Effects of Global Warming | Live Science

Though growing seasons in some areas will expand, the combined impacts of drought, severe weather, lack of accumulated snowmelt, greater number ... Skiptomaincontent LiveScience Search Subscribe RSS HowItWorksMagazineHowItWorksMagazineWhysubscribe?Theultimateaction-packedscienceandtechnologymagazineburstingwithexcitinginformationabouttheuniverseEngagingarticles,amazingillustrations&exclusiveinterviewsIssuesdeliveredstraighttoyourdoor/in-boxFrom$7.15View News Space&Physics Health PlanetEarth StrangeNews Animals History Forums Tech Culture Reference AboutUs Magazinesubscriptions More trendingBestairpurifiersCyberMondayPelotondealsCOVID-19NewsCulturePregnancytips LiveScienceissupportedbyitsaudience.Whenyoupurchasethroughlinksonoursite,wemayearnanaffiliatecommission.Learnmore Globalwarmingisexpectedtohavefar-reaching,long-lastingand,inmanycases,devastatingconsequencesforplanetEarth.Globalwarming,thegradualheatingofEarth'ssurface,oceansandatmosphere,iscausedbyhumanactivity,primarilytheburningoffossilfuelsthatpumpcarbondioxide(CO2),methaneandothergreenhousegasesintotheatmosphere.Despitepoliticalcontroversyaboutclimatechange,amajorreport releasedSept.27,2013,bytheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC)statedthat scientistsaremorecertainthaneverofthelinkbetweenhumanactivitiesandglobalwarming.Morethan 197internationalscientificorganizations agreethatglobalwarmingisrealandhasbeencausedbyhumanaction.Already,globalwarmingishavingameasurableeffectontheplanet."We canobservethishappeninginrealtimeinmanyplaces.Iceismeltinginboth polaricecapsandmountainglaciers. Lakesaroundtheworld,includingLake Superior,arewarmingrapidly—insomecasesfasterthanthesurrounding environment.Animalsarechangingmigrationpatternsandplantsarechanging thedatesofactivity,"suchastreesbuddingtheirleavesearlierinthespringanddroppingthemlaterinthefall,JosefWerne,a professorofgeologyandenvironmentalscienceattheUniversityofPittsburgh,toldLiveScience.Hereisanin-depthlookatthechangeswroughtbyglobalwarming.IncreaseinaveragetemperaturesandtemperatureextremesOneofthemostimmediateandobviouseffectsofglobalwarmingistheincreaseintemperaturesaroundtheworld.Theaverageglobaltemperaturehasincreasedbyabout1.4degreesFahrenheit(0.8degreesCelsius)overthepast100years,accordingtotheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration(NOAA).Sincerecordkeepingbeganin1895,thehottestyearonrecordworldwidewas2016,accordingtoNOAAandNASAdata.ThatyearEarth'ssurfacetemperaturewas1.78degreesF(0.99degreesC)warmerthantheaverageacrosstheentire20thcentury.Before2016,2015wasthewarmestyearonrecord,globally.Andbefore2015?Yep,2014.Infact,16ofthe17warmestyearsonrecordhavehappenedsince2001,accordingtoNASA.ForthecontiguousUnitedStatesandAlaska,2016wasthesecond-warmestyearonrecordandthe20thconsecutiveyearthattheannualaveragesurfacetemperatureexceededthe122-yearaveragesincerecordkeepingbegan,accordingtoNOAA.ExtremeweathereventsExtremeweatherisanothereffectofglobalwarming.Whileexperiencingsomeofthehottestsummersonrecord,muchoftheUnitedStateshasalsobeenexperiencingcolder-than-normalwinters.Changesinclimatecancausethepolarjetstream—theboundarybetweenthecoldNorthPoleairandthewarmequatorialair—tomigratesouth,bringingwithitcold,Arcticair.Thisiswhy somestatescanhaveasuddencoldsnaporcolder-than-normalwinter,evenduringthelong-termtrendofglobal warming,Werneexplained."Climateis,by