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Written by Staff
Tuesday, 02 June 2009 00:00
 What is the Earth’s climate, what influences it, and how is climate different from weather?Earth’s climate is a complex system influenced by interactions involving the oceans, the Sun, the atmosphere, aerosols, land use, human activity and other factors. Technically, climate is defined as the weather conditions resulting from the mean or average state of this complex atmosphere-ocean-land system which persist over months, seasons, decades or centuries. One way to think of weather is that it is what determines what clothes we wear outside on a given day. Climate is what determines what crops we plant for a given region and when we plant and harvest them.
Written by Staff
Monday, 01 June 2009 19:11
 The "greenhouse effect" is a natural phenomenon in which heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, primarily carbon dioxide and water vapor, keep the Earth’s surface warm. It is named this way because of a similar effect produced by the glass panes of a greenhouse.Solar radiation from the sun passes through Earth's atmosphere, then is absorbed by the surface of the Earth, causing it to warm. Part of the absorbed energy is then radiated back into the atmosphere as infared radiation. Greenhouse gases selectively transmit the infared waves, allowing some to pass through into space and trapping others within the lower atmosphere causing it to become warmer.
Written by Staff
Monday, 01 June 2009 00:00
 In the coming decades, scientists expect climate change to have an increasing impact on human and natural systems. In a warmer world, accessibility to food, water, raw materials, and energy are likely to change.Human health, biodiversity, economic stability, and national security are also expected to be affected by climate change. Climate model projections suggest that negative effects of climate change will significantly outweigh positive ones. The nation’s ability to prepare for and adapt to new conditions may be exceeded as the rate of climate change increases. |
