Earth as a result of impact economic activity person. Of particular concern is the increased concentration greenhouse gases in , which leads to heating of the Earth's surface and the lower atmosphere and, perhaps, is one of the main reasons for the climate warming observed in recent decades.

The most significant natural greenhouse gas is H20 water vapor. It absorbs and emits long-wave infrared radiation in the wavelength range of 4.5 - 80 microns. Effect of water vapor on the greenhouse effect is decisive and is created mainly by the absorption band 5 - 7.5 μm. However, part of the radiation from the Earth's surface in the spectral regions of 3–5 µm and 8–12 µm, called transparency windows, escapes through the atmosphere into world space. The greenhouse effect of water vapor is enhanced by the absorption bands of carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere as a result of volcanic activity, the natural cycle of carbon in nature, the decay of organic matter in the soil when heated, as well as human activities, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas ) and deforestation.

In addition to carbon dioxide, the content of greenhouse gases such as methane, nitrous oxide and tropospheric ozone is increasing in the atmosphere. Methane enters the atmosphere from swamps and deep cracks in earth's crust. The increase in its concentration is facilitated by the development of agricultural production (especially the expansion of abundantly irrigated rice fields), an increase in the number of livestock, biomass burning and mining natural gas. Nitrous oxide concentrations are increased by the use of nitrogen fertilizers, aircraft emissions, and oxidation processes. Ozone in the troposphere is increasing as a result of chemical reactions sunlight between hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from the combustion of fossil fuels These gases are increasing faster than carbon dioxide concentrations and may increase their relative contribution to the atmospheric greenhouse effect in the future. The growth of the atmosphere is also facilitated by an increase in the concentration of a highly absorbing aerosol of industrial origin (soot) with a particle radius of 0.001 - 0.05 microns. An increase in greenhouse gases and aerosols could significantly increase global temperatures and cause other climate change, environmental and social consequences which are still difficult to predict.

If you do not stop its growth, the balance on Earth may be disturbed. The climate will change, famine and disease will come. Scientists are developing various measures to combat the problem, which should become global.

essence

What is the greenhouse effect? This is the name given to the increase in surface temperature of the planet due to the fact that gases in the atmosphere tend to retain heat. The earth is heated by radiation from the sun. Visible short waves from a light source freely penetrate to the surface of our planet. As it warms up, the Earth begins to radiate long heat waves. Partially, they penetrate through the layers of the atmosphere and “leave” into space. reduce throughput, reflect long wavelengths. Heat remains at the surface of the Earth. The higher the concentration of gases, the higher the greenhouse effect.

The phenomenon was first described by Joseph Fourier at the beginning of the 19th century. He suggested that the processes taking place in earth's atmosphere, are similar to what exists under glass.

Greenhouse gases- this is steam (from water), carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide), methane, ozone. The former takes the main part in the formation of the greenhouse effect (up to 72%). The next most important is carbon dioxide(9-26%), the share of methane and ozone is 4-9 and 3-7%, respectively.

AT recent times You can often hear about the greenhouse effect as a serious environmental problem. But this phenomenon has positive side. Due to the fact that the greenhouse effect exists, the average temperature of our planet is about 15 degrees above zero. Without it, life on Earth would not be possible. The temperature could only be minus 18.

The reason for the effect vigorous activity many volcanoes on the planet millions of years ago. At the same time, the content of water vapor and carbon dioxide significantly increased in the atmosphere. The concentration of the latter has reached such a value that a superstrong greenhouse effect has arisen. As a result, the water of the World Ocean practically boiled, its temperature became so high.

The appearance of vegetation everywhere on the surface of the Earth caused a fairly rapid absorption of carbon dioxide. Heat buildup has been reduced. A balance has been established. The average annual temperature on the surface of the planet was at a level close to the present.

