Global Warming

The global surface temperature increased 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the 100 years ending in 2005.


The causes of the recent warming are an active field of research. The scientific consensus is that the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases due to human activity has caused most of the warming observed since the start of the industry era.

Antarctica is heating up than scientists had thought. A large part of West Antarctica, not just the peninsula area, has warmed during the past 50 years, a study shows. The issue of climate change on the frozen continent has been controversial because East Antarctica has been cooling and temperature records are sparse. The evidences shows the continent as a whole is getting warmer.

Warming in West Antarctica exceeded 0.1 degrees a decade during the past 50 years. Significant warming extends well beyond the Antarctic Peninsula to cover most of West Antarctica, an area of warming much larger than previously reported, ice sheets in West Antarctica was at greater risk of melting. Along with the Greenland ice sheet, a complete melt of both sheets would raise sea levels by 14 meters.

Another study, also published in Nature, has found that the seasons are starting about a 1.7 days earlier on average around the globe than during the first half of the century.

Source: smh
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

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Sam