1 greenhouse effect. Causes, current status and ways to solve the problem of greenhouse effect

In the atmospheric layers of our planet there are many phenomena, directly affecting the climatic conditions of the Earth. Such a phenomenon is considered a greenhouse effect characterized by increasing the temperature of the lower atmospheric layers of the globe in comparison with the temperature of the thermal radiation of our planet, which can be observed from space.

This process is considered one of the global environmental problems of modernity, since, due to it, solar heat is delayed in the form of greenhouse gases near the surface of the Earth and creates prerequisites for global warming.

Greenhouse gases affecting the climate of the planet

The principles of the greenhouse effect first illuminated Joseph Fourier, considering different types of mechanisms in the formation of the land climate. At the same time, factors affect the temperature conditions of climatic belts and high-quality heat transfer, and factors that affect the state of the general thermal balance Our planet. The greenhouse effect is ensured by the difference in transparency atmospheres in the far and visible infrared bands. The heat balance of the globe determines the climate and average annual surface temperatures.

The so-called greenhouse gases are active in this process, which delay infrared rays engaged in the heating of the Earth's atmosphere and its surface. According to the degree of influence and impact on the thermal balance of our planet, the following types of greenhouse gases are common to be maintained:

• Water par
• Methane

The main thing in this list is water vapor (air humidity of the troposphere), which brings the main contribution to the greenhouse effect of the earth's atmosphere. Also participate in the action of freons and nitrogen oxide, but the low concentration of other gases has no such substantial influence.

Principle of operation and reasons for greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect is as yet called the greenhouse, lies in the penetration of short-wave radiation of the Sun to the surface of the Earth, which contributes to carbon dioxide. In this case, the thermal radiation of the Earth (long-wave) is delayed. Due to these ordered actions, a long heating of our atmosphere is carried out.

Also, the essence of the greenhouse effect can be viewed as the possibility of increasing the global temperature of the Earth, which can occur as a result of significant changes in the thermal balance. Such a process can determine the gradual accumulation in the atmosphere of our planet of greenhouse gases.

Slegor itself cause of greenhouse effect They call the entry of industrial gases into the atmosphere. It turns out that the negative results of human activity (forest fires, automotive emissions, the operation of various industrial enterprises and burning fuel residues) become direct causes of climate warming. The derivation of forests is also one of such reasons, since it is the forests that are the most active carbon dioxide absorbers.

If normalized for living organisms, the Earth's ecosystems and people will need to try to adapt to the modified climatic regimes. However, the most reasonable solution will still reduce the subsequent regulation of emissions.

If you do not stop its increasing, equilibrium on earth can break. Climate will change, hunger will come and illness. Scientists develop different measures to combat the problem, which should be global.

Essence

What is a greenhouse effect? So called the rise of the surface temperature of the planet due to the fact that the gases in the atmosphere have the property to hold heat. The earth is heated by the radiation of the sun. Visible short waves from the light source freely penetrate the surface of our planet. Heating, the earth begins to radiate long heat waves. Partially they penetrate through the layers of the atmosphere and "go" into space. Reduce the bandwidth, reflect long waves. Heat remains at the surface of the Earth. The greater the concentration of gases, the higher the greenhouse effect.

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

Garnik gases are pairs (from water), carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide), methane, ozone. The first participation in the formation of the greenhouse effect is taking the first (up to 72%). Next to significance - carbon dioxide (9-26%), the proportion of methane and ozone 4-9 and 3-7%, respectively.

Recently, you can often hear about the greenhouse effect as a serious ecological problem. But this phenomenon has a positive side. Due to the fact that the greenhouse effect exists, the average temperature of our planet is about 15 degrees above zero. Without him, life on earth would be impossible. The temperature could only be "minus" 18.

The reason for the appearance of the effect is the active activity of the set of volcanoes on the planet millions of years ago. At the same time, the content of water, carbon dioxide, significantly increased in the atmosphere. The concentration of the latter achieved such a value that there was a super-fast greenhouse effect. As a result, the water of the World Ocean has almost boiled, so high has become its temperature.

The appearance of vegetation everywhere on the surface of the Earth caused a sufficiently rapid absorption of carbon dioxide. The accumulation of heat declined. Established balance. The average annual temperature on the surface of the planet was at the level close to this.