Causes

Strengthening the phenomenon contribute to:

• Industry development - main reason the fact that carbon dioxide and other gases that enhance the greenhouse effect are actively emitted and accumulated in the atmosphere. The result of human activity on Earth is an increase in the average annual temperature. For a century, it has risen by 0.74 degrees. Scientists predict that in the future this growth could be 0.2 degrees for every 10 years. That is, the intensity of warming increases.
• - the reason for the increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. This gas is absorbed by vegetation. The massive development of new lands, coupled with deforestation, accelerates the rate of accumulation of carbon dioxide, and at the same time changes the living conditions of animals and plants, leading to the extinction of their species.
• Combustion of fuel (solid and oil), waste leads to the release of carbon dioxide. Heating, electricity generation, transport are the main sources of this gas.
• Growth in energy consumption is a sign and a condition technical progress. The world population is increasing by about 2% per year. Growth in energy consumption - 5%. The intensity is increasing every year, humanity needs more and more energy.
• An increase in the number of landfills leads to an increase in the concentration of methane. Another source of gas is the activity of livestock complexes.

Threats

The consequences of the greenhouse effect can be detrimental to humans:

• melt away polar ice and this is the cause of sea level rise. As a result, coastal fertile lands are under water. If flooding occurs rapidly, there will be a serious threat to agriculture. Crops are dying, pastures are shrinking, springs are disappearing fresh water. First of all, the low-income strata of the population, whose lives depend on the harvest, the growth of domestic animals, will suffer.
• Many coastal cities, including highly developed ones, may be under water in the future. For example, New York, St. Petersburg. Or entire countries. For example, Holland. Such phenomena will necessitate mass displacement of human settlements. Scientists suggest that in 15 years the ocean level may rise by 0.1-0.3 meters, and by the end of the 21st century - by 0.3-1 meter. In order for the above cities to be under water, the level must rise by about 5 meters.
• The increase in air temperature leads to the fact that within the continents the period of snow is reduced. It begins to melt earlier, as the rainy season ends faster. As a result, the soils are overdried, unsuitable for growing crops. Lack of moisture is the cause of desertification of lands. Experts say that an increase in average temperature by 1 degree in 10 years will lead to a reduction in forest areas by 100-200 million hectares. These lands will become steppes.
• The ocean covers 71% of our planet's surface area. As the air temperature rises, the water also heats up. Evaporation increases significantly. And this is one of the main reasons for the increase in the greenhouse effect.
• With rising water levels in the world's oceans, temperatures threaten biodiversity, and many species of wildlife may disappear. The reason is changes in their habitat. Not every species can successfully adapt to new conditions. The consequence of the disappearance of some plants, animals, birds, and other living beings is a violation of food chains, the balance of ecosystems.
• Rising water levels cause climate change. The boundaries of the seasons are shifting, the number and intensity of storms, hurricanes, and precipitation are increasing. Climate stability is the main condition for the existence of life on Earth. To stop the greenhouse effect means to save human civilization on the planet.
• High air temperature can adversely affect human health. Under such conditions, exacerbated cardiovascular diseases, respiratory organs are affected. Thermal anomalies lead to an increase in the number of injuries, some psychological disorders. An increase in temperature entails a more rapid spread of many dangerous diseases e.g. malaria, encephalitis.

What to do?

Today, the problem of the greenhouse effect is global issue ecology. Experts believe that the widespread adoption of the following measures will help solve the problem:

• Changes in the use of energy sources. Reducing the share and quantity of fossils (carbon-containing peat, coal), oil. Switching to natural gas will significantly reduce CO2 emissions. Increasing the share of alternative sources (sun, wind, water) will reduce emissions, because these methods allow you to get energy without harm to the environment. When using them, gases are not emitted.
• Changing energy policy. Coefficient increase useful action at power plants. Reducing the energy intensity of manufactured products at enterprises.
• Implementation of energy saving technologies. Even the usual insulation of the facades of houses, window openings, heating plants gives a significant result - fuel savings, which means less emissions. The solution of the issue at the level of enterprises, industries, states entails a global improvement in the situation. Each person can contribute to solving the problem: saving electricity, proper waste disposal, warming their own home.
• Development of technologies aimed at obtaining products in new, environmentally friendly ways.
• The use of secondary resources is one of the measures to reduce waste, the number and volume of landfills.
• Restoring forests, fighting fires in them, increasing the area as a way to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The fight against greenhouse gas emissions is now being international level. World summits dedicated to this problem are being held, documents are being created aimed at organizing global solution question. Many scientists around the world are looking for ways to reduce the greenhouse effect, maintain balance and life on Earth.

