Report on an ecological issue - Human impacted on the atmosphere.

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REPORT ON AN ECOLOGICAL ISSUE

Human impacted on the atmosphere.

The Earth's surface temperature has risen by about 1 degree in the past century, still global warming is still happening today, in our society. Evidence shows that most of the warming over the last 50 years is because of human activities. Human activities have changed the atmosphere through the buildup of greenhouse gases – mainly on carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The greenhouse works by trapping heat from the sun and keeps the temperature inside the atmosphere which can cause changes in temperatures. The glass panels of the greenhouse let in light but don’t let the heat from escaping. This causes the greenhouse to heat up.

Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere behave like the glass window. This occurred as sunlight enters the Earth's atmosphere, passing through the greenhouse gases. As it reaches the Earth's surface, land, water, and biosphere absorb the sunlight’s energy. Once the energy is absorbed, some of the energy is reflected back into the atmosphere. Some of the energy passes back into space; most of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases, which caused our world to start heating up.

Atmospheric greenhouse gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases) trap some of the outgoing energy, holding back heat like the glass panels of a greenhouse.
Without natural "greenhouse effect," temperatures would be much lower than they are now, and life as known today would change. However, problems may arise when the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases increases.

At the beginning of the industrial revolution (large amount of coal was use from production), atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have increased nearly 30%, methane concentrations have more than doubled, and nitrous oxide concentrations have risen by about 15%. These increases have changed the earth’s heat-trapping capability of the earth's atmosphere. Aerosols and other bad chemical sprays is a common air pollutant.

Scientists generally believe that the combustion of fossil fuels and other human activities are mainly the reason for the increased concentration of carbon dioxide. Plant respiration and the decomposition of organic matter release more than 10 times than CO2 released by human activities. These releases have generally been a balance during the centuries leading up to the industrial revolution with carbon dioxide.

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Fossil fuels burned to run cars and trucks, heat homes and businesses, and power factories are responsible for about 98% of Australia carbon dioxide emissions, 24% of methane emissions, and 18% of nitrous oxide emissions. Increased agriculture, deforestation, industrial production, and mining also contribute to the share of emissions.

Global surface temperatures have increased 0.5-1.0°F since the late 19th century. The 20th century's is the warmest years. In 1998 it was the warmest year on record. The snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and floating ice in the Arctic Ocean have decreased. Sea level has risen 4-8 inches over ...

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