Posted by: Geology Tiger July 31, 2008
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Now it is known all over that the temperature of the earth is rising globally. But the rate of rise is not
uniform. The global rise of temp for the last 100 yrs was about 0.380C and for next 100 yrs it will be about 60C. This global warming will definitely show its impact in the form of sea level rise, glacial retreat and global change in climate pattern. The rate of sea level rise was about 3mm/yr in the year 2006 but it will also
accelerate and will reach up to 1 cm/yr in near future. So we can imagine what will be the fate of Maldives which has the highest elevation of only 2m if they don't start some serious protection work. Glacial retreat is also increasing its pace. But the rate of retreat is not same throughout the world. Khumbu Glacier of Nepal has already retreated 5 km since1953.
While talking about the cause of global warming many of us like to relate this only with human activities like
production of CO2, methane, CFCs and nitrous oxide. This is true that the concentration of this gases has been increased after the industrial revolution and it has big contribution for the greenhouse effect. But besides greenhouse effect we also have some cycles of earth which has greater impact on larger scale in earth's climate change.There was rise of temperature of about 60C also during Paleocen-Eocene Epoch (i.e. around 55 million years earlier) and there was another maxima around Cretaceous Period (i.e. 65-100 million years earlier) and we also had many ice ages, the last one was ended some 18000 years earlier. All these large scale changes in earth climate was due to changing pattern of eccentricity, axial tilt and precession of Earth's orbit. Since we have just crossed the recent ice age now, the trend of cylce is towards the increase of temperature as well as sea level.
However, we need to take care about human made impacts so that we can keep the balance in greenhouse gases and as big countries are more responsible for the increase of greenhouse gases they need to follow the Kyoto Protocol. But the temperature of the earth will eventually rise and we have to cope with that environment.
uniform. The global rise of temp for the last 100 yrs was about 0.380C and for next 100 yrs it will be about 60C. This global warming will definitely show its impact in the form of sea level rise, glacial retreat and global change in climate pattern. The rate of sea level rise was about 3mm/yr in the year 2006 but it will also
accelerate and will reach up to 1 cm/yr in near future. So we can imagine what will be the fate of Maldives which has the highest elevation of only 2m if they don't start some serious protection work. Glacial retreat is also increasing its pace. But the rate of retreat is not same throughout the world. Khumbu Glacier of Nepal has already retreated 5 km since1953.
While talking about the cause of global warming many of us like to relate this only with human activities like
production of CO2, methane, CFCs and nitrous oxide. This is true that the concentration of this gases has been increased after the industrial revolution and it has big contribution for the greenhouse effect. But besides greenhouse effect we also have some cycles of earth which has greater impact on larger scale in earth's climate change.There was rise of temperature of about 60C also during Paleocen-Eocene Epoch (i.e. around 55 million years earlier) and there was another maxima around Cretaceous Period (i.e. 65-100 million years earlier) and we also had many ice ages, the last one was ended some 18000 years earlier. All these large scale changes in earth climate was due to changing pattern of eccentricity, axial tilt and precession of Earth's orbit. Since we have just crossed the recent ice age now, the trend of cylce is towards the increase of temperature as well as sea level.
However, we need to take care about human made impacts so that we can keep the balance in greenhouse gases and as big countries are more responsible for the increase of greenhouse gases they need to follow the Kyoto Protocol. But the temperature of the earth will eventually rise and we have to cope with that environment.
Last edited: 31-Jul-08 11:06 AM