The reasons

Increased phenomena contribute:

• Industry development is the main reason 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 average annual temperature. In the century, it rose by 0.74 degrees. Scientists predict that in the future this growth can be 0.2 degrees for every 10 years. That is, the warming intensity increases.
• - Reason for the growth of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. This gas is absorbed by vegetation. The massive development of new lands associated with the cutting of forests, accelerates the pace of accumulation of carbon dioxide, and at the same time changes the living conditions of animals, plants, leads to extinction of their species.
• Burning fuel (solid and oil), waste leads to the emission of carbon dioxide. Heating, electricity generation, transportation - main sources of this gas.
• The growth of energy consumption is a sign and a condition of technical progress. The population of the planet increases by about 2% per year. Power consumption growth - 5%. The intensity increases annually, humanity needs more and more energy.
• The increase in the number of landfills leads to an increase in methane concentration. Another gas source is the activity of livestock complexes.

Threats

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

• Polar ice melts, and this is the reason for raising the sea level. As a result, coastal fertile land turns out to be under water. If the flooding will occur with a high pace, a serious threat to agriculture will arise. Sowing, the area of \u200b\u200bpastures is reduced, sources of fresh water disappear. First of all, the low-income layers of the population will suffer, the life of which depends on the crop, the growth of pets.
• Many coastal cities, including highly developed, in the future may be under water. For example, New York, St. Petersburg. Or whole countries. For example, Holland. Such phenomena will cause the need for mass movement of people's settlements. Scientists suggest that after 15 years the level of the ocean can rise by 0.1-0.3 meters, and by the end of the 21st century - by 0.3-1 meters. In order to undergoes the above-mentioned cities under water, the level should rise by about 5 meters.
• The increase in air temperature leads to the fact that the period of laying snow is reduced inside the continents. It begins to melt before, as faster it ends with the rainy season. As a result, the soils are rearmed, unsuitable for the cultivation of agricultural crops. The lack of moisture is the reason for the desertification of land. Experts argue that the increase in the average temperature of 1 degrees in 10 years will lead to a reduction in forest areas by 100-200 million hectares. These lands will become the steppes.
• The ocean covers 71% of the surface area of \u200b\u200bour planet. With the increase in air temperature, water is heated. Enamel significantly increases. And this is one of the main reasons for the enhancement of the greenhouse effect.
• With raising water level in the ocean, the temperature appears a threat to biodiversity, a variety of wildlife types may disappear. The reason is changes in their habitat. Not every species can successfully adapt new conditions. The consequence of the disappearance of some plants, animals, birds, other living beings - disruption of nutrition chains, equilibrium ecosystems.
• Rising water level causes climate change. The boundaries of the seasons are shifted, the number and intensity of storms, hurricanes, precipitation increases. Climate stability is the main condition for the existence on earth of life. Stop the greenhouse effect - it means to maintain human civilization on the planet.
• High air temperature may adversely affect people's health. Under such conditions, cardiovascular diseases are aggravated, respiratory authorities suffer. Thermal anomalies lead to an increase in the number of injuries, some psychological disorders. The rise in temperature will attract more rapid spread of many hazardous diseases, such as malaria, encephalitis.

What to do?

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

• Changes in the use of energy sources. Reducing the share and number of fossils (containing carbon peat, coal), oil. The transition to natural gas will significantly reduce the allocation of CO2. Enlarding the share of alternative sources (sun, wind, water) will reduce emissions, because these methods allow to obtain energy without harm to ecology. When using them, the gases are not allocated.
• Changing energy policy. Increase the efficiency in power plants. Reducing the energy intensity of manufactured products in enterprises.
• The introduction of energy saving technologies. Even the usual insulation of facades of houses, window openings, heat centers gives a significant result - saving fuel, and, it means a smaller volume of emissions. The solution of the issue at the level of enterprises, industries, states will attract the global improvement of the situation. Each person can contribute to the solution of the problem: electricity savings, proper disposal of garbage, the insulation of its own dwelling.
• Development of technologies aimed at obtaining products with new, environmentally friendly methods.
• The use of secondary resources is one of the measures to reduce waste, the number and volume of landfills.
• Restoration of forests, fighting fires in them, increase in area as a method for reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The fight against greenhouse gases today is conducted at the international level. World summits are conducted on this issue, documents are being created to organize a global solution to the issue. Many scholars are searching for ways to reduce the greenhouse effect, preserve balance and life on Earth.

The main contribution to the "greenhouse" effect of the earth's atmosphere introduces water vapor or air humidity of the troposphere (Table 3).

At the same time, the concentration of water vapor in the troposphere significantly depends on the surface temperature: an increase in the total concentration of "greenhouse gases" in the atmosphere should lead to increased humidity and greenhouse effect, which in turn leads to an increase in the near-surface temperature.

