The Greenhouse Effect

The Greenhouse effect is the Process in which sunlight emitted from the sun to our planet through our atmosphere. That sunlight then interacts with the planets greenhouse gasses, gasses in the atmosphere which absorbs and emits thermal radiation. These gasses include Carbon Dioxide (CO2), water vapor, and methane. What happens next is the thermal radiation gets trapped within these greenhouse gasses and the planet overall temperature beings to rise. and we get natural occurrences such as these:   

Pictured is what happens to glaciers as the planets temperature goes up.

10 Signs of Global Warming 
http://cpo.noaa.gov/warmingworld/global_sea_level.html 

1. Air Temperaure Over Land Rises 

2. Rise in air Temperature over Oceans

3. Arctic Sea Ice is Reducing

4. Glaciers Are Melting

5. Global Sea Level Rises

6. Increasing Humidity

7.Temperature of the Oceans Rise

                (damages Coral reefs habitats and marine ecosystems)

8.Rise in the Temperature of Lower Atmosphere

9. Snow is Melting Earlier

                     (changing when and how much water is available for nature and people)

10.Warmer Ocean Surfaces increase the destructive potential of tropical cyclones and hurricanes.

Global Warming: A Global Issue

As the earth warms, glaciers and ice sheets are melting and seas are rising. Over the last century, the global average sea level rose by 17 centimeters (7 inches). This century, as waters warm and ice continues to melt, seas are projected to rise nearly 2 meters (6 feet), inundating coastal cities worldwide, such as New York, London, and Cairo. Melting sea ice, ice sheets, and mountain glaciers are a clear sign of our changing climate.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/where-has-all-they-ice-gone.aspx#ixzz2S5mEUnHC

Pictured: Ghoramara Island

(Ghoramara island is located on a delta region in West Bengal. Due to the dramatic increase in sea level, resulting from the effects global warming since the 1960s)

The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between. Globally, the mercury is already up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius), and even more in sensitive polar regions. And the effects of rising temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future. They’re happening right now. Signs are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising. The heat is not only melting glaciers and sea ice, it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting animals on the move.

The topic of my blog was chosen from the Pulitzer prize gate way homepage and it concerns the issue of Global warming.
http://pulitzercenter.org/heat-moment

Planet Earth's average temperature has risen about one degree Fahrenheit in the last fifty years. By the end of this century it will be several degrees higher, according to the latest climate research. This increase in the earths overall temperature has significant effects on the population, enviornment, government, infrastructure, ecosystems you name it.