The greenhouse effect is the delay by the Earth's atmosphere of the planet's thermal radiation. The greenhouse effect was observed by any of us: in greenhouses or greenhouses the temperature is always higher than outside. The same is observed on the scale of the Earth: solar energy, passing through the atmosphere, heats the surface of the Earth, but the thermal energy radiated by the Earth cannot escape back into space, since the Earth's atmosphere delays it, acting like polyethylene in a greenhouse: it passes short light waves from the Sun to the Earth and delays long thermal (or infrared) waves emitted by the Earth's surface. There is a greenhouse effect.The greenhouse effect occurs due to the presence of gases in the Earth's atmosphere that have the ability to delay long waves.They are called "greenhouse" or "greenhouse" gases.

Greenhouse gases were present in the atmosphere in small amounts (about 0,1%) since its inception. This amount was enough to maintain the Earth's heat balance at a level suitable for life due to the greenhouse effect. This is the so-called natural greenhouse effect, if it were not for it, the average temperature of the Earth's surface would be 30 ° C not +14°C, as it is now, but -17°C.

The natural greenhouse effect does not threaten either the Earth or humanity, because total greenhouse gases were maintained at the same level due to the cycle of nature, moreover, we owe our lives to it, provided that the balance is not disturbed.

But an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere leads to an increase in the greenhouse effect and a violation heat balance Earth. This is exactly what happened in the last two centuries of the development of civilization. Coal-fired power plants, car exhausts, factory chimneys and other man-made sources of pollution emit about 22 billion tons of greenhouse gases per year into the atmosphere.

The role of the greenhouse effect

The state of the atmosphere, in particular, the amount of water vapor and carbon dioxide present in it, has a great influence on the climate of the Earth. An increase in the concentration of water vapor causes an increase in cloudiness and, consequently, a decrease in the amount of solar heat entering the surface. And a change in the concentration of carbon dioxide CO 2 in the atmosphere causes a weakening or strengthening greenhouse effect, in which carbon dioxide partially absorbs the heat radiated by the Earth in the infrared range of the spectrum, followed by its re-emission to the side earth's surface. As a result, the temperature of the surface and lower layers of the atmosphere rises. Thus, the phenomenon of the greenhouse effect significantly affects the mitigation of the Earth's climate. In its absence, the average temperature of the planet would be 30-40°C lower than it actually is, and would not be +15°C, but -15°C, or even -25°C. At such average temperatures, the oceans would very quickly become covered with ice, turned into huge freezers, and life on the planet would become impossible. The amount of carbon dioxide is influenced by many factors, among which the main ones are volcanic activity and the vital activity of terrestrial organisms.

But the greatest impact on the state of the atmosphere, and, consequently, on the climate of the Earth on a planetary scale, have external, astronomical factors, such as changes in currents solar radiation due to the inconsistency of solar activity and changes in the parameters of the earth's orbit. The astronomical theory of climate fluctuations was created back in the 20s of the twentieth century. It has been established that a change in the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit from a possible minimum of 0.0163 to a possible maximum of 0.066 can lead to a difference in the number solar energy falling on the Earth's surface at aphelion and perihelion, by 25% per year. Depending on whether the Earth passes its perihelion in summer or winter (for the northern hemisphere), such a change in the solar radiation flux can lead to a general warming or cooling on the planet.

The theory made it possible to calculate the time of ice ages in the past. Up to errors in determining geological dates, the age of a dozen previous icings coincided with the theory. It also allows you to answer the question of when the next closest icing should come: today we live in an interglacial era, and it does not threaten us for the next 5000-10000 years.

What is the greenhouse effect?

The concept of the greenhouse effect was formed in 1863. Tyndale.

A household example of the greenhouse effect is heating from the inside of a car when it is in the sun with closed windows. The reason here is that sunlight penetrates through the windows and is absorbed by the seats and other items in the cabin. In this case, light energy turns into thermal energy, objects heat up and emit heat in the form of infrared, or thermal, radiation. Unlike light, it does not penetrate the windows to the outside, that is, it is captured inside the car. Due to this, the temperature rises. The same thing happens in greenhouses, from which the very name of this effect, the greenhouse effect (or greenhouse Effect). AT global scale carbon dioxide contained in the air plays the same role as glass. Light energy penetrates the atmosphere, is absorbed by the earth's surface, is converted into its thermal energy, and emitted as infrared radiation. However, carbon dioxide and some other gases, unlike other natural elements of the atmosphere, absorb it. At the same time, it heats up and, in turn, heats the atmosphere as a whole. So the more carbon dioxide it contains, the more infrared rays will be absorbed and the warmer it will become.

