Term paper on Global Warming

Global Warming Essays

While the free essays can give you inspiration for writing, they cannot be used 'as is' because they will not meet your assignment's requirements. If you are in a time crunch, then you need a custom written term paper on your subject (global warming)
Here you can hire an independent writer/researcher to custom write you an authentic essay to your specifications that will pass any plagiarism test (e.g. Turnitin). Waste no more time!

The Greenhouse Effect


The greenhouse effect is an increase in the atmospheric temperature caused

by increasing amounts of greenhouse gases. These gases act as a heat blanket

insulating the Earth's surface absorbing and trapping heat radiation which normally

escapes from the earth. They include carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane,

nitrous oxide, CFC's, and other halocarbons.


The earth's atmosphere goes through two processes constantly. Global cooling

is the first process. This process uses the clouds which cover 60% of the earth's

surface to reflect 30% of the solar radiation. It also uses a sulfate haze, which

is formed by sulfur dioxide from industrial sources that enter the atmosphere and

react with compounds to form a high-level aerosol. These cool the atmosphere by

blocking us from direct contact with the sun. The reflection of the sunlight is

referred to as planetary albedo and contributes to the overall cooling.


The second is the warming process. This is when light energy comes through

the atmosphere and is absorbed by Earth and transformed to heat energy at the

planet's surface. The infrared heat energy then radiates upward into space. There

the greenhouse gases found naturally in the troposphere absorb some of the infrared

radiation. The gases insulate the Earth, but do eventually allow the heat to

escape. Without these greenhouse gases the earth would be would 33 C colder.


Global temperature is a balance of the effects of the factors leading to

global cooling, and warming. Unfortunately, increased emissions of greenhouse

gases increase the warming process. For example, every kilogram of fossil fuels

burned equals 3 kilograms of carbon dioxide ( the mass triples because each carbon

atom in fuel bond to two oxygen atoms, in the course of burning, and forms C02. )

6 billion tons of fossil fuel carbon are burned each year adding 18 billion tons

of C02 to the atmosphere. This has increase the carbon dioxide concentrations

by 25% and has cause temperatures to increase more than 0.7 C over the last hundred

years.


We hope that the forests will act as a sink for carbon dioxide but instead

they are a net source. This is because the forests are being cut and burned adding

1 to 2 billion tons annually to the 6 billion tons of carbon already from industrial

processes. Fortunately, the top 300 meters of oceans absorb most of the carbon

dioxide emitted by burning fossil fuels.


Other factors are known to...

The rest of the paper is available free of charge to our registered users. The registration process just couldn't be easier. Log in or register now. It is all free!
You should cite this paper as follows:

MLA Style
. EssayMania.com. Retrieved on 11 Feb, 2012 from
    <http://essaymania.com/10717/global-warming>

More College Papers

global warming
Global Warming Global Warming, aside from pollution is one of scientists biggest concerns. Global Warming is caused by the Greenhouse effect. There are 4 steps in the Greenhouse effect. 1-Sunlight radiates from the sun, through space, to earthÂ’s atmosphere. 2- the sunlight enters the a

global warming
This environmental crisis we face is the product of a crisis of perception; we as a species can't see that our actions will have tremendous effects. Industrial societies typically have a history of shallow ecological, reactive policy-making as opposed to deep ecological, pro-active planning. W

global warming
Ocean Solutions Solutions to Save the Ocean Many years ago nobody would have thoought that the ocean would ever need saving. The covers over 90% of the earth's surface. People would wonder how something so collosal ever be effected by their actions. Unfortunately, the oceans do suffer from mank