definition,thelong-termaverageofweather,overmanyyears.Onecold(or warm)yearorseasonhaslittle todowithoverallclimate.Itiswhen thosecold(orwarm)yearsbecomemoreand moreregularthatwestartto recognizeitasachangeinclimateratherthansimplyananomalousyearof weather,"hesaid.Globalwarmingmayalsoleadtoextremeweatherotherthancoldorheatextremes.Forexample,hurricaneformationswillchange.Thoughthisisstillasubjectofactivescientificresearch,currentcomputermodelsoftheatmosphereindicatethathurricanesaremorelikelytobecomelessfrequentonaglobalbasis,thoughthehurricanesthatdoformmaybemoreintense."Andeveniftheybecomelessfrequentglobally,hurricanescouldstillbecomemorefrequentinsomeparticularareas,"saidatmosphericscientistAdamSobel,authorof"StormSurge:HurricaneSandy,OurChangingClimate,andExtremeWeatherofthePastandFuture"(HarperWave,2014)."Additionally,scientistsareconfidentthathurricaneswillbecomemoreintenseduetoclimatechange." Thisisbecausehurricanesgettheirenergyfromthetemperaturedifferencebetweenthewarmtropicaloceanandthecoldupperatmosphere.Globalwarmingincreasesthattemperaturedifference. "Sincethemostdamagebyfarcomesfromthemostintensehurricanes—suchastyphoonHaiyaninthePhilippinesin2013—thismeansthathurricanescouldbecomeoverallmoredestructive,"saidSobel,aColumbiaUniversityprofessorinthedepartmentsofEarthandEnvironmentalSciences,andAppliedPhysicsandAppliedMathematics.(HurricanesarecalledtyphoonsinthewesternNorthPacific,andthey'recalledcyclonesintheSouthPacificandIndianoceans.)Lighteningisanotherweatherfeaturethatisbeingaffectedbyglobalwarming.Accordingtoa 2014study,a50percentincreaseinthenumberoflightningstrikeswithintheUnitedStatesisexpectedby2100ifglobaltemperaturescontinuetorise.Theresearchersofthestudyfounda12percentincreasein lightningactivity forevery1.8degreeF(1degreeC)ofwarmingintheatmosphere.NOAAestablishedthe U.S.ClimateExtremesIndex (CEI)in1996totrackextremeweatherevents.Thenumberofextremeweathereventsthatareamongthemostunusualinthehistoricalrecord,accordingtotheCEI,hasbeenrisingoverthelastfourdecades.Scientistsprojectthatextremeweatherevents,suchasheatwaves,droughts,blizzardsandrainstormswillcontinuetooccurmoreoftenandwithgreaterintensityduetoglobalwarming,accordingto ClimateCentral.Climatemodelsforecastthatglobalwarmingwillcauseclimatepatternsworldwidetoexperiencesignificantchanges.Thesechangeswilllikelyincludemajorshiftsinwindpatterns,annualprecipitationandseasonaltemperaturesvariations.Inaddition,becausehighlevelsofgreenhousegasesarelikelytoremainintheatmosphereformanyyears,thesechangesareexpectedtolastforseveraldecadesorlonger,accordingtotheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA).InthenortheasternUnitedStates,forexample,climatechangeislikelytobringincreasedannualrainfall,whileinthePacificNorthwest,summerrainfallisexpectedtodecrease,theEPAsaid.IcemeltOneoftheprimarymanifestationsofclimatechangesofarismelt.NorthAmerica,EuropeandAsiahaveallseenatrendtowardlesssnowcoverbetween1960and2015,accordingto2016researchpublishedinthejournalCurrentClimateChangeReports.AccordingtotheNationalSnowandIceDataCenter,thereisnow10percentlesspermafrost,orpermanentlyfrozenground,intheNorthernHemispherethantherewasintheearly1900s.Thethawingofpermafrostcancauselandslidesandothersuddenlandcollapses.Itcanalsoreleaselong-buriedmicrobes,asina2016casewhenacacheofburiedreindeercarcassesthawedandcausedanoutbreakofanthrax.OneofthemostdramaticeffectsofglobalwarmingisthereductioninArcticseaice.Seaicehitrecord-lowextentsinboththefallandwinterof2015and2016,meaningthatatthetimewhentheiceissupposedtobeatitspeak,itwaslagging.Themeltmeansthereislessthickseaicethatpersistsformultipleyears.Thatmeanslessheatisreflectedbackintotheatmospherebytheshinysurfaceoftheiceandmoreisabsorbedbythecomparativelydarkerocean,creatingafeedbackloopthatcausesevenmoremelt,accordingtoNASA'sOperationIceBridge.Glacialretreat,too,isanobviouseffectofglobalwarming.Only25glaciersbiggerthan25acresarenowfoundinMontana'sGlacierNationalPark,whereabout150glacierswereoncefound,accordingtotheU.S.GeologicalSurvey.Asimilartrendisseeninglacialareasworldwide.Accordingtoa2016studyinthejournalNatureGeoscience,thereisa99percentlikelihoodthatthisrapidretreatisduetohuman-causedclimatechange.Someglaciersretreatedupto15timesasmuchastheywouldhavewithoutglobalwarming,thoseresearchersfound. IceBridgeprojectsciencistMichaelStudingercallsthisphotoatextbookexampleofarecedingglacier,onethat'sshrinkinginsize.Thedark,arc-shapedpilesareterminalandlateralmoraines,jumbledrockpilesleftbehindastheglacierrecedes.Asmall,frozenlakesitsattheleft-handterminusoftheglacier.TakeninThomsenLand,northeastGreenland.(Imagecredit:NASA/MichaelStudinger)SealevelsandoceanacidificationIngeneral,asicemelts,sealevelsrise.In2014,theWorldMeteorologicalOrganizationreportedthatsea-levelriseaccelerated0.12inches(3millimeters)peryearonaverageworldwide.Thisisarounddoubletheaverageannualriseof0.07in.(1.6mm)inthe20thcentury.MeltingpolariceintheArcticandAntarcticregions,coupledwithmeltingicesheetsandglaciersacrossGreenland,NorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,EuropeandAsia,areexpectedtoraisesealevelssignificantly.Andhumansaremostlytoblame:IntheIPCCreportreleasedonSept.27,2013,climatescientistssaidtheyareatleast95percentcertainthathumansaretoblameforwarmingoceans,rapidlymeltingiceandrisingsealevels,changesthathavebeenobservedsincethe1950s.Globalsealevels haverisenabout8inchessince1870,accordingtotheEPA,andtherateofincreaseisexpectedtoaccelerateinthecomingyears.Ifcurrenttrendscontinue,manycoastalareas,whereroughlyhalfoftheEarth'shumanpopulationlives,willbeinundated.Researchersprojectthatby2100,averagesealevelswillbe2.3feet(.7meters)higherinNewYorkCity,2.9feet(0.88m)higheratHamptonRoads,Virginia,and3.5feet(1.06m)higheratGalveston,Texas,theEPAreports.AccordingtoanIPCCreport,ifgreenhousegasemissionsremainunchecked, globalsealevels couldrisebyasmuchas3feet(0.9meters)by2100.Thatestimateisanincreasefromtheestimated0.9to2.7feet(0.3to0.8meters)thatwaspredictedinthe2007IPCCreportforfuturesea-levelrise.Sealevelisn'ttheonlythingchangingfortheoceansduetoglobalwarming.Aslevelsof CO2increase,theoceansabsorbsomeofthatgas,whichincreasestheacidityofseawater.Werneexplainsitthisway:"Whenyoudissolved CO2 inwater,yougetcarbonicacid.Thisisthesameexactthingthathappens incansofsoda.Whenyou popthetoponacanofDrPepper,thepHis2— quiteacidic." SincetheIndustrialRevolutionbeganintheearly1700s,theacidityoftheoceanshasincreasedabout25percent,accordingtotheEPA."Thisisaproblemintheoceans,inlargepart,becausemany marine organismsmakeshellsoutofcalciumcarbonate(thinkcorals,oysters), andtheirshellsdissolveinacidsolution,"saidWerne. "Soasweadd moreandmore CO2 totheocean,itgetsmoreandmoreacidic,dissolvingmoreandmoreshells ofseacreatures.Itgoes withoutsaying