When the near-surface temperature decreases, the concentration of water vapor falls, which leads to a decrease in the "greenhouse" effect, and, at the same time, with a decrease in temperature in the indoor areas, snow-icy cover is formed, leading to an increase in albedo and, together, with a decrease in the "greenhouse" effect, Causeing a decrease in the average near-surface temperature.

Thus, the climate on Earth can move in the stage of warming and cooling, depending on the change in the albedo of the Earth, the atmosphere and the "greenhouse" effect.

Anthropogenic pollution of the Earth's atmosphere is one of the reasons for the "greenhouse" effect, under which the possible increase in the global temperature of the globe as a result of changing the thermal balance due to the so-called "greenhouse gases".

On the earth's surface comes mainly the flow of visible rays, which pass through the "greenhouse gases" without changing. In the near-earth space, at a meeting with various bodies, a significant part of these rays is transformed into long-wave (infrared) thermal rays. The "greenhouse gases" prevent the care of heat rays into outer space and thereby cause an increase in air temperature ("greenhouse" effect).

The main "greenhouse gas" is carbon dioxide (CO 2). His contribution to the "greenhouse" effect, according to various sources, ranges from 50 to 65%. Other "greenhouse gases" includes methane (about 20%), nitric oxides (approximately 5%), ozone, freons (chlorofluorocarbons) and other gases (about 10-25% "greenhouse" effect). About 30 "greenhouse gases" are known. Their insulation effect depends not only on the amount in the atmosphere, but also on the relative activity of action per molecule. If, according to this indicator of CO 2, take per unit, then for methane it will be 25, for nitrogen oxides - 165, and for freon - 11000.

The main anthropogenic source of CO 2 admission to the atmosphere is the burning of carbon-containing fuel (coal, oil, fuel oil, methane, etc.). Now only about 1 ton of carbon per person per year comes from heat and power engineering to the atmosphere per year; According to forecasts in the first half of the XXI century, the release will reach more than 10 billion tons.

Over the past 200 years, the concentration of CO 2 in the air increased from 275 to 350 particles per 1 million particles of air, that is, by 25%, and from 1958. In 2001, the concentration of CO 2 increased from 350 to 368 particles (Table 4). If humanity does not take action to reduce gas emissions, by the middle of the century, the average global surface atmosphere increases by 1.5-4.5 0 S. Shares of some states in the carbon dioxide emission: USA - 22%, Russia and China - 11%, Germany and Japan - 5%.

Currently, the danger is that the concentration of "greenhouse gases" in the atmosphere, namely carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water vapor and many others, has increased significantly and is associated with the industrial development of humanity. Over the past 150 years, nitrogen content increased by 18%, methane by almost 150%, and carbon dioxide by more than 30%. As a result, a certain stimulation of the "greenhouse" effect with appropriate consequences occurred.

According to calculations of scientists in the carbon cycle on the planet, 330 billion tons of this substance take part. The share of a person in this volume is very small - 7.5 billion tons, but this is enough to disrupt the equilibrium system.

Recognizing the problem of global climate warming, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) were established in 1988 by the Intergovernmental Group of Climate Change Experts (IPCC). This is actually permanent forum of several thousand scientists of different countries, including dozens of Russian, almost all who are engaged in this problem from different parties: climatologists, environmentalists, economists and energy. For about 4-5 years, scientists publish their multi-page reports on the state of the land climate. The "first report" of experts in 1990 contained a rather modest statement about the incorrect climate fluctuations, in one scientists were sure for sure - there is an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The average carbon dioxide rate in the atmosphere according to WMO data over the past 30 years has increased from 340 to 390 particles per million. The confidence of researchers increased every year. Back in 2006, 70% of experts were confident that a person was to blame for worldwide climate change, but already from the fourth report of the IPCC in 2007 it became clear that the number of experts confident in this increased to 90-95%.

The problem of reducing greenhouse gas emissions is engaged in almost the entire world community, both on political and industrial and environmental levels. An example of a competent policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. In December 1997, an international conference on global climate change on the planet was held in Kyoto, which was attended by representatives from 159 countries. The final protocol was adopted, which provided for a total reduction in 5.2% of emissions into the atmosphere of "greenhouse gases". By 2008-2012. The countries of the European Union should reduce greenhouse gas emissions (from the 1990 level) by 8%, the United States - by 7%, Japan, Canada by 6%. Russia and Ukraine by 2012 can preserve emissions at the level of 1990 due to the decrease in industrial production in recent years. An example of an industrial reduction in CO 2 emissions can serve as carried out in Japan in 2007-2008. By reducing carbon dioxide emissions as a result of dissolving flue gases after gas-wide installations in sea water. However, this technical solution did not give the expected results, and work in this direction was discontinued.

