Portal:Global warming

Topics

Culture

Geography

Health

History

Mathematics

Nature

People

Philosophy

Religion

Society

Technology

Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation. Global surface temperature increased 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the 100 years ending in 2005. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes that anthropogenic (human-sourced) greenhouse gases are responsible for most of the observed temperature increase since the middle of the twentieth century, and natural phenomena such as solar variation and volcanoes probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950 and a small cooling effect from 1950 onward. These basic conclusions have been endorsed by more than 40 scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialized countries. Climate model projections summarized in the latest IPCC report indicate that global surface temperature will probably rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the twenty-first century. The uncertainty in this estimate arises from the use of models with differing climate sensitivity, and the use of differing estimates of future greenhouse gas emissions. Some other uncertainties include how warming and related changes will vary from region to region around the globe. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming is expected to continue beyond 2100, even if emissions have stopped, because of the large heat capacity of the oceans and the lifespan of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. • Pictured left: 1999-2008 Mean temperatures: This figure shows the difference in instrumentally determined surface temperatures between the period January 1999 through December 2008 and "normal" temperatures at the same locations, defined to be the average over the interval January 1940 to December 1980. The average increase on this graph is 0.48 °C, and the widespread temperature increases are considered to be an aspect of global warming. Source: NASA This time series, based on satellite data, shows the annual Arctic sea ice minimum since 1979. The September 2010 extent was the third lowest in the satellite record. Pictured left: Per capita anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by country for the year 2000 including land-use change. A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. In the Solar System, the atmospheres of Venus, Mars, and Titan also contain gases that cause greenhouse effects. Greenhouse gases greatly affect the temperature of the Earth; without them, Earth's surface would be on average about 33 °C (59 °F) colder than at present. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the burning of fossil fuels has contributed to the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 280ppm to 390ppm, despite the uptake of a large portion of the emissions through various natural "sinks" involved in the carbon cycle. Anthropogenic (human-sourced) carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions come from combustion of carbonaceous fuels, principally wood, coal, oil, and natural gas. Each gases' contribution to the greenhouse effect is affected by the characteristics of the gas, its abundance, and any indirect effects it may cause. For example, on a molecule-for-molecule basis the direct radiative effects of methane is about a 72 times stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over a 20 year time frame, but it is present in much smaller concentrations so that its total direct radiative effect is smaller. On the other hand, in addition to its direct radiative impact methane has a large indirect radiative effect because it contributes to ozone formation. Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier (March 21, 1768 – May 16, 1830) was a French mathematician and physicist best known for initiating the investigation of Fourier series and their application to problems of heat flow. The Fourier transform is also named in his honour. Fourier is also generally credited with the discovery of the greenhouse effect. Fourier was born at Auxerre (now in the Yonne département of France), the son of a tailor. He was orphaned at age nine. Fourier was recommended to the Bishop of Auxerre, and through this introduction, he was educated by the Benvenistes of the Convent of St. Mark. The commissions in the scientific corps of the army were reserved for those of good birth, and being thus ineligible, he accepted a military lectureship on mathematics. He took a prominent part in his own district in promoting the French Revolution, and was rewarded by an appointment in 1795 in the École Normale Supérieure, and subsequently by a chair at the École Polytechnique. In 1822 Fourier presented his work on heat flow in Théorie analytique de la chaleur (The Analytic Theory of heat), in which he based his reasoning on Newton's law of cooling, namely, that the flow of heat between two adjacent molecules is proportional to the extremely small difference of their temperatures. A significant contribution was Fourier's proposal of his partial differential equation for conductive diffusion of heat. This equation is now taught to every student of mathematical physics. Air pollution Climate change Glossary of climate change Greenhouse effect Greenhouse gases History of climate change science Human impact on the environment Index of climate change articles List of renewable energy topics by country Renewable energy commercialization WikiProject Environment WikiProject Environment – Climate change task force WikiProject Globalization WikiProject Council File:Antarctica temps2 1957-2006.jpg Image showing the temperature trend in Antarctica between 1957 and 2006 From the Wikinews Climate change category August 6: Australian–US team of scientists finds Atlantic warming causes Pacific climate trends July 28: Scientists analyse effects of global warming, atmospheric ozone on crops June 6: Queen's Speech sets out Coalition government's final year agenda December 31: Expected U.S. Senate special election taking shape in Massachusetts July 5: On the campaign trail, June 2012 April 15: Wikinews Shorts: April 14, 2012 March 30: Report indicates continued severe weather problems still looming December 21: Wikinews interviews former Salt Lake City mayor and 2012 presidential candidate Rocky Anderson September 26: Delhi earns UN carbon credits April 17: Bloomberg and Clinton create green alliance Additional News NASA announces that 2012 was the ninth warmest of any year since 1880.[1] United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20): Banks have made a investment shift from roads to public transport $175bn (20 June 2012) [2] Climate change in China: In June 2012 was studied that China's carbon emissions could be nearly 20% higher than thought. 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference – December 7 until December 18, 2009 Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Expand : Add – {{portal|Global warming}} to related articles • Global warming in Canada • Total equivalent warming impact NPOV : Long-term effects of global warming Verify : Climate change in Massachusetts • Effects of global warming on Australia • Extreme Ice Survey • Glacier mass balance • Global Warming: Opposing Viewpoints (2002) • Global-warming potential • World Wide Views on Global Warming (organization) Other : Be bold. Wikipedia is for the people, by the people and needs YOU as a contributor to spread global knowledge.  – When a task is completed, please remove it from the list. Africa • Antarctica • Arctic • Asia • Atlantic • Caribbean • Europe • Latin America • North America • Oceania Agropedia Ecology Energy Renewable Energy Environment Marine life Sustainable development Largest Producers of Fossil Fuels China Iran Mexico Saudi Arabia Russia United States Largest Consumers of Fossil Fuels China European Union India Japan Russia United States Research NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies  – Global change research NOAA State of the Climate Report  – U.S. and global monthly state of the climate reports Climate Change at the National Academies — repository for reports Nature Reports Climate Change — free-access web resource Met Office: Climate change — UK National Weather Service Educational What Is Global Warming? — by National Geographic Global Climate Change Indicators  – from NOAA NOAA Climate Services  – from NOAA Global Warming Frequently Asked Questions — from NOAA Understanding Climate Change – Frequently Asked Questions — from UCAR Global warming on Wikinews News Global warming on Commons Images Global warming on Wiktionary Definitions Global warming on Wiktionary Global warming on Wikiquote Quotations Global warming on Wikibooks Manuals & Texts Global warming on Wikisource Texts Global warming on Wikiversity Courses What are portals? List of portals Featured portals