Global Warming Heats Up Bigger Storms
Emerald Fry
Honors English 1
Mr. Gibbons
May 6, 2011
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Global warming is a major problem for our planet today. Global warming has
many causes and many effects, most of which are dangerous to humans and the
environment. Though global warming is controversial, both in the scientific and political
fields, there is strong evidence that it is mostly man-made and very costly. Within the
last 30 years, some of the greatest costs and dangers to humans from global warming has
been with the increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons.
Global warming is also known as “The Greenhouse Effect”, “Climate Crisis” and
“Climate Change”. These are all catchy phrases for the same thing. Global warming is
defined by the National Wildlife Federation as a gradual warming of the Earth’s average
air and water temperatures due to the increasing concentrations of man-made greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere, mostly carbon dioxide. Weatherquestions.com explains that
carbon dioxide is a natural greenhouse gas in the ozone of Earth’s atmosphere and is
required to help keep the Earth’s climate warm and habitable for man. Without carbon
dioxide, the Earth would receive too much harmful radiation from the sun. The problem
is when there is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, causing the amount of heat
captured in the atmosphere to rise causing global warming.
The main cause of global warming is increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
As explained before, carbon dioxide is a natural part of the atmosphere and important for
our environment. In fact, the Earth has a natural breathing cycle. Al Gore, former Vice
President, explains in “An Inconvenient Truth” that carbon dioxide is used in
photosynthesis by plants and during the summer, when most of the Earth’s land mass is
tilted towards the sun, the carbon dioxide levels drop. Then in winter, the carbon dioxide
levels increase as those plants become dormant. If this cycle were to remain the same,
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there would be no problem. But, burning fossil fuels and deforestation has interrupted
this breathing cycle.
Coal and oil are different forms of fossil fuels used by humans. These fuels
power our cars, create electricity, heat our homes and run our farms and businesses.
Plastics-global.com quotes that research studies suggest that in the last 150 years, there
has been at least a 25 percent increase in the carbon dioxide because of extensive use of
fossil fuels across the globe. This use has already resulted in an increase of 1 degree of
global warming.
In addition to the increase in burning fossil fuels, deforestation also interrupts the
Earth’s breathing cycle and contributes to global warming. Trees and other plants
remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere through
photosynthesis. But, as there are less and less trees and plants, this means larger amount
s of greenhouse gases can build up in the atmosphere. National Geographic states that
deforestation rates have slowed a bit in recent years and the quickest solution is to stop
cutting down trees, but that is not likely.
With the three main causes of global warming, increased carbon dioxide, burning
fossil fuels and deforestation, it is clear that this is a man-made problem. Without these
causes, there would be no global warming. As with most problems, there are
consequences. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, these consequences
include changes in weather patterns, health, wildlife and sea levels. The most dangerous
of these consequences for man is weather patterns, especially with hurricanes, cyclones
and typhoons.
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Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons are strong storms that are formed in the oceans
across the Earth. The NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
describes that hurricanes form in the Atlantic Ocean, cyclones form in the Pacific Ocean
and typhoons form in the Indian Ocean. From the NOAA, these storms mostly require a
surface water temperature of 80+ degrees, weather disturbances at the formation point
and fairly steady winds. As the storms form, they begin to rotate faster and faster and
become stronger over warmer ocean regions. These storms can form a huge circle which
can be over 2,000 km across. At the center, the eye of the storm forms where there is no
rain, and the winds are fairly light. Some of these storms are weak and some are strong.
When they hit land, they can cause severe damage to property and the environment, and
can even cause death. This means, the bigger the storm, so are greater the consequences.
And since global warming increases the surface water temperature of the oceans, global
warming increases the number and strength of these storms.
"Temperature increases are taking place all over the world, and that's causing
stronger storms, especially in the two bands on either side of the equator where
hurricanes form." Gore declares in “An Inconvenient Truth”. Gore also states that
tropical sea surface temperatures have risen by about 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1970. A
Science Daily article and video reports that climate change experts studying hurricanes
also documented a 35-year warming trend in ocean surface temperature and linked it to
larger hurricanes.
In a 2008 article in Time Magazine, the hurricanes of the past 10 years are getting
stronger. In the article, Nature says that global warming is the culprit. Researchers
analyzed data from tropical storms since 1981 and found that the maximum wind speeds
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of the strongest storms have increased significantly in the years since, with the most
notable increases found in the North Atlantic for hurricanes and the northern Indian
oceans for typhoons. The researchers believe that rising ocean temperatures due to global
warming are one of the main causes behind that change.
