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Global warming
global warming, is a change in the weather patterns, water supplies, and planting seasons on Earth.
Global warming stems from natural causes (such as volcanoes and continental drift) as well as manmade causes
(such as theozone depletion and deforestation).
Acid rain is a term used to describe moisture that falls from the sky that contains pollutants that man has added to
the atmosphere (primarily from factories, vehicles, and ships).
Almost 800 species on Earth have become extinct.
Climate change is causing the polar ice caps to melt, which is, in turn, threatening the existence of polar bears.
Pollution
More than 80% of ocean pollution comes from the land, primarily from chemicals and particles that creep into
waterways, which feed into oceans.
The ocean is polluted, on a regular basis, by: oil, solid garbage, fertilizers, sewage, and toxic chemicals.
There are areas of the ocean known as dead zones, because the oxygen has been depleted from the water. The
runoff from chemical fertilizers is thought to be the cause of dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico.
Biodiversity conservation: Biodiversity is critical for the survival of the ecosystem because it
can help in food production, disease control, crop pollination and recreation. There is need to
prioritize the areas that require conservation.
Habitat loss: the habitat loss and fragmentation due to deforestation and human development.
This is considered as the major cause of diminishing biodiversity globally. Many species are
faced with extinction.
Climate Change: Climate change is yet another environmental problem that has surfaced in last
couple of decades. It occurs due to rise in global warming which occurs due to increase in
temperature of atmosphere by burning of fossil fuels and release of harmful gases by industries.
Climate change has various harmful effects but not limited to melting of polar ice, change in
seasons, occurrence of new diseases, frequent occurrence of floods and change in overall weather
scenario. - See more at: http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/15-current-environmentalproblems.php#sthash.GRze4gAx.dpuf
products are released to the environment, they may not be recalled, making it a
dangerous global experiment.
. Waste Disposal: The over consumption of resources and creation of plastics are creating a global
crisis of waste disposal. Developed countries are notorious for producing an excessive amount of
waste or garbage and dumping their waste in the oceans and, less developed countries. Nuclear
waste disposal has tremendous health hazards associated with it. Plastic, fast food, packaging and
cheap electronic wastes threaten the well being of humans. Waste disposal is one of urgent current
environmental problem. - See more at: http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/15-currentenvironmental-problems.php#sthash.efghnpok.dpuf
There are five layers within the atmosphere. The troposphere, the
stratosphere, mesosphere, ionosphere and exosphere are the layers of
the atmosphere.
The troposphere lies closest to the Earth and is about 11 miles thick. This
layer contains most of the air and oxygen in the atmosphere. Our weather
is formed in the troposphere. Water evaporates from land to become rain
or snow. Winds bring warm or cool weather.
The stratosphere lies above the troposphere and goes up about 30 miles
high. The ozone layer is in the stratosphere. The ozone protects us from
harmful rays from the Sun.
The mesosphere is the next layer, reaching 50 miles from the Earth. This
layer of the atmosphere is very cold about -180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brrrr! Here is where most meteors burn up. Without this layer, our Earth
would be pocked like the Moon and other planets.
The ionosphere extends 430 miles above the Earth and is considered
outer space. It is very thin and very cold. An electrical layer created by
ions is found here which is used to transmit radio waves. This electrical
layer also causes the Northern Lights.
High above the Earth is the exosphere, the final layer of our atmosphere.
This layer extends into space. Solar winds compress it and push it down.
When the winds are still, this layer can extend more than 6,000 miles into
space.