In recent decade, the phrase "greenhouse effect" is practically not coming from either the screens of television, nor with pages of newspapers. Training programs immediately in several disciplines provide for its careful study, and almost always indicates its negative importance for the climate of our planet. However, this phenomenon is actually much more multifaceted than this is presented by the average man.

Without a greenhouse effect, life on our planet would be in question

It can be started with the fact that the greenhouse effect on our planet existed throughout its history. Such a phenomenon is simply inevitable for those celestial bodies that, like the Earth, there is a steady atmosphere. Without it, for example, the world ocean would have been frozen, and the higher forms of life would not appear at all. Scientists have long been scientifically proved that if there were carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, the presence of which is the necessary leaving the process of occurrence of the greenhouse effect, then the temperature on the planet would be fluctuated in the range of -20 0 s, so it would not be about the occurrence of life.

Causes and Essence of the Greenhouse Effect

Responding to the question: "What is a greenhouse effect?", First of all, it should be noted that this physical phenomenon has been obtained by analogy with those processes that occur in the greenhouse at the gardeners. Inside it, regardless of the time of year, always for several degrees warmer than in the surrounding space. The fact is that the plants absorb visible solar rays, which are absolutely free and through glass, and through polyethylene, and in general almost through any obstacle. After that, the plants themselves also begin to radiate energy, but already in the infrared range, the rays of which can no longer be freely overcome the same glass, so the greenhouse effect occurs. The reasons for this phenomenon are thus lying in the imbalance between the spectrum of visible sunlight and the radiation that are given to the external plants and other items.

Physical basis of the greenhouse effect

As for our planet as a whole, the greenhouse effect here arises due to the presence of a stable atmosphere. To maintain your temperature balance, the Earth must give as much energy as it receives from the sun. However, the presence in the atmosphere of carbon dioxide and water, which absorb infrared rays, performing, thus, the role of glass in the greenhouse causes the formation of so-called greenhouse gases, part of which returns back to the ground. These gases create a "effect of blanket", increasing the temperature at the surface of the planet.

Greenhouse effect on Venus

Of the foregoing, it can be concluded that the greenhouse effect is characteristic not only for the Earth, but also for all planets and other celestial bodies with a sustainable atmosphere. And indeed, studies conducted by scientists showed that, for example, in the surface of Venus, this phenomenon has a much more pronounced character, which is due, first of all, with the fact that its air sheath is almost one hundred percent consists of carbon dioxide.

Earth as a result of the impact of man's economic activity. A special concern is an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in, which leads to heating the surface of the Earth and the lower atmosphere and, possibly, is one of the main reasons for the climate warming over the past decades.

The most significant natural greenhouse gas is water vapor H20. It absorbs and emits long-wave infrared radiation in the range of wavelengths of 4.5 - 80 microns. The effect of water vapor on the greenhouse effect is determining and is created predominantly absorption strip 5 - 7.5 μm. However, part of the radiation of the earth's surface in the areas of the spectrum 3 - 5 μm and 8 - 12 μm, called transparency windows, leaving the atmosphere into world space. The greenhouse effect of water vapor is intensified by the absorption bands of carbon dioxide, which falls into the atmosphere as a result of volcanic activity, a natural carbon cycle in nature, rotting organic substances in the soil when heated, as well as human activity, mainly due to burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas ) and the destruction of forests.

In addition to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the content of greenhouse gases such as methane, nitrogen rushing and tropospheric ozone increases. Methane enters the atmosphere of swamps and deep cracks in the earth's crust. An increase in its concentration is promoted by the development of agricultural production (especially the expansion of abundant irrigated rice fields), an increase in livestock livestock, biomass burning and natural gas production. Nitric zaki concentration increases the use of nitrogen fertilizers, aircraft emissions, as well as oxidation processes. Ozone in the troposphere increases as a result of chemical reactions under the action of sunlight between hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, formed due to burning fossil fuels, the concentration of these gases increases faster than the concentration of carbon dioxide, and in the future their relative contribution to the greenhouse effect of the atmosphere may increase. The growth of the atmosphere also contributes to an increase in the concentration of a strongly absorbing aerosol of industrial origin (soot) with a radius of particles 0.001 - 0.05 μm. An increase in greenhouse gases and aerosols can significantly increase the global temperature and cause other climatic changes, the environmental and social consequences of which is still difficult to predict.