Also from the Time Magazine article, Nature researchers estimate that every 1
degree C increase in sea-surface temperature would result in a 31% increase in the global
frequency of category 4 and 5 storms. The Nature researcher’s computer models indicate
that ocean temperatures could rise by up to 2 degrees C by 2100 due to global warming.
This is dangerous for humans as the most intense storms do the most damage by far,
The Natural Resources Defense Council states that the number of category 4 and 5 storms
has greatly increased over the past 35 years, along with ocean temperature. The 2005
Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded
history, with a record 27 named storms, of which 15 became hurricanes. Seven of the
hurricanes strengthened into major storms, five became Category 4 hurricanes and a
record four reached Category 5 strength. Hurricane Katrina of August 2005 was the
costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history.
The ranker.com website lists the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded was the
1970 Bhola Cyclone that hit Bangladesh and India's West Bengal area. While the exact
death toll is unknown, it is estimated that 300,000-500,000 people perished in the
aftermath of this storm, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters recent history.
With a 100,000+ death toll, Typhoon Nina is the 2nd deadliest typhoon in recorded
history. Kenna, a category 5 hurricane, was the 3rd most intense Pacific hurricane to ever
strike Mexico's West Coast. These storms combined caused billions of dollars of damage.
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The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences claims that just in the United States,
hurricanes caused annual average damages of $1.6 billion from 1950-1989. But as global
warming increased the Atlantic Ocean temperature, there was an average of $6.2 billion
from 1989-1995.
A personal experience I have had with hurricanes was hurricane Ike. Ike hit in
September 2008. Even though it was only a category 4, this was such an intense storm
that it reached all the way to Kentucky. In fact, I remember stories of the winds reaching
all the way to Michigan. My home was damaged in the act of the continuous high speed
wind. In addition to winds and rains, more intense hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons can
cause flooding and damage outside of the normal coastal areas of the world. As smart as
humans are, why aren’t we finding ways to reduce the rapidly growing global warming?
The good news is that even with all the data that shows that man-made global
warming is the problem and reason for bigger storms; the National Wildlife Federation
says that man knows the causes and knows what needs to be done to solve it. The
National Wildlife Federation’s website says that man must curb the emissions of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Investing in a clean energy future is the essential
path forward that will help communities nationwide, especially the most vulnerable.
Policy makers, industry, and individuals must work together to reduce global warming
pollution from today's levels by at least 80 percent by 2050. At the same time, we must
take steps to help people, wildlife, and habitats adapt to climate change impacts that are
already unavoidable.
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In conclusion, I have shown a direct cause of global warming and the direct link
between global warming and bigger storms. Even though global warming heats up bigger
storms we can do our part in heating up our work to reduce global warming.
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Works Cited
Print:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1839281,00.html
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestationoverview.html
Web:
http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/What-is-Global-Warming.aspx
http://www.plastics-global.com/fossil-fuels-and-global-warming.html
http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/fcons.asp
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A1.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2008/0204gobal_warming_equals_stronger_hurricanes.htm
http://www.ranker.com/list/10-biggest-deadliest-most-destructive-hurricane_s-ever/jeff419
http://www.bios.edu/rpi/public/pubs/pre2000/tcdoc/impacts.html
Movie:
An Inconvenient Truth. Director Davis Guggenheim, Al Gore, former Vice President of
the United States of America, 2006
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Brainstorm
Global warming:
Caused by man, pollution, burning fossil fuels, deforestation,
Big storms - Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons,
Melting ice caps
Dead polar bears
Killing species
Bigger droughts
Global warming facts can freak people out
Losing ozone layer
Future generations – a lot hotter, bigger storms, 2050 no ozone left
Killing off plants
Defenders say it’s the plants fault, but that is healthy CO2
Ozone layer is moon is growing closer, bigger and more tsunamis
Industrial revolution has caused 30% loss of ozone layer
Global warming is real and bad
No legislation to protect it, but the EPA
Al Gore – “An Inconvenient Truth” movie, increases in CO2 causing global warming
Government doesn’t do enough to regulate their pollution
Companies also do not do enough
CO2 levels go up and down each year – natural earth breathing
Some people don’t believe global warming, say it is just a natural warming
We are just between ice ages
Warmer water temps cause greater storm activity
Ocean temp going up due to global warming – causes more hurricanes
Intensity of those hurricanes increase with greater surface temperature
Greater deaths, more flooding, greater damage costs, entire towns lost
1000s of deaths
1st run through of brainstorming ideas around global warming (specific topics)
My choice for the main thesis or point of paper
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Outline
Title: Global Warming causes Bigger Storms
Rough Outline:
Paragraph 1: Introduction to Global Warming, what is it, controversial. Thesis
statement at the end of first paragraph is that global warming is the main cause for the
increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes.: Global Warming is the increase of
Earth's average surface temperature due to effect of greenhouse gases, such as carbon
dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels or from deforestation, which trap heat that
would otherwise escape from Earth.
