Composition II
Research Paper
Our atmosphere doesn't act as a single unit; it is made up of hundreds of different layers. Some of the energy released from Earth is stopped in each of these layers. The energy is then re-emitted in a random direction, but on average the energy is moving either "up" or "down." The atmospheres get thinner as altitude increases, so eventually the radiation will reach a layer high enough and thin enough to escape to space. If you increase the concentrations of a greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, the thin upper layers will become denser. The place where the majority of the energy finally escapes moves higher, these higher levels are much colder and so they do not radiate heat very well. The rate that radiation escapes to space is lower, and the planet will take in more than it radiates. As the higher levels emit some of the excess radiation downwards, the lower levels will warm all the way down to the surface. The imbalance will remain until the higher levels get hot enough to radiate as much energy back out as the planet is receiving. Though all natural processes, they are not always helpful. On the other side of the spectrum, we as humans are not always helpful to the processes. Because of this, we find ourselves at a time of question. What are we doing to our planet and how will it affect us? Many are attempting to take action now, others try to not believe. Eventually, however, we are all going to see what we have truly been doing.
Global warming is possibly the most debated topic today, but it is also the biggest problem our world faces today. Our ignorant way of living has now become harmful to the only earth we have to live on. Although some may not see the effects now, to many this problem is surreal. Multiple species of animals have been endangered by the effects of global warming. This problem not only limits the life of