The
Green Planet
Do you ever wonder why it gets cold in the winter and hot in the summer? As most of us know, there are eight planets in our solar system. Out of the eight planets Earth is the only planet that humans are able to live on. Earth has the right temperatures and gases to help us survive. If we were any closer to the sun we would burn and if we were any farther away from the sun we would freeze.
Greenhouse
Effect
In the atmosphere; which is like a big blanket surrounding the Earth,
the greenhouse effect is a thing helping the Earth control its temperatures (2).
What is the greenhouse effect you may ask? Well, the greenhouse effect is the
capturing of the sun’s heat into the Earth (5).
Types of naturally occurring
greenhouse gases (5):
� Water vapor:
§ occurs from the gaseous state of water
� Carbon dioxide:
§ occurs when people and animals breathe
� Nitrous Oxide:
§ Occurs when plants rot
Types of man-made gases (5):
 |
| Figure 1 |
� Chlorofluorocarbons or CFC’s for short:
§ Come from hair spray cans and other kinds of
sprays, making or burning plastic, and even a refrigerator!
§ These gases are only found in small amounts but a
small amount can trap large amounts of heat!
§ These are the types of gases that are making the
Earth “sick” (Figure 1).
Global Warming
I am sure you heard
about global warming at least once throughout your years of schooling whether
it be from your teachers, parents, or a public speaker. All over the world
there is talk of this “global warming.” However, what actually is global
warming? Global warming is the increasing temperature
of Earth’s atmosphere (7).
Who global warming
affects:
Animals:
As the temperatures change the homes of many
plants and animals are being destroyed or affected. The polar ice is melting which means
that polar bears and penguins will have to find new places to live (Figure 2).
 |
| Figure 2: (Polar bears, 2009). |
People:
There will be more
flooding and higher temperatures. More flooding means that people will no
longer want to live by water so will most likely move away from it, crowding cities
even more. Higher temperatures can increase death rates.
Organizations trying
to stop global warming:
� World Wildlife Fund (WWF) - works on conservation issues
(6).
� National Geographic Society – works on managing
the carbon levels in the atmosphere (3).
1.
Friends of the Earth. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.foe.org/about-us
2.
Kaiser, K. (1983). QSAR in environmental toxicology. Boston, MA: D. Reidel Publishing
Company.
4.
Polar bears. (2009, April 7). Retrieved from http://http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2224082/posts
5.
Schlinder, T.
(2014, February). The carbon dioxide greenhouse effect. Retrieved from
http://www.aip.org/history/climate/co2.htm
6.
WWF - Endangered species conservation: World
wildlife fund. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.worldwildlife.org/
7.
Wyman, R. (1991). Global climate change and life
on earth. New York, NY: Chapman and Hall.
I like your use of pictures! It enhances the points you make and catches my attention. I also really like your use of colors and fonts. In types of greenhouse gases, you do not have an example for water vapor. I would also suggest introducing man made gases before listing them.
ReplyDeleteThere are more than 8 planets in space so you should maybe change that to our solar system or whatever. You might want to explain what the atmosphere is. Where you said "who global warming effects" it should be affects. Other than that I liked it, good job.
ReplyDelete