The changes that have happened on earth in the last few hundred years clearly show the effect of either nature or human activity on the planet. However, the question remains whether or not these changes are natural occurrences or if they are something to worry about as having been triggered by human activities. This explains the differences in opinion where some people believe that global warming is hyped and exaggerated whereas others know and have proof that what is actually happening is true and factual. There is only one way to prove the existence of global warming and that is by providing facts. Just in the last 650,000 years, the earth’s climate has changed significantly with seven cycles of glacial retreat and advance being experienced. This is according to the findings of NASA. The last ice-age movement occurred 7000 years ago marking the age of the modern climate that is being expedited today thus supporting human civilization. A good number of climate variations are attributed to minute orbital variations of the earth. The changes affect the amount of energy the earth receives from the sun.
Most of the climatic changes happening today are significant because they are majorly caused by human influence. The trend is even more challenging because of the rate at which it is proceeding, which was unexpected in the last 1300 years that is according to Peterson (Peterson 2008, p. 17). Scientists have been able to make deductions because of advancements in technologies where earth-orbiting satellites provide the opportunity to check everything that goes on around the world. These technologies allow for collection of relevant information around the globe with special focus on the planet’s climate. The collection of data revealed all the signals of climate change that have occurred over the years.
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The ability of carbon dioxide to trap heat as well as other gases’ properties was seen in the 19th century as shown in a study by Santer (Santer 1996, p. 39). NASA is able to fly most of its instruments through the atmosphere due to the ability of transferring infrared energy through the atmosphere. Consequently, the emission of greenhouse gases and their increase causes the earth to respond by warming up. Proof is drawn from the fact that ice-cores collected from Antarctica, Greenland and tropical mountains reveal that climate responds to the changes in gas levels of greenhouses. Also revealed is the rate at which the changes have occurred in the past which is very quickly considering geological aspects. These changes have occurred in tens of years as opposed to millions or thousands of years, which is very fast as proven by Allison (Allison 2009, p. 11).
Evidence of Global warming
There are several proofs that global warming is a reality that exists to date. Some of the common proofs of global warming include; rising of the sea level, global temperature increase, shrinking ice sheets, warming oceans, glacial retreat, arctic sea decline, ocean acidification, extreme weather conditions and decreased snow cover; these scientific evidences proof that global warming is real and not just a myth that people have.
Rising sea levels
There has been an overall rise in global sea levels. An increase of about 6.7 inches of sea level has occurred in the past century. This accounts for about 17 cm increase of water in sea levels across the globe. However, according to White and Church, experts in this field, most of the increase has happened in the last decade with rates being estimated to be more than double that of the past century(Church & White 2006, p. 5). These figures are provided through the monthly updates from satellite measurements.
Global temperature rises
Temperature reconstruction around the globe indicates that the world has become warmer since 1880. These have been revealed by all the three major global temperature reconstructions conducted by the NRC (NRC 2006, p. 01). The warming occurred mostly in 1980s, although the increased warming began in 1970s with the warmest period being in the past twelve years. Despite the decline of solar output in the 2000s, there is a steady increase in global temperatures even today. The solar decline only occurred from 2007 to 2009 as revealed by Levitus (Levitus 2009, p.36). NASA also measures the monthly changes in global temperatures. This gives an overview of greenhouse effect to global warming. The effect of increased temperatures is that oceans have warmed up over the years over the years. The top 700 meters of the ocean showed a warming of the ocean with an increase of 0.302degrees from 1969.
Ice sheets shrink
Another evidence of global warming is revealed in the shrinking of ice masses around the world. Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have reduced in mass. According to NASA’s data on experiment, Greenland was found to lose between 150 to 250 cubic kilometers of ice every year in a period from 2002 and 2006. Antarctic lost 152cubic kilometers between 2002 and 2005.there are evidences of ice melting. As a result, the artic sea declined. The extent and thickness of this sea has declined rapidly in the last few decades. Visual images captured by satellites show the declining trend of the arctic sea all because of global warming happening today.
Glacial retreat and extreme conditions
The glacial retreat is one of the most common evidences of global warming. Glaciers are retreating everywhere around the globe. This is experienced in Africa, Rockies, Andes and even the Himalayas. There are evidences of disappearing snowcaps on mountains all over the world, which is proof enough that global warming is real, and the effects it brings cannot be ignored. There are also extreme weather conditions happening because of global warming. Different countries in the world have seen the effects of high temperature rises such as intense rainfall events and sometimes tsunamis.
Ocean acidification and decreased Snow cover
Global warming also brings about acidification of the oceans. The acidity of ocean has increased since the industrialization revolution era. The current 30% increase of ocean and sea acidity has been brought about by an increased emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is then absorbed by the oceans. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean’s upper layer increases by about 2 billion tons with each passing year. On the other hand, snow cover in the northern hemisphere has been seen to decrease according to evidence gathered through satellite pictures. This snow continues to melt with each passing decade, which explains the rapid decline in the past five decades.
Despite these truths about global warming, there are a few myths that bring in some sort of confusion. The best way to cope with climate change is to prepare for it. The only sensible thing about global warming is to prepare for it. While climate change is inevitable and happens, it is not always as most people report it. There are no specific time schedules changes to occur. Most of these changes are estimates and happen depending on the circumstances. It is difficult to point out a specific amount of change caused by global warming. Doing so only confuses opponents hence most people tend to disagree with claims. Global warming is happening and acceleration occurs due to certain human activities. However, the truth remains that global warming is a current reality. Whether or not we agree with this notion, is a non-factor. There are evidences to prove the changes happening today and triggers that could be accelerating the effects. Global warming is a reality that needs to be dealt with for human survival to be guaranteed. Clearing the myths is important in order to bring everything into perspective.
References
Allison et.al.,2009, The Copenhagen Diagnosis: Updating the World on the Latest Climate Science, UNSW Climate Change Research Center, Sydney, Australia, 2009, p.11 from http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/news/20100121/
B.D. Santer et.al.,,1996, “A search for human influences on the thermal structure of the atmosphere,” Nature vol 382, 4 July 1996, 39-46
Church, J. A. and N.J. White (2006), A 20th century acceleration in global sea level rise, Geophysical Research Letters, 33, L01602, doi:10.1029/2005GL024826.
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, Summary for Policymakers, p. 5.
Levitus, et al, 2009, "Global ocean heat content 1955–2008 in light of recently revealed instrumentation problems," Geophys. Res. Lett. 36, L07608
National Research Council (NRC), 2006. Surface Temperature Reconstructions For the Last 2,000 Years. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
T.C. Peterson et.al.,2008, "State of the Climate in 2008," Special Supplement to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, v. 90, no. 8, August 2009, pp. S17-S18