The temperature and climate to which we are accustomed is provided by the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at the level of 0.03%. Now we are increasing this concentration, and a warming trend is emerging.
When worried scientists warned mankind decades ago about the growing greenhouse effect and the threat of global warming, at first they were looked at as comic old men from an old comedy. But soon it wasn't funny at all. Global warming happens, and very quickly. The climate is changing before our eyes: unprecedented heat in Europe and North America causes not only mass heart attacks, but also catastrophic floods.

In the early 1960s, frost of 45°C was common in Tomsk. In the 70s, the fall of the thermometer below 30 ° below zero already caused confusion in the minds of Siberians. last decade scares us less and less with such cold. But the strongest hurricanes that destroy the roofs of houses, break trees, break power lines have become the norm. Even 25 years ago in Tomsk region such occurrences were very rare! To convince someone that global warming has become a fact is no longer enough to look at press reports, domestic and international. Severe droughts, monstrous floods, hurricane-force winds, unprecedented storms - now we have all become involuntary witnesses of these phenomena. AT last years in Ukraine there is an unprecedented heat, there are tropical downpours that lead to devastating floods.

human activity in early XXI century leads to a rapid increase in the concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere, which threatens the destruction of its ozone layer and abrupt change climate, in particular global warming. To reduce the threat of global ecological crisis it is necessary to significantly reduce the emission of harmful gases into the atmosphere everywhere. Responsibility for reducing such emissions should be shared among all members of the world community, which differ significantly in many ways: the level industrial development, income, social structure and political orientation. Because of these differences, the question inevitably arises to what extent national government must control air emissions. The debatability of this problem is further enhanced by the fact that no agreement has yet been reached on the issue of the environmental impact of the growing greenhouse effect. However, there is a growing understanding that, given the threat of global warming, with all the ensuing devastating consequences limitation harmful emissions into the atmosphere becomes a top priority.

Before real threat coastal areas of the Azov and Black Seas are disappearing. The catastrophic floods we are already dealing with will also occur much more frequently. For example, the Dnieper dams, in particular the Kyiv dam, were built taking into account the most devastating floods that have ever happened on the Dnieper.

The rapid growth of industrial and other air pollutant emissions has led to a dramatic increase in the greenhouse effect and the concentration of gases that destroy ozone layer. For example, since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere has increased by 26%, with more than half of the increase occurring since the early 1960s. Concentration of various gaseous chlorides, primarily depleting the ozone layer chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), in just 16 years (from 1975 to 1990) increased by 114%. The level of concentration of another gas involved in the creation of the greenhouse effect, methane CH 4 , has increased by 143% since the beginning of the industrial revolution, including about 30% of this growth since the early 1970s. Until urgent action is taken at the international level, the rapid growth of the population and the increase in its income will be accompanied by an acceleration in the concentration of these chemicals.

The 1980s have been the warmest decade since the meticulous documentation of weather patterns began. Seven of the hottest years on record were in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, with 1990 being the hottest on record. However, until now, scientists cannot say for sure whether such a warming of the climate is a trend under the influence of the greenhouse effect, or whether these are just natural, natural fluctuations. After all, the climate has experienced similar changes and fluctuations before. In the course of the last million years, there have been eight so-called ice ages, when a giant ice carpet reached the latitudes of Kyiv in Europe, and New York in America. The last ice age ended about 18 thousand years ago, and at that time the average temperature was 5 ° lower than now. Accordingly, the level of the world ocean was 120 m lower than the current one.

During the last ice age the content of CO 2 in the atmosphere dropped to 0.200, while for the last two periods of warming it was 0.280. This is how it was at the beginning of the 19th century. Then it gradually began to increase and reached its current value of approximately 0.347. It follows that in the 200 years that have passed since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, natural control over the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through a closed cycle between the atmosphere, ocean, vegetation, and organic and inorganic decay processes has been grossly violated.

