Temperature global warming

It is useful, and often vital, to know how a change in conditions will affect an equilibrium. For example, there is considerable debate at present about how a change in global temperature, global warming, will affect the (equilibrium) climate of the Earth. Le Chateher s principle describes what will happen when a reaction at equilibrium is subjected to a change in conditions. It is found that the reaction proceeds towards a new equilibrium state that (at least partially) offsets the change in conditions. 

Carbon. Most of the Earth s supply of carbon is stored in carbonate rocks in the Hthosphere. Normally the circulation rate for Hthospheric carbon is slow compared with that of carbon between the atmosphere and biosphere. The carbon cycle has received much attention in recent years as a result of research into the possible relation between increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, most of which is produced by combustion of fossil fuel, and the "greenhouse effect," or global warming. Extensive research has been done on the rate at which carbon dioxide might be converted to cellulose and other photosyntheticaHy produced organic compounds by various forms of natural and cultivated plants. Estimates also have been made of the rate at which carbon dioxide is released to soil under optimum conditions by various kinds of plant cover, such as temperature-zone deciduous forests, cultivated farm crops, prairie grassland, and desert vegetation. 

High temperature stress Low temperature stress High winds Global warming Increased UV-B radiation... 

Consequently, the net OLR has increased by 0.006 W m-2 since 1880. This means that about one-third of today s thermal pollution (0.02 W m-2) is emitted from Earth. In the long term our use of non-renewable energy will cause a global temperature increase up to a point where the net OLR balances the net heat generation. Meanwhile, nature has some means of delaying global warming. 

Earth counteracts global warming by its natural cold sources. This has started to show as a temperature increase of ground, air and water. Ice fields and glaciers offer another huge cold reserve and the world s total non-renewable energy use would annually melt only about 0.003% of current ice, with present use of non-renewable energy and no other cold source. 

Over the last centuries, climate change has been raised as a very important issue all over the world. The change in climate results from an increase in the earth s average atmospheric temperature, which is usually referred to as global warming. It may be due to both natural and human causes, especially greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

The calculated surface temperature of the Earth can be compared with a mean surface temperature of 288 K. The difference in these temperatures is attributed to global warming mechanisms in the atmosphere. Similar calculations can be performed for any object at any distance from a star of known temperature. The calculations for the other objects in the solar system are presented for the other planets in Table 7.2. 

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