what is global warming?
468885
It's all how all the gases we secrete (by driving, factories, etc.) get trapped in the atmosphere and slowly warm the planet up.
310850
What About Global Warming . . . . \n\nThe greenhouse effect refers to the fact that Earth is surrounded by an atmosphere which acts like the transparent cover of a greenhouse, allowing sunlight to filter through while trapping heat.\n\nGreenhouse gases are trace gases of mainly water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and nitrous oxide. The Earth's atmosphere largely consists of nitrogen and oxygen, but these gases do not hold heat so they are not greenhouse gases nor contribute to the greenhouse effect.\n\nDuring the day the Earth absorbs heat from the Sun and re-radiates it back out to space. Normally this heat would escape each night and the temperature would fall rapidly. Instead, gaseous molecules absorb the heat given off by the planet, and re-radiate it out in all directions, reabsorbing it, and redistributing it again and again. This keeps the Earth's surface relatively warm and the average temperature comfortable. The greenhouse effect is key in Earth's ability to stay warm and sustain life.\n\nA look to our neighboring planets of Venus and Mars shows what happens when the greenhouse effect - which is akin to a blanket covering the planet - becomes too thick or too thin. Temperatures on Venus soar because of its very thick blanket or atmosphere. The runaway greenhouse effect here is staggering. Mars on the other hand has such a thin blanket (atmosphere) and a weak greenhouse effect, that the planet is very cold. Nearly all of the heat that reaches Mars escapes. Relative distance from the Sun plays a part in the global temperatures of the inner planets, but a greenhouse effect, or lack thereof, is largely responsible for the climates on all these planets.\n\nScientists started using the term "greenhouse effect" in the 1800's. At that time it had no negative connotation. In the mid 1950's the term "greenhouse effect" began to be associated with global warming and also with the negative effects of our industrial age. This enhanced greenhouse effect, as it's sometimes referred to, is the result of burning fossil fuels. This releases additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at the rate of about 3 gigatons (3 billion metric tons) per year. Since carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbs heat, we can expect that significant increases in CO2 will tend to raise the global temperature, possibly contributing to global warming. Simply put, if greenhouse gases act like a blanket to keep our planet warm, we are thickening that blanket.\n\nThe natural greenhouse effect on Earth is responsible for life as we know it. We may, however, need to become better stewards of our greenhouse gases in order to preserve life.
649669
People babble a lot on this page! If you don't know the answer properly, please don't answer!!!\n\nGo to the link below, it will tell you all about Global Warming and comes from a legitimate source.
558543
Pollution caused by exhaust gases plus CO2 blocks the radiation of heat from the earth into the universe. Thus global warming will cause the sea level to rise as much as 2 kilometers high in the near future.
854858
Short Answer: Carbon dioxide.\n\nLong answer:\nGlobal warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans in recent decades.\n\nThe prevailing scientific opinion on climate change is that "most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities".\n\nThe increased amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the primary causes of the human-induced component of warming. They are released by the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing and agriculture, etc. and lead to an increase in the greenhouse effect. The first speculation that a greenhouse effect might occur was by the Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius in 1897, although it did not become a topic of popular debate until some 90 years later.
982
Global warming has two main applications. The first is that there are certain gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, warming planets. This is known to take place on Venus, Earth, and the gas giants. Earth is the hospitable place that it is because of global warming.\n\nThis takes place because of greenhouse gases, which allow radiation from the sun to pass through the atmosphere and warm the surface of the earth. The surface then re-radiates this energy back towards space in the infrared spectrum. This energy would escape and our planet would be as cold as the moon, were it not for the greenhouse gases (mainly CO2, ozone, methane, and water vapor). They absorb the infrared energy and radiate it back to earth, increasing the overall amount of radiation hitting the earth's surface, keeping it warm day and night.\n\nThat this takes place is clear and indisputable. There is simply too little energy coming from the sun to account for our planet's temperature. The controversial point is when global warming is applied to the current rise in average global temperature that has taken place over the past 50 so years. Most scientists believe that warming of the planet is due to increases in greenhouse gases, mainly CO2, mainly due to human activities on earth.
452166
The increase of the greenhouse gases --> Carbon Dioxide, CFCs, Methane! Nitrogen oxiode.\n\nGases such as carbon dioxide trap heat and since deforestion is occuring rapdily there is less trees to take in carbon dioxide so the amount of carbon dioxide increases. With the amount of carbon dioxide increased more heat is absorbed and it is stuck on the Earth. \n\nAlso another form of global warming is the depletion of the ozone layer. CFC's contains a chemical that destroys the Ozone layer and the Ozone layer is a protective shield of the Earth. It gets rid of the harmfull sun's ultraviolet rays and without the ozone layer the UV rays can freely enter the Earth.
1145738
Global warming is really a fact that should be considered serious.\n\nQuestion:\n1. Don’t you feel the atmospheric temperatures around you are higher than the past?\nSupporting Fact:\nAt least there is slight increase in it. Factor: rise of few Celsius degrees in temp.\n\nQuestion:\n2. Is not the fact spoken about glaciers being melted down to water, thus increasing the sea levels drastically? \nSupporting Fact:\nIslands like Maldives are at risk!\n\nQuestion:\n3. The emission of so many vehicles, factories using fossil fuels is simply great evidence for this cause, yet there are many other factors to be mentioned. \nSupporting Facts:\nCarbon Dioxides, Carbon Monoxide are certain (green house gasses) harmful elements released to the open air. These gasses are not engaged in the purification act, supported by the greenery (Trees), due to reducing population. In result these harmful gasses break the ratios of 20% or so Oxygen content in the atmosphere, and may cause serious damages to human life.\n\nAll these consequences will lead to one place, that’s called the “Climate Change”. Then we’ll really remember the days we were merely talking about Global Warming!\n\nSuggestion: watch the theatrical block buster film, “The Day After Tomorrow” for some knowledge about the situation.\n\nWish You All the Best!\nGood Luck!\n\nand check the link below, i couldn't go through it at a stretch.
251910
An increase in solar radiation due to slight variations in the Earth's orbit and orbital tilt.  These are regular variations and also coincide with greater and lesser ice ages depending on slight variations in solar output.  \n\nWhile "global warming" is an issue for sudden climate change, it probably had little influence on the most recent ice age.\n\nIn fact there have been many "mini" ice ages in recorded history, most notably around 1300 AD where really extreme cold conditions led to some very interesting technological developments such as the chimney.\n\nSee the link below.
1177252
Yes, global warming has started and finished and started and finished.\n\nThe earth has been much warmer before and much colder.  It will be both much warmer and much colder again many times.
342379
Global warming is a term used to describe the trend of increases in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans that has been observed in recent decades. The scientific opinion on climate change, as expressed in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Assessment Report in 2001 and explicitly endorsed by the national science academies of the G8 nations in 2005, is that the average global temperature has risen 0.6 ± 0.2 °C since the late 19th century, and that it is likely that "most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities" [1]. The increased volumes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released by the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing and agriculture, and other human activities, are the primary sources of the human-induced component of warming. The natural greenhouse effect keeps the Earth about 33 °C warmer than it otherwise would be; adding carbon dioxide to a planet's atmosphere, with no other changes, will make that planet's surface warmer.\n\nObservational sensitivity studies [2] [3] and climate models referenced by the IPCC predict that global temperatures may increase by 1.4 to 5.8 °C between 1990 and 2100.\n\nThe range of uncertainty results in large part from not knowing the volume of future carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, there is uncertainty about the accuracy of the underlying climate models.\n\nThe increase in global temperatures is expected to result in other climate changes including rises in sea level and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation. Such changes may increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, heat waves, and hurricanes, change agricultural yields, cause glacier retreat, reduced summer streamflows, or contribute to biological extinctions. Although warming is expected to affect the number and magnitude of these events, it is difficult to connect any particular event to global warming.\n\nAlthough most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming would be expected to continue past then, since CO2 has a long average atmospheric lifetime [4]. Also, Climate commitment studies indicate that there is a further warming of perhaps 0.5 °C to 1.0 °C — already committed but not yet realized.\n \nThere are only a few scientists that contest the view that humanity's actions have played a significant role in increasing recent temperatures. However, uncertainties do exist regarding how much climate change should be expected in the future, and a hotly-contested political and public debate exists over what, if anything, should be done to reduce or reverse future warming, and how to cope with the consequences.
