ways where dark forested areas or black carbon on snow or from diesel engines in
the troposphere would absorb heat, whereas planting lighter colored plants on arid
regions where light reflects back to space would actually cool the earth.
Aerosol is a small droplet or particle suspended in the atmosphere, typically
containing sulfur. Aerosols are emitted naturally (e.g., in volcanic eruptions) and as
the result of human activities (e.g., by burning fossil fuels). There is no connection
between particulate aerosols and pressurized products also called aerosols. Aerosol
is also a product that relies on a pressurized gas to propel substances out of a
container. Consumer aerosol products in the United States have not used ozonedepleting substances (ODS) since the late 1970s because of voluntary switching
followed by federal regulation. The Clean Air Act and the US Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) regulations further restricted the use of ODS for
non-consumer products. All consumer products, and most other aerosol products,
now use propellants that do not deplete the ozone layer, such as hydrocarbons and
compressed gases. In summation, aerosols are fine solid or liquid particles, caused by
people or occurring naturally, that are suspended in the atmosphere. Aerosols can
cause cooling by scattering incoming radiation or by affecting cloud cover. Aerosols
can also cause warming by absorbing radiation. Accordingly aerosols’ effects are
uncertain. The concentration of aerosols can be monitored based on the brightness of
clouds, the higher the concentration of aerosols are, the brighter the clouds are. The
reason is the aerosols feed the water droplets that contribute to the clouds, and the
more water droplets there are, the more the droplets reflect light more. Aerosols in
the stratosphere from volcanic activity block the radiation to help cool the earth.
There is still much to investigate and discover about aerosols [2, 4].
There has been a total of 2.29 W m
À2 increase in the amount of solar energy
absorbed at the surface of the earth since 1975 [2, 4]. Because carbon dioxide shows
the greatest quantity and has the greatest impact, carbon dioxide will be the main
focus and should often be a reference point to compare to other greenhouse gases.
Radiative forcing (RF) is defined as a change in the balance between incoming solar
radiation and outgoing infrared radiation or a measure of the influence of a particular
factor (e.g., greenhouse gas (GHG), aerosol, or land-use change) on the net change in
the earth’s energy balance. The strength of drivers is quantified as radiative forcing
(RF) in units watts per square meter (W m
À2 ).
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established jointly by
the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization in 1988. The purpose of the IPCC is to assess information in the scientific
and technical literature related to all significant components of the issue of climate
change. The IPCC draws upon hundreds of the world’s expert scientists as authors
and thousands as expert reviewers. Leading experts on climate change and environmental, social, and economic sciences from some 60 nations have helped the IPCC
to prepare periodic assessments of the scientific underpinnings for understanding
global climate change and its consequences. With its capacity for reporting on
climate change, its consequences, and the viability of adaptation and mitigation
measures, the IPCC is also looked to as the official advisory body to the world’s
1 Effect of Global Warming and Climate Change on Glaciers and Salmons
9
the troposphere would absorb heat, whereas planting lighter colored plants on arid
regions where light reflects back to space would actually cool the earth.
Aerosol is a small droplet or particle suspended in the atmosphere, typically
containing sulfur. Aerosols are emitted naturally (e.g., in volcanic eruptions) and as
the result of human activities (e.g., by burning fossil fuels). There is no connection
between particulate aerosols and pressurized products also called aerosols. Aerosol
is also a product that relies on a pressurized gas to propel substances out of a
container. Consumer aerosol products in the United States have not used ozonedepleting substances (ODS) since the late 1970s because of voluntary switching
followed by federal regulation. The Clean Air Act and the US Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) regulations further restricted the use of ODS for
non-consumer products. All consumer products, and most other aerosol products,
now use propellants that do not deplete the ozone layer, such as hydrocarbons and
compressed gases. In summation, aerosols are fine solid or liquid particles, caused by
people or occurring naturally, that are suspended in the atmosphere. Aerosols can
cause cooling by scattering incoming radiation or by affecting cloud cover. Aerosols
can also cause warming by absorbing radiation. Accordingly aerosols’ effects are
uncertain. The concentration of aerosols can be monitored based on the brightness of
clouds, the higher the concentration of aerosols are, the brighter the clouds are. The
reason is the aerosols feed the water droplets that contribute to the clouds, and the
more water droplets there are, the more the droplets reflect light more. Aerosols in
the stratosphere from volcanic activity block the radiation to help cool the earth.
There is still much to investigate and discover about aerosols [2, 4].
There has been a total of 2.29 W m
À2 increase in the amount of solar energy
absorbed at the surface of the earth since 1975 [2, 4]. Because carbon dioxide shows
the greatest quantity and has the greatest impact, carbon dioxide will be the main
focus and should often be a reference point to compare to other greenhouse gases.
Radiative forcing (RF) is defined as a change in the balance between incoming solar
radiation and outgoing infrared radiation or a measure of the influence of a particular
factor (e.g., greenhouse gas (GHG), aerosol, or land-use change) on the net change in
the earth’s energy balance. The strength of drivers is quantified as radiative forcing
(RF) in units watts per square meter (W m
À2 ).
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established jointly by
the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization in 1988. The purpose of the IPCC is to assess information in the scientific
and technical literature related to all significant components of the issue of climate
change. The IPCC draws upon hundreds of the world’s expert scientists as authors
and thousands as expert reviewers. Leading experts on climate change and environmental, social, and economic sciences from some 60 nations have helped the IPCC
to prepare periodic assessments of the scientific underpinnings for understanding
global climate change and its consequences. With its capacity for reporting on
climate change, its consequences, and the viability of adaptation and mitigation
measures, the IPCC is also looked to as the official advisory body to the world’s
1 Effect of Global Warming and Climate Change on Glaciers and Salmons
9