Global Warming and Temperature Increase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Warming and Temperature Increase - Essay Example Situation Average global temperature is the widely applied measure for global warming and time series data has been used to demonstrate the state of global warming and its reality as a threat to the world. Temperature measures, traced by different reliable and independent institutions suggest a significant and consistent increase in global temperatures, at least in the past five decades. Even though temperature variations had previously been reported, the past half-century has reported an anomaly that raises concerns. With the temperatures between the years 1961 and 1990 as the basis, relative temperature changes before the year 1950 were negative as compared to changes in the post-1950 era. Relative change averaged between -0.20c and -0.40c with a notable exemption towards the year 1879 in which the relative anomaly went above 00c. The temperature change had however been gradual, with average oscillations along the increasing pattern, and decreased thereafter for two decades. Though the change in relative anomaly later increased, the increase was not as significant as the current state. By the year 1950, the average anomaly was reported bellow 00c and has since risen, with a consistent trend, to about 0.60c. The constant pattern in the increment in the past six decades establishes the significance of global warming and even though historical trends suggest a cyclical pattern, a climax and time for such a climax have not been predicted and the general temperature rise is expected to continue. The temperature changes have also been realized in the arctic regions that are known for their extremely cold temperatures (American Institute of Physics 2013, p. 1). Empirical studies on causes of global warming suggest human activities, as opposed to natural changes, as causes of global warming. In a time series data on temperature anomaly by cause, whether caused by human activities or non-human activities, the two activities reported averagely similar degrees of contri bution to temperature anomaly before the second half of the 20th century. Effects of the two categories of phenomena had equivalent magnitudes until the year 1950 when the effects of human activities dominated effects of non-human activities in influencing positive temperature change. While the effects of non-human sources of temperature anomaly have remained constant, over the past century, being fairly bellow 00c, effects of human activities have gained significance and constantly increased to explain about 0.60c temperature anomaly. This accounts for almost 100 percent of total anomaly and suggests that human activities into the emission of greenhouse gases could be the significant cause of the global warming that has become significant in the past half-century (Lindsey 2010, p. 1). Problem Climate change due to global warming has induced diversified impact on the environment and adverse secondary effects on people’s lives. Melting of polar ice caps is one of the significa nt consequences of global warming and means mass conversion of ice into water and a consequent down flow of the water towards adverse consequences of floods and destruction of properties in the affected regions.