According to Environmental science: Toward a sustainable future, a textbook written by R. Wright and D. Boorse (2005/2011), the Greenhouse Effect is best defined as “an increase in the atmospheric temperature caused by increasing amounts of carbon dioxide and certain other gases that absorb and trap heat, which normally radiates away from Earth” (G-10). This effect has been dubbed as such because of its similarity to the way greenhouses work. Ultraviolet radiation travels through the Earth’s atmosphere and is absorbed by the Earth’s surface in the same way that radiation penetrates the glass walls of a greenhouse to be absorbed by the plants inside. Some radiation fails to escape the glass walls of the greenhouse or the Earth’s atmosphere
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NASA has provided several sources of research and information on the topic of the Greenhouse Effect and its impact on the current climate. According to Global Climate Change: Scientific Consensus (n.d.), the average temperature of the Earth has shockingly “has increased about one degree Fahrenheit during the 20th century.” This temperature fluctuation has had a serious effect on the Earth’s climate including, but not limited to: more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought, increased intensity of tropical storms, melting of the polar icecaps, shrinking of glaciers, shorter periods of decreasing levels of ice cover, movement of plant and animal ranges, and disruption of the timing of plant harvests and flowering. (Global Climate Change: Effects) In culmination, these different results of the Greenhouse Effect play a huge role in the capability for our planet to withstand the growing temperatures. With the multitude of changes, it becomes even more difficult for the plants and animals of the planet to survive, not only the temperature, but the changes in climate pattern. Specifically here in the North Eastern region of the United States, NASA reports that “Heat waves, heavy downpours, and sea level rise pose growing challenges to many aspects of life in the Northeast. Infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised.” They also expect that these effects will only increase over time and become increasingly more severe. (Global Climate Change:
NASA has provided several sources of research and information on the topic of the Greenhouse Effect and its impact on the current climate. According to Global Climate Change: Scientific Consensus (n.d.), the average temperature of the Earth has shockingly “has increased about one degree Fahrenheit during the 20th century.” This temperature fluctuation has had a serious effect on the Earth’s climate including, but not limited to: more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought, increased intensity of tropical storms, melting of the polar icecaps, shrinking of glaciers, shorter periods of decreasing levels of ice cover, movement of plant and animal ranges, and disruption of the timing of plant harvests and flowering. (Global Climate Change: Effects) In culmination, these different results of the Greenhouse Effect play a huge role in the capability for our planet to withstand the growing temperatures. With the multitude of changes, it becomes even more difficult for the plants and animals of the planet to survive, not only the temperature, but the changes in climate pattern. Specifically here in the North Eastern region of the United States, NASA reports that “Heat waves, heavy downpours, and sea level rise pose growing challenges to many aspects of life in the Northeast. Infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised.” They also expect that these effects will only increase over time and become increasingly more severe. (Global Climate Change: