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What Could Be Some of the Effects of Greenhouse Overheating?

Periodic warming of the planet is part of its weather cycle. Many greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, occur naturally. These greenhouse gases keep the planet from losing all of its heat. The problem is that man adds to the gases, causing the atmosphere to heat up faster than normal which creates a disturbance in the earth's weather cycle. Since the 1990s, the greenhouse overheating effect has become more noticeable.

  1. Rising Sea Levels

    • The northern and southern poles are heating up and melting at a significant rate. The ice from the poles melts and flows into the surrounding oceans and slowly raises the sea level. Melted rain water is desalinating the oceans, reducing water density. This adds up to slightly higher sea levels with faster moving currents that are causing an increase in floods. As the water rises, the coastlines will slowly disappear.

    Erratic Weather

    • As the temperature rises, so will the rate of evaporation from the land and seas. Localized changes in temperatures from this process will produce more powerful hurricanes. There will be more localized storms and hurricanes, changing wind patterns that create erratic weather around the world. While some areas will dry out from evaporation, other areas will see more rain than normal. Global rainfall has increased by 10 percent while drought areas have doubled since 1970.

    Crop Loss

    • Plants lose water through small holes in their leaves to keep cool in much the same way as humans. Warmer temperatures will dry out the land, and the plant now has to close the holes to keep the water in, which stops CO2 from entering the plant for photosynthesis and stunts the plant's growth. The plant will eventually wither. With close to 7 billion people to feed, crop loss is a serious side effect of global warming.

    Ground and Buildings

    • Stability of the ground is affected by precipitation and temperature. As the climate gets warmer, clay in the soils dries out and loses its strength against the weight of buildings. Wetter winters are causing the ground to swell. The characteristics of building materials are also affected by weather. Mortar is drying out at faster rates, causing building structures to weaken. Weaker shifting ground and reduced strength in buildings are dangers that can't be ignored.

    Pollution

    • As temperature rises, so do pollution and greenhouse gases. These gases trap more heat, causing more gases to rise in a vicious cycle. Pollution is on the rise and affecting the health of all living organisms on the planet. With more rainfall there are more air pollutants washed back down to the earth and plants. Plant and nutritional qualities start to suffer, which reduces man's overall health.

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