Understanding Global Warming

Global warming refers to the long-term rise in Earth's average temperature. Primarily driven by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels, it leads to excess greenhouse gases like CO2, trapping heat in the atmosphere.

The greenhouse effect is the process where certain gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, trap heat from the sun. While essential for life, excessive greenhouse gases intensify this effect, causing more heat to be trapped and raising global temperatures.

Oceans absorb about 93% of the excess heat from global warming. This leads to thermal expansion and contributes to rising sea levels. Unexpectedly, warmer oceans can also reduce their ability to absorb CO2, creating a feedback loop that accelerates warming.

Thawing permafrost in polar regions releases significant amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This process can accelerate global warming more than CO2 due to methane's higher heat-trapping capacity, leading to more rapid climate changes.

Global warming affects biodiversity by altering habitats and forcing species to migrate or adapt. Surprisingly, some species face extinction as their habitats disappear or become inhospitable, while invasive species might thrive, further disrupting ecosystems.

Melting polar ice is causing Earth's rotation to speed up slightly, altering the length of a day by microseconds each year.