thatthisisnotgoodfortheirhealth."Ifcurrentoceanacidificationtrendscontinue,coralreefsareexpectedtobecomeincreasinglyrareinareaswheretheyarenowcommon,includingmostU.S.waters,theEPAreports.In2016and2017,portionsoftheGreatBarrierReefinAustraliawerehitwithbleaching,aphenomenoninwhichcoralejecttheirsymbioticalgae.Bleachingisasignofstressfromtoo-warmwaters,unbalancedpHorpollution;coralcanrecoverfrombleaching,butback-to-backepisodesmakerecoverylesslikely.Arcticseaiceattheendofmeltseason,1981-2009(Imagecredit:NSIDC)PlantsandanimalsTheeffectsofglobalwarmingontheEarth'secosystemsareexpectedtobeprofoundandwidespread.Manyspeciesofplantsandanimalsarealreadymovingtheirrangenorthwardortohigheraltitudesasaresultofwarmingtemperatures,accordingtoareportfromtheNationalAcademyofSciences."They arenotjustmovingnorth,theyaremovingfromtheequatortowardthepoles. Theyarequitesimplyfollowing therangeofcomfortabletemperatures,whichis migratingtothepolesastheglobalaveragetemperaturewarms,"Wernesaid.Ultimately,hesaid,thisbecomesaproblemwhenthe rateofclimatechangevelocity(howfastaregionchangesput intoa spatialterm)isfasterthantheratethatmany organismscanmigrate.Becauseofthis,manyanimalsmay notbeabletocompeteinthenewclimateregime andmaygoextinct.Additionally,migratorybirdsandinsectsarenowarrivingintheirsummerfeedingandnestinggroundsseveraldaysorweeksearlierthantheydidinthe20thcentury,accordingtotheEPA.Warmertemperatureswillalsoexpandtherangeofmanydisease-causingpathogensthatwereonceconfinedtotropicalandsubtropicalareas,killingoffplantandanimalspeciesthatformerlywereprotectedfromdisease.Theseandothereffectsofglobalwarming,ifleftunchecked,willlikelycontributetothedisappearanceofuptoone-halfofEarth'splantsandone-thirdofanimalsfromtheircurrentrangeby2080,accordingtoa2013reportinthejournalNatureClimateChange.SocialeffectsAsdramaticastheeffectsofclimatechangeareexpectedtobeonthenaturalworld,theprojectedchangestohumansocietymaybeevenmoredevastating.Agriculturalsystemswilllikelybedealtacripplingblow.Thoughgrowingseasonsinsomeareaswillexpand,thecombinedimpactsofdrought,severeweather,lackofaccumulatedsnowmelt,greaternumberanddiversityofpests,lowergroundwatertablesandalossofarablelandcouldcauseseverecropfailuresandlivestockshortagesworldwide.NorthCarolinaStateUniversity alsonotesthatcarbondioxideisaffectingplantgrowth.ThoughCO2 canincreasethegrowthofplants,theplantsmaybecomelessnutritious.Thislossoffoodsecuritymay,inturn,createhavocininternationalfoodmarketsandcouldsparkfamines,foodriots,politicalinstabilityandcivilunrestworldwide,accordingtoanumberofanalysesfromsourcesasdiverseastheU.SDepartmentofDefense,theCenterforAmericanProgressandtheWoodrowWilsonInternationalCenterforScholars.Inadditiontolessnutritiousfood,theeffectofglobalwarmingonhumanhealthisalsoexpectedtobeserious.TheAmericanMedicalAssociationhasreportedanincreaseinmosquito-bornediseaseslikemalariaanddenguefever,aswellasariseincasesofchronicconditionslikeasthma,mostlikelyasadirectresultofglobalwarming.The2016outbreakofZikavirus,amosquito-borneillness,highlightedthedangersofclimatechange.Thediseasecausesdevastatingbirthdefectsinfetuseswhenpregnantwomenareinfected,andclimatechangecouldmakehigher-latitudeareashabitableforthemosquitosthatspreadthedisease,expertssaid.Longer,hottersummerscouldalsoleadtothespreadoftick-borneillnesses.Additionalresources:EPA:ClimateChange:BasicInformationNASA:GlobalClimateChangeCaliforniaOfficeofPlanning&Research:Listofworldwidescientificorganizationsthatholdthepositionthatclimatechangehasbeencausedbyhumanaction 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