It is still unclear whether these parameters of climate warming are really statically significant. For example, some researchers note that the data characterizing climate warming are significantly lower than those calculated using computer forecasts based on data on the level of emissions in previous years. Scientists know that some types of pollutants can actually slow down the warming process by reflecting in space ultraviolet rays. So the question of whether there is a gradual climate change or whether these changes are temporary, masking the long-term impact of the increasing greenhouse effect and ozone depletion, is debatable. Although at the statistical level there is little evidence that climate warming is a sustainable trend, however, an assessment of the potential catastrophic consequences The global warming has sparked widespread calls for preventive action.

Another important manifestation of global warming is the warming of the oceans. In 1989 A. Strong from National Administration Atmospheric and Oceanic Research reported: "Measurements of ocean surface temperatures taken from satellites between 1982 and 1988 show that the world's oceans are gradually but noticeably warming by about 0.1°C per year." This is extremely important because, due to their colossal heat capacity, the oceans hardly react to random climatic changes. The observed trend towards their warming proves the seriousness of the problem.

The occurrence of the greenhouse effect:

The obvious cause of the greenhouse effect is the use of traditional energy carriers by industry and motorists. Less obvious reasons include deforestation, recycling, and coal mining. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), carbon dioxide CO 2 , methane CH 4 , oxides of sulfur and nitrogen contribute significantly to the increase in the greenhouse effect.

However, carbon dioxide still plays the greatest role in this process, since it has a relatively long life cycle in the atmosphere and in all countries, its volumes are constantly increasing. Sources of CO 2 can be divided into two main categories: industrial production and others, accounting for 77% and 23% of the total volume of its emission into the atmosphere, respectively. The entire group of developing countries (about 3/4 of the world population) accounts for less than 1/3 total volume industrial emissions of CO 2 . If China is excluded from this group of countries, this figure will drop to about 1/5. Since wealthier countries have higher levels of income and, accordingly, consumption is higher, the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere per capita is much higher. For example, per capita emissions in the United States are more than 2 times the European average, 19 times the African average, and 25 times the corresponding figure for India. Recently, however, in developed countries (in particular, in the USA), there has been a tendency to gradually curtail harmful for environment and production population and transferring it to less the developed countries. Thus, the US government is concerned about maintaining a favorable environmental situation in their country, while maintaining their economic well-being.

Although the share of third world countries in industrial CO 2 emissions is relatively small, they account for almost all of its other emissions into the atmosphere. The main reason for this is the use of forest burning techniques to involve new lands in agricultural circulation. The indicator for the volume of emissions to the atmosphere under this article is calculated as follows: it is assumed that the entire volume of CO 2 contained in plants, when burned, enters the atmosphere. It is estimated that deforestation accounts for 25% of all air emissions. Probably more greater value has the fact that in the process of deforestation the source is destroyed atmospheric oxygen. Tropical rainforests are important mechanism self-healing of the ecosystem, since trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen during photosynthesis. Destruction rainforest reduces the ability of the environment to absorb carbon dioxide. Thus, it is precisely the features of the land cultivation process in developing countries determine such a significant contribution of the latter to the increase in the greenhouse effect.

In the natural biosphere, the content of carbon dioxide in the air was maintained at the same level, since its intake was equal to its removal. This process was determined by the carbon cycle, during which the amount of carbon dioxide extracted from the atmosphere by photosynthetic plants is compensated by respiration and combustion. Currently, people are actively upsetting this balance by cutting down forests and using fossil fuels. Burning every pound of it (coal, oil and natural gas) produces about three pounds, or 2 m 3, of carbon dioxide (the weight is tripled, since each carbon atom of the fuel in the process of burning and turning into carbon dioxide attaches two oxygen atoms). Chemical formula burning carbon looks like this:

C + O 2 → CO 2

Every year, about 2 billion tons of fossil fuels are burned, which means that almost 5.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere. Approximately 1.7 billion more tons of it also goes there due to the reduction and burning of tropical forests and oxidation organic matter soil (humus). In this regard, people are trying to reduce emissions of harmful gases into the atmosphere as much as possible, trying to find new ways to fulfill their traditional needs. An interesting example this can be served by the development of new, environmentally friendly air conditioners. Air conditioners play a significant role in the occurrence of the "greenhouse effect". Their use leads to an increase in vehicle emissions. To this must be added a slight but unavoidable loss of coolant, which escapes under high pressure, for example, through seals at the junction of hoses. This refrigerant has the same impact on the climate as other greenhouse gases. Therefore, researchers began to search for an environmentally friendly coolant. Hydrocarbons with good cooling properties cannot be used due to their high flammability. Therefore, the choice of scientists fell on carbon dioxide. CO 2 is a natural constituent of air. The CO 2 required for air conditioning appears as a by-product of many industrial processes. In addition, for natural CO 2 it is not necessary to create an entire infrastructure for maintenance and processing. CO 2 is inexpensive and can be found all over the world.

