunk of ice covering 414 square kilometers (almost 1.5 times the size of the city of Liverpool) in Antarctica collapsed.
According to the researchers; slab-shaped ice a very large permanent floating around 1609 kilometers south of South America, south-west Antarctic Peninsula. Actually, ice is believed to be there since 1500 years ago. "This is a result of global warming," said lead researcher Ted Scambos (NSIDC). According to him, the slab of ice called Wilkins Ice Shelf is very rare to collapse.
Now, after the separation, the remaining ices only 1950 square kilometers, 5.6 kilometers plus the adjacent slab of ice and connect the two islands. "A little more, the last ice will be drowned, and a half from the total area of ice would disappear in the next few years, "said Scambos.
"Some recent events are the trigger point of the system change," said Sarah Das, a researcher from the Marine Woods Hole Institute. Changes in Antarctica are more complicated and more isolated from the whole part of the world.
Antarctica at the South Pole is a continent with the territory mountains and lakes covered by ice which surrounded by sea. This continent much colder than the Arctic, very rare the ice melts there, even there is no coating has been melts in the history. The average temperature is minus 49 degrees Celsius, but never reached almost minus 90 degrees Celsius in July 1983. No wonder if the phenomenon of melting ice in the continent which contains nearly 90 percent of the ice in the world have a serious attention from researchers.
Global warming Facts 2: The increase of the sea surface level
Melting of ice in the polar north and south poles have a direct impact on rising sea levels (graph at right shows the measurement results in sea level over the last few years). Experts estimate if the entire Greenland melts, sea level will rise up to 7 meters, enough to sink the entire beach, harbor, and the lowlands around the world.
Global warming Facts 3: Climate Change / weather getting extreme
NASA states that the global warming impact on the more extreme changes in weather or climate change of the earth. Rainfall patterns change can be predicted without causing flooding in one place, but the drought in other places. Typhoons and tropical storms will emerge with a tendency more and stronger.
Without strengthened by NASA statement on the above you can even see the effect on the environment around us. Do you realize how hot the temperature around you lately?. You can also see how it cannot be predicted arrival of the rainy season or drought season which resulted in losses for farmers due to the planting season which should be done in the dry season but raining. You can also look at cases of extreme storms. In recent years, we more often affected by storms that disrupt transportation via sea or air.
Typhoons in Japan and the United States continue to break new records from year to year. You can look at this information through the mass media and the internet.
Global warming Facts 4: Heat Waves become more extreme
Global warming affect heat waves become more frequent and more intense. Year 2007 is the year as the new record-breaking for the temperature reached by the usual heat wave struck in the United States.
St. George, Utah held the highest record with the highest temperature reached 48 degree Celsius, Las-Vegas, Nevada that reaches 47 degree Celsius and several other cities in the United States with the average temperature above 40 degree Celsius, Death Valley in California even reach the record with temperature of 53 degree Celsius.
The attack of heat wave even forced the government in several states to declare emergency status mode 1. This attack causes some of victims died (due to heat wave), turn out hundreds of freshwater fish, damaging crops, triggering a great forest fire, and killed cattle.
In 2003, the South European region also ever had a great heat wave attacks which causes no less than 35,000 people died with the victims of most of France (14,802 inhabitants). France is country with the biggest victims died due to the unprepared residents and local governments from the phenomenon of heat wave attacks. Other casualties spread from England, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the other European countries. This heat wave also caused severe drought and crop failures prevalent in European regions.
Global warming Facts 5: End of Glacier- source of Clean Water for the World
The melting of glaciers threaten world water supply, and in the long term will contribute increasing sea water level of the world, and unfortunately that is what happened recently.
NASA notes that since 1960 to 2005, the number of glaciers in various parts of the world who lost no less than 8,000 cubic meters! NASA scientists have now realized that the melting of glaciers, melting ice at both poles of the earth, the earth temperature increases globally, and the increase of sea water level are evidence that the planet Earth continuously getting heat, and ensure that humans who are responsible for all of this. These are some facts about global warming, do you still in doubt that global warming is really happening?
My name is Rangga Cipta Diputra from Indonesia, the country with the nickname: emerald equator. There are so many articles provide information about global warming facts, but I hope my article's useful for everyone. Article Source: |  |
