Chapter 15 Human Influences on Climate Lead Negative feedback mechanism Nitric oxide Nitrogen dioxide Ozone Particulates pH scale Photochemical smog Polar Stratospheric Clouds PSCs Positive feedback mechanism Ship tracks Smog Sulfur dioxide Sulfur trioxide Sulfuric acid Urban heat island Volatile organic compounds Key Terms Acid rain Air pollution Biosphere Carbon monoxide Contrails Cyrosphere Desertification Ice albedo temperature Feedback Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Summary Recent observations indicate that global surface temperatures are warming This warming has coincided with rapidly increasing amounts of atmospheric greenhouse gases These gases play a crucial role in Earth s climate by affecting the energy budget Human activities are increasing the concentrations of greenhouse gases Humans have been altering weather and climate on local and regional scales for centuries Pollution in the form of lead CO and tropospheric ozone causes health problems and photochemical smog Oxides of nitrogen and sulfur are primarily to blame for the development of acid rain which kills trees and aquatic life The release of CFCs in combination with stratospheric wind and cloud patterns and chemical reaction led to the ozone hole over Antarctica In addition by diverting rivers and building cities humans have changed local and regional precipitation and temperature patterns markedly These examples reveal that feedback processes within the atmosphere and connecting the atmosphere with the Earth s surface can cause relativity small initial changes in the atmosphere to amplify significant climate changes Scientists are still learning how the atmosphere interacts with water water vapor clouds and the oceans especially in the situation of rising temperatures as a result of increasing amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases Evidence from the atmosphere oceans cryosphere and biosphere supports the conclusion of the IPCC that global warming has already occurred The IPCC has also concluded that the change that these changes in global temperature have been caused by humans is 90
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