Global Warming
All of the events of the past decade have something in common.
They all took place during the hottest decade ever recorded since humans began keeping temperature records about 150 years ago.
In the last decade, the Earth’s temperature rose roughly a third of a degree Fahrenheit. Since 1880, it’s risen about one and a half degrees.
Global warming has been in the news for years with experts debating back and forth on what possibly could occur if nothing is done to curb its adverse effects. Global warming isn’t the consequence of one singular scenario, but the combination of several events that all intertwine with one another.
NASA gets a global view of three major pieces of the climate puzzle: how much of the sun’s energy is hitting the Earth, how much of that energy is reflected back out into space, and how much is being trapped, heating the planet.
NASA satellites measure the sun’s energy, which fluctuates due to a ten to twelve year cycle. Satellite evidence shows that the solar cycle has only a slight impact on our planet’s temperatures. In fact, even though the last few years have been some of the warmest on record, the sun has been in a deep lull in activity. That means slightly less solar energy is reaching Earth. And when the solar cycle increases again, scientists expect temperatures will rise even more.
Global sea level rose by over an inch during the decade, almost twice as fast as the average during the twentieth century.
Arctic summer sea ice declined by over 300,000 square miles – enough ice to cover the states of Texas and Kentucky.
The vast majority of climate scientists say evidence for human-caused warming is clear. But less understood is exactly how this warming will change the complex interactions between our planet’s land, water, sky, and the living the organisms that inhabit our world.
Carbon dioxide is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas, and it’s our biggest contribution to global warming. Fossil fuel burning releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. NASA satellite instruments capture the infrared signature of carbon dioxide in the global atmosphere. They show a rise throughout the decade. NASA also monitors other greenhouse gases, such as methane, nitrous oxides and CFCs. In recent years, CFC’s have decreased. Methane and nitrous oxide are on the rise. Greenhouse gas is most likely the main contributor to current global warming. It’s the key piece in the temperature puzzle, and it’s unlocked the door to higher and higher temperatures.
Computer models predict an even warmer planet, with more extreme weather, less ice, and higher seas. The severity of those changes will depend partly on how our planet’s complex system responds, and, more importantly, on what choices we make.
Information from: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
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