A Project on

Introduction
Definition : -
Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's
near-surface air and oceans. Global surface temperature increased 0.74 ±
0.18 °C during the last century. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes that increasing
greenhouse gas concentrations resulting from human activity such as
fossil fuel burning and deforestation caused most of the observed
temperature increase since the middle of the 20th century.

• Climate model projections summarized in the latest IPCC report indicate that
the 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. Warming is expected to continue
beyond 2100 even if emissions stop, because of the large heat capacity of
the oceans and the long lifetime of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Temperature changes
• An increase in global temperature will cause sea levels to rise
and will change the amount and pattern of precipitation,
probably including expansion of subtropical deserts. The
continuing retreat of glaciers, permafrost and sea ice is
expected, with warming being strongest in the Arctic. Other
likely effects include increases in the intensity of
extreme weather events, species extinctions, and changes in
agricultural yields.

• Based on estimates by NASA's

Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 2009 is the warmest
year since 1900.

• Temperature changes vary over the globe. Since 1979, land

temperatures have increased about twice as fast as ocean
temperatures. The Northern Hemisphere warms faster than
the Southern Hemisphere because it has more land and
because it has extensive areas of seasonal snow and sea-ice
cover.
 Greenhouse gases
• The greenhouse effect is the process by which absorption and emission of infrared
radiation by gases in the atmosphere warm a planet's lower atmosphere and surface.

• The atmosphere allows a large percentage of the rays of visible light from the Sun to
reach the Earth's surface and heat it. A part of this energy is reradiated by the Earth's
surface in the form of long-wave infrared radiation, much of which is absorbed by
molecules of carbon dioxide and water vapor in the atmosphere and which is reflected
back to the surface as heat. The trapping of this infrared radiation causes the Earth's
surface and lower atmospheric layers to warm to a higher temperature.

• Naturally occurring greenhouse gases have a mean warming effect of about 33 °C
(59 °F). The major greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36–70
percent of the greenhouse effect; carbon dioxide (CO2), which causes 9–26 percent;
methane (CH4), which causes 4–9 percent ;and ozone (O3), which causes 3–7 percent .
Green House Effect
 Human activity since the Industrial Revolution has
increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere. The concentrations of CO2 and methane
have increased by 36% and 148% respectively since the
mid-1700s. These levels are much higher than at any
time during the last 650,000 years, the period for which
reliable data has been extracted from ice cores.
 Aerosols
• A system of liquid or solid particles uniformly distributed in a finely
divided state through a gas, usually air is called as an Aerosol. These
particles play an important role in the precipitation process. They
participate in chemical processes and influence the electrical
properties of the atmosphere. These aerosols exert a cooling effect by
increasing the reflection of incoming sunlight.

• Sulfate aerosols act as cloud condensation nuclei and thus lead to

clouds that have more and smaller cloud droplets. These clouds
reflect solar radiation more efficiently than clouds with fewer and
larger droplets. This effect also causes droplets to be of more
uniform size, which reduces growth of raindrops and makes the cloud
more reflective to incoming sunlight.

• Atmospheric soot aerosols directly absorb solar radiation, which

heats the atmosphere and cools the surface. When deposited,
especially on glaciers or on ice in arctic regions, the lower surface
albedo can also directly heat the surface.
 Effects Of Global
Warming :-
1)Water vapour : -
If the atmosphere is warmed, the saturation vapor pressure increases,
and the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere will tend to increase.
Since water vapor is a greenhouse gas, the increase in water vapor
content makes the atmosphere warm further; this warming causes the
atmosphere to hold still more water vapor.

2)Cloud : -
Warming is expected to change the distribution and type of clouds. Seen
from below, clouds emit infrared radiation back to the surface, and so
exert a warming effect; seen from above, clouds reflect sunlight and emit
infrared radiation to space, and so exert a cooling effect.

3)Gas Release : -
Release of gases of biological origin may be affected by global warming,
but research into such effects is at an early stage. Gases such as
Nitrous oxide released from peat, directly affect climate.
4) Ice – Albedo Effect : -

Aerial photograph showing a section of sea ice. The

lighter blue areas are melt ponds and the darkest areas are
open water.
• When ice melts, land or open water takes its place. Both
land and open water are on average less reflective than ice
and thus absorb more solar radiation. This causes more
warming, which in turn causes more melting, and this cycle
continues.
5) Reduced Absorption of CO2 By Oceans : -
Ocean ecosystems' ability to sequester carbon is expected to decline as
the oceans warm. This is because warming reduces the nutrient levels of
the mesopelagic zone (about 200 to 1000 m deep), which limits the
growth of diatoms in favor of smaller phytoplankton that are poorer
biological pumps of carbon.
6) Gas Release : -
Release of gases of biological origin may be affected by global warming,
but research into such effects is at an early stage. Gases such as
Nitrous oxide released from peat, directly affect climate.
7) Environmental : -

• Broader effects are expected to include glacial retreat, Arctic shrinkage

, and worldwide sea level rise. Sea level rise, changes in rainfall
patterns, and increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather
events are attributable in part to global warming. Other expected
effects include water scarcity in some regions and some adverse
health effects from warmer temperatures.

• "Temperatures are rising four times faster than elsewhere in China,

and the Tibetan glaciers are retreating at a higher speed than in any
other part of the world." "In the short term, this will cause lakes to
expand and bring floods and mudflows." "In the long run, the glaciers
are vital lifelines for Asian rivers, including the Indus and the Ganges.
Once they vanish, water supplies in those regions will be in peril."
 Mitigation

Models suggest that mitigation can quickly begin to slow

global warming, but that temperatures will appreciably
decrease only after several centuries. The world's primary
international agreement on reducing greenhouse gas
emissions is the Kyoto Protocol, an amendment to the
 Responses to Global Warming :-
The broad agreement among climate scientists that global
temperatures will continue to increase has led some nations, states
, corporations and individuals to implement responses. These
responses to global warming can be divided into mitigation of the
causes and effects of global warming, adaptation to the changing
1) Adaptation
global environment, :- and geo-engineering to reverse global
• A wide variety of measures for adaptation to global warming are such as the installation of
warming.
air-conditioning equipment, to major infrastructure projects, such as abandoning settlements
threatened by sea level rise.
• Measures including water conservation, water rationing, adaptive agricultural practices,
construction of flood defenses, Martian colonization, changes to medical care, and
interventions to protect threatened species have all been suggested.

2) Geo – Engineering :-
Geoengineering is the deliberate modification of Earth's
natural environment on a large scale to suit human needs.
An example is greenhouse gas remediation, which removes
greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, usually through
carbon sequestration techniques.
Solar radiation management reduces absorbed solar