The ice on Planet Earth is melting. There is a lot of ice so it
will take some time. The ice is melting therefore Planet Earth's energy
content is going upward. Records long stored on our Planet, deep under
the surface, show us that at times the Sun has been hotter. Is the Sun
now hotter? NASA religiously takes the Sun's temperature. A rise in Sun
temperature could fry its satellites and its astronauts. NASA shows no
recent increase in Sun temperature. (At present temperatures, it takes
21 more Sun degrees to raise Planet Earth one degree.) The ice is
melting, the seas are rising, if you live near water learn to swim.
Has Planet Earth's orbit or tilt changed a bit? The records show changes in the past. To read more on this, search for Milutin Milankovic in Wikipedia or Google. At present, all over Planet Earth giant telescopes are computer aimed at targets all about the cosmos. The slightest twitch in orbit or tilt would throw them all off. Reports would gush forth from all over Planet Earth. No such reports have issued and therefore there have been no changes in orbit or axis tilt. Nor has the temperature of space changed; it is still absolute zero (zero Kelvin, absolute temperature scale). That leaves changes happening on Planet Earth.
Planet Earth is like a pot on the stove. It gains heat from the Sun, as does the pot from the burner. Its temperature rises, as does that of the pot. It loses heat to space by radiation, just as the pot loses heat to the room by air convection, radiation, and steam production. You can change the pot temperature by adjusting the burner, moving the pot closer-to or farther-from the burner, or changing the pot's heat loss, such as by covering it. In any case, the temperature rises until heat lost equals heat gained. Pot (or Planet Earth) is then at equilibrium, and its temperature stays put.
If Planet Earth is warming-up, and if the Sun has not changed, and the orbit/tilt has not changed, then Planet Earth is retaining more heat and must get hotter to reach radiation-in-equals-radiation-out equilibrium. This can occur if things in the atmosphere are interfering with outgoing radiation. One of those things is called Carbon Dioxide. Production of Carbon Dioxide gas is one of the main results of burning oil, gas, wood, coal, paper or other organics. Atmospheric carbon dioxide has gone from 320 ppm in 1965 to 390 ppm in 2011. (ppm is science speak for parts-per-million. 320 ppm carbon dioxide means that of every one million atmosphere molecules, 320 will be carbon dioxide molecules). You can see how powerful its effect is if such small amounts bring change.
Gasses like carbon dioxide, methane, and many others, trap outgoing radiation and keep it on Planet Earth, thus raising the Planet's equilibrium temperature. The ppm increase and temperature rise would be worse, but Earth's waters have absorbed a lot of the carbon dioxide. About one-quarter of the carbon dioxide released into the air will be absorbed by the seas. The rise of carbon dioxide dissolved in sea water is further proof that the cause of this Earth warming is not increased Sun output. Increased Sun output warms the oceans causing out gassing thus lowering carbon dioxide dissolved in the ocean.
In about fifty years, we have burnt about one-half of all of Planet Earth's oil. At the same time, we have burned a lot of coal, natural gas, paper and wood. All of these produce water, carbon dioxide, and assorted other chemicals when they burn. Some of these chemicals, carbon dioxide for example, are very good at absorbing radiation which otherwise would have gone on out to the cold of space. When this happens, this absorbed radiation becomes retained heat on Planet Earth. Think of gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen dioxide, gasses which are called greenhouse gasses, as a warm fluffy blanket in the atmosphere surrounding Planet Earth and retaining her heat. Ah ha! That is where the heat got turned up. It is just like bedtime. A little blanket is okay. A whole lot of blanket is not okay. See, not so complicated after all.
There is no way we can stick all the carbon molecules back together. We can reduce our burning of organics by lowering our energy use, using solar, wind, earth, and wave wherever possible, using more (and safer) nuclear, recycling wherever possible, and maximizing efficiencies for all things. It is either those things or move uphill. If you choose to move uphill, sooner would probably be better than later. You also might be in for a diet change because climate change means crop change. Sleep tight under your nice new "blankey".
Has Planet Earth's orbit or tilt changed a bit? The records show changes in the past. To read more on this, search for Milutin Milankovic in Wikipedia or Google. At present, all over Planet Earth giant telescopes are computer aimed at targets all about the cosmos. The slightest twitch in orbit or tilt would throw them all off. Reports would gush forth from all over Planet Earth. No such reports have issued and therefore there have been no changes in orbit or axis tilt. Nor has the temperature of space changed; it is still absolute zero (zero Kelvin, absolute temperature scale). That leaves changes happening on Planet Earth.
Planet Earth is like a pot on the stove. It gains heat from the Sun, as does the pot from the burner. Its temperature rises, as does that of the pot. It loses heat to space by radiation, just as the pot loses heat to the room by air convection, radiation, and steam production. You can change the pot temperature by adjusting the burner, moving the pot closer-to or farther-from the burner, or changing the pot's heat loss, such as by covering it. In any case, the temperature rises until heat lost equals heat gained. Pot (or Planet Earth) is then at equilibrium, and its temperature stays put.
If Planet Earth is warming-up, and if the Sun has not changed, and the orbit/tilt has not changed, then Planet Earth is retaining more heat and must get hotter to reach radiation-in-equals-radiation-out equilibrium. This can occur if things in the atmosphere are interfering with outgoing radiation. One of those things is called Carbon Dioxide. Production of Carbon Dioxide gas is one of the main results of burning oil, gas, wood, coal, paper or other organics. Atmospheric carbon dioxide has gone from 320 ppm in 1965 to 390 ppm in 2011. (ppm is science speak for parts-per-million. 320 ppm carbon dioxide means that of every one million atmosphere molecules, 320 will be carbon dioxide molecules). You can see how powerful its effect is if such small amounts bring change.
Gasses like carbon dioxide, methane, and many others, trap outgoing radiation and keep it on Planet Earth, thus raising the Planet's equilibrium temperature. The ppm increase and temperature rise would be worse, but Earth's waters have absorbed a lot of the carbon dioxide. About one-quarter of the carbon dioxide released into the air will be absorbed by the seas. The rise of carbon dioxide dissolved in sea water is further proof that the cause of this Earth warming is not increased Sun output. Increased Sun output warms the oceans causing out gassing thus lowering carbon dioxide dissolved in the ocean.
In about fifty years, we have burnt about one-half of all of Planet Earth's oil. At the same time, we have burned a lot of coal, natural gas, paper and wood. All of these produce water, carbon dioxide, and assorted other chemicals when they burn. Some of these chemicals, carbon dioxide for example, are very good at absorbing radiation which otherwise would have gone on out to the cold of space. When this happens, this absorbed radiation becomes retained heat on Planet Earth. Think of gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen dioxide, gasses which are called greenhouse gasses, as a warm fluffy blanket in the atmosphere surrounding Planet Earth and retaining her heat. Ah ha! That is where the heat got turned up. It is just like bedtime. A little blanket is okay. A whole lot of blanket is not okay. See, not so complicated after all.
There is no way we can stick all the carbon molecules back together. We can reduce our burning of organics by lowering our energy use, using solar, wind, earth, and wave wherever possible, using more (and safer) nuclear, recycling wherever possible, and maximizing efficiencies for all things. It is either those things or move uphill. If you choose to move uphill, sooner would probably be better than later. You also might be in for a diet change because climate change means crop change. Sleep tight under your nice new "blankey".
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