Carbon dioxide has been used as a cooling agent in the last century for fishing. In the 1930s, CO2 was replaced by synthetic and environmentally harmful substances. They made it possible to use a simpler technique under high pressure. Scientists are developing components for a completely new cooling system using CO 2 . This system includes compressor, gas cooler, expander, evaporator, header and internal heat exchanger. Required for CO 2 high pressure given more advanced materials than before, it does not pose a great danger. Despite their increased pressure resistance, the new components are comparable in size and weight to conventional units. Tests of a new car air conditioner show that the use of carbon dioxide as a refrigerant can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a third.

A constant increase in the amount of fossil fuels burned (coal, oil, gas, peat, etc.) leads to an increase in the concentration of CO 2 in atmospheric air(at the beginning of the twentieth century - 0.029%, today - 0.034%). Forecasts show that by the middle XXI century, the content of CO 2 will double, which will lead to a sharp increase in the greenhouse effect, and the temperature on the planet will increase. Two more dangerous problems will arise: the rapid melting of glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic, the “permafrost” of the tundra and the rise in the level of the World Ocean. Such changes will be accompanied by climate change, which is even difficult to foresee. Therefore, the problem is not just the greenhouse effect, but its artificial growth, generated human activity, changing the optimal content of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Industrial human activity leads to a noticeable increase in them and the appearance of a threatening disproportion. If mankind cannot accept effective measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions and preserve forests, the temperature, according to the UN, will rise by another 3 ° in 30 years. One solution to the problem is clean energy sources that would not add carbon dioxide and a large number heat to the atmosphere. For example, small solar plants are already being successfully used, consuming solar heat instead of fuel.

Philippe de Saussure once made an experiment: he exposed a glass covered with a lid to the sun, after which he measured the temperature inside the glass and outside. The temperature inside and outside was different - in a closed glass it was a little warmer. A little later, in 1827, the physicist Joseph Fourier hypothesized that the glass on the windowsill could serve as a model of our planet - the same thing happens under the layers of the atmosphere.

And he turned out to be right, now every schoolchild has heard the term "greenhouse effect" at least once, this is what is happening to the Earth now, what is happening to us now. The problem of the greenhouse effect is one of the global environmental problems that can lead to catastrophic damage to our planet, its flora and fauna. Why is the greenhouse effect dangerous? What are its causes and consequences? Are there ways to solve this problem?

Definition

Greenhouse effect - an increase in the temperature of the surface of the earth and air, entailing changes in the climate. How does this happen?

Imagine that we are in the same beaker on the windowsill in the laboratory of Philippe de Saussure. The weather is warm outside, the rays of the sun falling on the glass penetrate through the glass, heating its bottom. It, in turn, gives off the absorbed energy in the form of infrared radiation to the air inside the glass, thereby heating it. Infrared radiation cannot pass back through the walls, leaving heat inside. The temperature inside the glass rises and we become hot.

In the case of the scale of the planet Earth, everything works a little more complicated, given that instead of glass we have layers of the atmosphere and, together with sunbeams The greenhouse effect is created by many other factors.

Causes of the greenhouse effect

Human activity is one of the main factors in the formation of the greenhouse effect. It is noteworthy that the greenhouse effect existed several centuries before technical and industrial progress but in and of itself poses no threat. However, with air pollution from factories, emissions harmful substances, as well as the burning of coal, oil and gas, the situation worsened. Carbon dioxide and other dangerous compounds formed at the same time contribute not only to the growth of oncological diseases among the population, but also to an increase in air temperature.