23702
Global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans. The term is also used for the more specific scientific theory of anthropogenic global warming, which states that much of the recent observed (and projected) global warming is human-induced and the result of a strengthened greenhouse effect caused by man-made increases in carbon dioxide (through the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation) and other greenhouse gases. The natural greenhouse effect keeps the Earth 30 °C warmer than it otherwise would be; adding carbon dioxide to an atmosphere, with no other changes, will make a planet's surface warmer. Current research tries to uncover more details, e.g. about positive and negative feedback mechanisms, to allow a more precise quantification of the effect.
202062
Global Warming is cause by solar activity.  The increase in the number of sun spots causes the earth to warm.  The temperatures were hotter in the 1920 than now.  The hurricanes were also just as bad then as now.  A rise in CO2 from 1/4% to 1/3% in the atmosphere has no impact on global temperature.  The scientific community has only been accurately measuring temperatures for 30 years.  The only validated temperature measurement of the earth is from the polar satellite.  In 30 years it has only seen on temperature anomaly.  A rise of 1/4 of a degree caused by the full moon.  No other measurement system has shown the accuracy to measure this rise.  Therefore they are not! The polar ice cap has only been watched for 30 years by satellite.  No one measured it before, so how can they say it is now melting for all time.  They don’t know, they are drawing 1000 year conclusions with 30 years of data.  Not possible, not valid.
680298
Global warming and cooling has occurred throughout history, so in a sense, yes, global warming has happened since the last ice age.  The differences between the average temperatures on earth correlate to the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere (one of the greenhouse gases).  The global warming that has scientists concerned lately has to do with how humans have increased the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and how this might be related to recent warming trends.
359692
The radiations emitted from the sun and also the earth are usually blocked by layers of atmospheric gases and prevent them from escaping into space.This causes 'GLOBAL WARMING'-due to the reflected radiations.This is also known as 'GREEN HOUSE EFFECT'.
537292
No and yes. \n\nWith regards to un-educated and mis-informed rubbish that goverments tell us that global warming is an artifact of human activity on this planet no I do not. Global warming is a topic which for the last thirty years or so has been 'fashionable' to study. If you look it at this way, the Earth is approx 4 to 6 billions years old and we are only studying the past few centuries. To me this is not even a dot on the Earths timescale so how can we possibly deduce mans influence on the climate. The climate of the earth is changing constantly. What we recognise as the four seasons; sping, summer, autumn (fall) and winter have only been in existance for the past few million years!\n\nAlthough some scientists have looked at the recent erosion of the ozone, they fail to see the bigger picture and take into account the varying orbit the planet has around the sun, its tilt and wobble (see link below for info on the Milankovitch Theory). They also fail to recognise in they're studies the gravitational pull of the earths core and the movement of the fluids contained within. Additionally the 'hotspots' or 'solar flares' on the sun are not taken into account when global warming is discussed, of which also effects our climate.
282103
Is the book you read "State of Fear"?\n\nYou can debate this all you want, but you wont get anywhere until you define 'global warming.'  I think I wrote a long-winded explanation in another answer, so search for that.\n\nThe long and the short of it is:\n\n1.  The Earth goes through natural warming and cooling, based on a HUGE range of varying natural processes, from changes in orbital paramaters to changes in sea ice thickness in polar regions.  It has done this since there were oceans and an atmosphere, and will always continue.\n\n2.  Humans have influenced certain properties of the atmosphere and hydrosphere that may be contributing to accelerated warming (ozone depletion, increased levels of 'greenhouse' gases, etc).  Since we dont know if the Earth would be warming anyway, we cant definitively say that a current warming trend is related to human influence (but its a good bet).\n\n3.  Global warming trends are difficult to understand.  As a paleoclimatologist, I dont even understand it.  I dont know where the temperature data has been collected, the spatial distribution of the data points, I dont know what the temperatures are being compared to (the Earth has been much warmer at times in the past), I dont know if the scientists who tabulate the data are being influenced by something other than true science, etc.\n\nBottom line is that its a VERY VERY complex problem.  Unfortunately, the more data that are generated, the more complex and vague the answer will become, and the more people will become divided over the interpretation of the data.\n\nIt would be wise to minimize our impact on the climate system (or any Earth system for that matter) as best we can, no matter what the answer is.  The more interesting question is: when will the next 'ice age' begin, if it hasnt already?!?!?