Summer Babe (Winter Version)

It's been raining in Detroit on and off since yesterday afternoon. People in Detroit are not accustomed to actually experiencing a full four seasons. Usually, summer and winter last for six months each, and then spring and fall last about two weeks if that. I think this year will be different. I think that the effects of global warming are more apparent than ever before. A lot of people seem to not understand how winter can be so cold due to global warming. Well, kiddies, the rock|n|roll|scientist is here to explain. Get out your notebooks and pencils. First of all, global warming is a combination of two problems both caused by humans. Up until the Industrial Revolution, humans didn't emit very many gases into the air, but now through population growth, fossil fuel burning, and deforestation, we are affecting the mixture of gases in the atmosphere. Naturally occuring greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Certain human activities, however, add to the levels of most of these naturally occurring gases:

Carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere when solid waste, fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), and wood and wood products are burned.

Methane is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil. Methane emissions also result from the decomposition of organic wastes in municipal solid waste landfills, and the raising of livestock.

Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during combustion of solid waste and fossil fuels.

Very powerful greenhouse gases that are not naturally occurring include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), which are generated in a variety of industrial processes.

These 'extra' greenhouse gases present a problem, and lead to the depletion of the ozone layer in the stratosphere. The ozone layer holds in these gases. So, (a) we have too much of the greenhouse gases, and (b) the gases that we do have are being let out through a massive hole over Antarctica. So, when the earth is closest to the sun (summer), these gases are heated and result in higher and dryer temperatures. When the earth is farthest from the sun, the gases are not getting enough heat which causes extreme cold. Unfortunately, the climate is still just a little bit of a mystery when it comes to things like this and atmospheric scientists aren't really sure what could happen. They do know that the earth's surface temperature has risen by 1 degree in the past century with the most accelerated increase occuring in the past two decades. It doesn't sound like it, but this is actually very significant, and could lead to the next ice age (in over a hundred years, so don't hold your breath).

So, this is the dumbed-down version, if you really want to know the full story on this and how it affects you, go check out the EPA's site on global warming, which is where I obtained all factual information for this article.

stupid human tricks