Cars and trucks also contribute to the cocktail of harmful substances emitted into the air, thereby enhancing the greenhouse effect.

overpopulation makes the machine of consumption and demand work more productively: new factories, cattle breeding farms are opened, more cars are produced, increasing the pressure on the atmosphere hundreds of times. Nature itself offers us one of the solutions - endless forest spaces that can purify the air and reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. However, a person in large numbers cuts down forests.

In the agricultural industry, in the vast majority of cases, chemical fertilizers, contributing to the release of nitrogen - one of the greenhouse gases. There is organic farming, which you can read about here. It is absolutely harmless to the Earth's atmosphere, as it uses only natural fertilizers, but, unfortunately, the percentage of such farms is extremely small in order to “cover” non-ecological agricultural farms with their activities.

At the same time, huge landfills contribute to the increase in greenhouse gases, where garbage sometimes ignites spontaneously or rots for a very long time, releasing the same greenhouse gases.

Consequences of the greenhouse effect

An unnatural increase in temperature entails a change in the climate of the area, and, consequently, the extinction of many representatives of flora and fauna that are not adapted to given climate. One ecological problem gives rise to another - species exhaustion.

Also, being in the conditions of a "steam room", glaciers are colossal "deposits" of fresh water! - slowly but surely melt away. Due to this, the level of the World Ocean will rise, which means it will flood coastal areas, and the land area will decrease.

Some ecologists predict that the level of the Sea Ocean, on the contrary, will decrease, and in 200 years. It will slowly dry out under the influence high temperature. Not only will the air temperature increase, but also the water temperature, which means that many organisms whose life system so finely organized that temperature drops of 1-2 degrees are fatal for her. For example, entire coral reefs are already dying out, turning into piles of dead deposits.

The impact on human health should not be ignored. An increase in air temperature contributes to the active spread of such life-threatening viruses as Ebola, sleeping sickness, bird flu, yellow fever, tuberculosis, etc. Death from dehydration and heat stroke will increase.

Solutions

Despite the fact that the problem is global, its solution lies in several simple actions. The difficulty is that as many people as possible should perform them.

6. To educate relatives, friends and acquaintances, to educate in children the need to take care of nature. After all, any problem can be solved by acting together.

The problem of the greenhouse effect is especially relevant in our century, when we destroy forests to build another industrial plant, and many of us cannot imagine life without a car. We, like ostriches, hide our heads in the sand, not noticing the harm from our activities. Meanwhile, the greenhouse effect is intensifying and leading to global catastrophes.

The phenomenon of the greenhouse effect has existed since the appearance of the atmosphere, although it was not so noticeable. However, its study began long before active use cars and.

Brief definition

The greenhouse effect is an increase in the temperature of the lower layers of the planet's atmosphere due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases. Its mechanism is as follows: the sun's rays penetrate the atmosphere, heat the surface of the planet.

thermal radiation, which comes from the surface, should return to space, but the lower atmosphere is too dense for them to penetrate. The reason for this is greenhouse gases. Heat rays linger in the atmosphere, increasing its temperature.

History of greenhouse effect research

For the first time they started talking about the phenomenon in 1827. Then an article by Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier appeared “Note on Temperatures the globe and other planets”, where he outlined in detail his ideas about the mechanism of the greenhouse effect and the reasons for its appearance on Earth. In his research, Fourier relied not only on his own experiments, but also on the judgments of M. De Saussure. The latter conducted experiments with a glass vessel blackened from the inside, closed and placed under sunlight. The temperature inside the vessel was much higher than outside. This is due to such a factor: thermal radiation cannot pass through darkened glass, which means it remains inside the container. At the same time, sunlight boldly penetrates through the walls, since the outside of the vessel remains transparent.

Multiple Formulas

total energy solar radiation absorbed per unit time by a planet with radius R and spherical albedo A is:

E = πR2 ( E_0 over R2) (1 – A),

where E_0 is the solar constant and r is the distance to the Sun.

In accordance with the Stefan-Boltzmann law, the equilibrium thermal radiation L of a planet with radius R, that is, the area of ​​the radiating surface 4πR2:

L=4πR2 σTE^4,

where TE is effective temperature planets.

