GlobalWarming Awareness2007
Effects of global warming
The net impact of global warming so far has been modest, but near-future effects are likely to become significantly negative, with large-scale extreme impacts possible by the end of the century.
The predicted effects for the environment and for human life are numerous and varied. The main effect is an increasing global average temperature. From this flow a variety of resulting effects, namely, rising sea levels, altered patterns of agriculture, increased extreme weather events, and the expansion of the range of tropical diseases. In some cases, the effects may already be occurring, although it is generally difficult to attribute specific natural phenomena to long-term global warming.
Projected climate changes due to global warming have the potential to lead to future large-scale and possibly irreversible changes in our climate resulting in impacts at continental and global scales.
Examples of projected climate changes include:
- Significant slowing of the ocean circulation that transports warm water to the
- Large reductions in the
- Accelerated global warming due to carbon cycle feedbacks in the terrestrial biosphere, and
- Releases of terrestrial carbon from permafrost regions and methane from hydrates in coastal sediments.
The likelihood, magnitude, and timing of many of these changes is uncertain. However, the probability of one or more of these changes occurring is likely to increase with the rate, magnitude, and duration of climate change. Additionally, the US National Academy of Sciences has warned that “greenhouse warming and other human alterations of the earth system may increase the possibility of large, abrupt, and unwelcome regional or global climatic events. … Future abrupt changes cannot be predicted with confidence, and climate surprises are to be expected.”
It is not possible to be certain whether there will be any positive benefits of Global Warming. What is known is that some significant negative impacts are projected and these drive most of the concern about global warming and motivates attempts to mitigate or adapt to the effects of global warming. Almost all scientists agree, however, that the negative effects would out-weigh the positive effects.
Most of the consequences of global warming would result from one of three physical changes: sea level rise, higher local temperatures, and changes in rainfall patterns. Sea level is generally expected to rise 20-60 cm in the next century.
Effects on weather
Increasing temperature is likely to lead to increasing precipitation but the effects on storms are less clear. Extratropical storms partly depend on the temperature gradient, which is predicted to weaken in the northern hemisphere as the polar region warms more than the rest of the hemisphere.
Visit the site:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_global_warming