Paragraph 2: More details on Global Warming – different names (Greenhouse effect,
Ozone layer, climate change, climate crisis) Greenhouse Effect: natural and man-made.
Natural: keeps the Earth's climate warm and habitable. Man-made: enhancement of
Earth's natural greenhouse effect by the addition of greenhouse gases from the burning of
fossil fuels (mainly petroleum, coal, and natural gas
Paragraph 3: Causes #1 of global warming (the science behind it) Increased CO2, earth
breathing.
Paragraph 4: Cause #2 Fossil Fuels
Paragraph 5: Cause #3 Deforestation: disappearing forests and other land-use
Paragraph 6: Tie all 3 main causes together to prove man made. Deforestation, CO2,
and Burning Fossil Fuels.
Paragraph 7: Intro to types of storms (Hurricanes and Cyclones, maybe others),
definitions, science of storms
Paragraph 8: Point #1 why global warming causes bigger storms, stats:
Paragraph 9: Point #2 why global warming causes bigger storms, stats. Above ^.
Paragraph 10: Point #3 why global warming causes bigger storms, stats. Above ^.
Paragraph 11: Affects on man of these bigger storms (deaths), stats:
Paragraph 12: Affects on man of these bigger storms (property damage), stats
Paragraph 13: Tie it all together – what global warming is, how it is man made and man
pay the price of this through bigger storms.
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Extra Info from http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/What-is-GlobalWarming.aspx!
Global warming is...happening now
The Earth's atmosphere has already warmed by 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. This
warming signal is also found in ocean temperatures, soil temperatures, melting glaciers and
melting polar ice caps. It has been linked to widespread impacts on ecosystems around the
planet. This preponderance of evidence all points to the conclusion that our planet is warming
and natural systems are struggling to keep up. Read more...
Global warming is...human caused
The role of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in warming the Earth's surface was first
demonstrated by Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius more than 100 years ago. Scientific data
have since established that, for hundreds of thousands of years, changes in temperature have
closely tracked with atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Since the Industrial Revolution, the
burning of coal, oil and natural gas has emitted roughly 500 billion tons of CO2, about half of
which remains in the atmosphere. This CO2 is the biggest factor responsible for recent
warming trends. Read more...
Global warming is...accelerating
Scientists documented major changes to natural systems around the planet in the 2007 report
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). New science published after the
IPCC report has shown how global warming is happening faster than anticipated. Sea-level
rise may be accelerating, Arctic sea ice is rapidly melting, and forests are being transformed.
Read more...
Global warming is...affecting weather
Global warming is making hot days hotter, rainfall and flooding heavier, storms stronger, and
droughts more severe. This intensification of weather and climate extremes will be the most
visible impact of global warming in our everyday lives and will have grave implications for
public health and social justice. Indeed, our urban infrastructure, flood protection measures,
emergency management strategies, and agricultural systems were all developed based on
past experience with extreme weather. But, with global warming pushing these extremes
beyond their historical limits, we can no longer plan for the future based on past climate
conditions. Read more...
Global warming is...well documented
Climate scientists have studied every natural system--from the atmosphere and oceans to the
land surface, vegetation, and wildlife--to understand how the planet is warming and what that
means for life on Earth. The extensive documentation of global warming has been synthesized
in major assessment reports and has led all major scientific societies with significant
involvement of climate scientists to adopt statements attesting to the scope of the problem.
Read more...
Global warming is...a problem we can solve
The good news is that we know what is causing global warming, and therefore, we know
what needs to be done to solve it. We must curb our emissions of CO2 and other
greenhouse gases. Investing in a clean energy future is the essential path forward that will
help communities nationwide, especially the most vulnerable. Policy makers, industry,
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and individuals must work together to reduce global warming pollution from today's
levels by at least 80 percent by 2050. At the same time, we must take steps to help
people, wildlife, and habitats adapt to climate change impacts that are already
unavoidable.