Causes

The nature of the phenomenon is explained by the different transparency of the atmosphere for radiation from space and from the surface of the planet. The atmosphere of the planet is transparent to the sun's rays, like glass, and therefore they easily pass through it. And for thermal radiation, the lower layers of the atmosphere are "impenetrable", too dense to pass through. That is why part of the thermal radiation remains in the atmosphere, gradually descending to its lowest layers. At the same time, the amount of greenhouse gases condensing the atmosphere is growing.

Back in school, we were taught that the main cause of the greenhouse effect is human activity. Evolution has led us to industry, we burn tons of coal, oil and gas, we get fuel, the consequence of this is the release of greenhouse gases and substances into the atmosphere. Among them are water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide, nitric oxide. Why they are so named is understandable. The surface of the planet is heated by the sun's rays, but it necessarily "gives" some of the heat back. Thermal radiation that comes from the Earth's surface is called infrared.

Greenhouse gases in the lower part of the atmosphere prevent heat rays from returning to space, delaying them. As a result, the average temperature of the planet is increasing, and this leads to dangerous consequences.

Is there really nothing that can regulate the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere? Of course it can. Oxygen does this job well. But here's the problem - the number of the planet's population is growing inexorably, which means that more and more oxygen is being absorbed. Our only salvation is vegetation, especially forests. They absorb excess carbon dioxide, emit much large quantity oxygen than people consume.

Greenhouse effect and Earth's climate

When we talk about the consequences of the greenhouse effect, we understand its impact on the Earth's climate. The first is global warming. Many equate the concepts of "greenhouse effect" and "global warming", but they are not equal, but interrelated: the first is the cause of the second.

Global warming is directly related to the oceans. Here is an example of two causal relationships.

1. The average temperature of the planet rises, the liquid begins to evaporate. This also applies to the World Ocean: some scientists are afraid that in a couple of hundred years it will begin to “dry up”.
2. At the same time, due to high temperatures, glaciers and sea ​​ice will begin to melt actively in the near future. This will lead to an inevitable rise in the level of the World Ocean.

We are already seeing regular floods in coastal areas, but if the level of the World Ocean rises significantly, all the nearby land areas will be flooded, crops will die.

Impact on people's lives

Do not forget that the increase in the average temperature of the Earth will affect our lives. The consequences can be very serious. Many territories of our planet, already prone to drought, will become absolutely unviable, people will begin to migrate en masse to other regions. This will inevitably lead to socio-economic problems, to the beginning of the third and fourth world wars. Lack of food, destruction of crops - that's what awaits us in the next century.

But is it necessary to wait? Or is it still possible to change something? Can humanity reduce the harm from the greenhouse effect?

Actions that can save the Earth

To date, all the harmful factors that lead to the accumulation of greenhouse gases are known, and we know what needs to be done to stop it. Do not think that one person will not change anything. Of course, only all of humanity can achieve an effect, but who knows - maybe a hundred more people are reading a similar article at that moment?

Forest conservation

Stop deforestation. Plants are our salvation! In addition, it is necessary not only to preserve existing forests, but also to actively plant new ones.

Everyone should understand this problem.

Photosynthesis is so powerful that it can provide us with a huge amount of oxygen. It's enough for normal life people and eliminate harmful gases from the atmosphere.

Use of electric vehicles

Refusal to use cars on fuel. Each car highlights great amount greenhouse gases per year, so why not opt ​​for a healthier environment? Scientists are already offering us electric vehicles – environmentally friendly cars that do not use fuel. Minus the "fuel" car - another step towards the elimination of greenhouse gases. All over the world they are trying to accelerate this transition, but so far the current developments of such machines are far from perfect. Even in Japan, where there is the greatest use of such cars, they are not ready to completely switch to their use.

Alternative to hydrocarbon fuel

Invention alternative energy. Humanity does not stand still, so why are we "stuck" on the use of coal, oil and gas? Burning these natural ingredients leads to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, so it's time to switch to environmentally friendly clean look energy.

We cannot completely abandon everything that emits harmful gases. But we can contribute to an increase in oxygen in the atmosphere. Not only a real man must plant a tree - every person must do this!

What is the most important thing in solving any problem? Don't close your eyes to her. We may not notice the harm from the greenhouse effect, but future generations will definitely notice. We can stop burning coal and oil, preserve the natural vegetation of the planet, refuse ordinary car in favor of environmentally friendly - and all for what? In order for our Earth to exist after us.