Climate change
What kinds of data do scientists use to study climate?
Climate researchers use every possible direct and indirect measurement to study the full history of Earth's climate, from the latest satellite observations to samples of prehistoric ice extracted from glaciers. When they focus on changes of the past 100-150 years, they use observations made by modern scientific instruments.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect is a warming of Earth's surface and the air above it. It is caused by gases in the air that trap energy from the sun. These heat-trapping gases are called greenhouse gases. The most common greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane.
what is the greenhouse effect ?
The greenhouse effect is the way in which heat is trapped close to the surface of the Earth by "greenhouse gases
Once the mistakes are eliminated, are the data ready to use?
The landscape has changed dramatically in the last 100-150 years. Villages have become cities; roads have been paved; trees have been planted and cut down. The observers have changed. Weather watchers have retired and been replaced by people living uphill, downhill or across town.
is it too late to prevent climate change ?
we have set in motion more changes still. Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, global warming would continue to happen for at least several more decades
do scientists agree on climate change ?
97 percent - agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change.
what is the difference between Climate change and Global warming?
"Global warming" refers to the long-term warming of the planet. Climate change" encompasses global warming, but refers to the broader range of changes that are happening to our planet.
How do we know what greenhouse gas and temperature levels were in the distant past?
Ice cores are scientists' best source for historical climate data. Every winter, some snow coating Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets is left behind and compressed into a layer of ice. By extracting cylinders of ice from sheets thousands of meters thick, scientists can analyze dust, ash, pollen and bubbles of atmospheric gas trapped inside. The deepest discovered ice cores are an estimated 800,000 years old.
Does data processing make temperature data warmer?
It can go either way. Almost half of NOAA's corrected data are cooler than the original records. NOAA's corrections of temperatures over the oceans — done to compensate for changes in methods of observing the temperature of water at the surface of the ocean — reduced the warming trend in global temperature.
Is the sun causing Global Warming?
No. The sun can influence the Earth's climate, but it isn't responsible for the warming trend we've seen over the past few decades. The sun is a giver of life; it helps keep the planet warm enough for us to survive. We know subtle changes in the Earth's orbit around the sun are responsible for the comings and goings of the ice ages. But the warming we've seen over the last few decades is too rapid to be linked to changes in Earth's orbit, and too large to be caused by solar activity.
What do volcanoes have to do with climate change?
Overall, volcanoes release about 5 percent of the equivalent amount of CO2 released by humans. Quite small.that throws out a tremendous amount of particles and other gases. These will effectively shield us enough from the sun to lead to a period of global cooling. The particles and gases typically dissipate after about 2 years, but the effect is nearly global.
whats the difference between weather and climate?
Some people say "weather is what you get" and "climate is what you expect." "Weather" refers to the more local changes in the climate we see around us, on short timescales from minutes to hours to days to weeks.
whats NASA got to do with climate change ?
They don't necessarily link NASA with climate research and observations. But Earth is a planet too, and NASA is one of the biggest players in the Earth science arena, with broad expertise on observing our climate, especially from the vantage point of space.
What is Climate Change?
a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.
What is the Carbon cycle?
the series of processes by which carbon compounds are in the environment, chiefly involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels.