Repercussions of the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is caused by the behaviour of natural gases found in Earth's atmosphere as they affect the way heat energy from the sun is radiated back into space and how much stays in our atmosphere. As it passes through the atmosphere it is absorbed by gasses such as water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide. This causes traps the energy which warms Earth and then whatever is left gets radiated back into space. This is a natural occurrence but over time humans have lead the gases in the atmosphere to build up and warm the Earth at a rapid rate. The earth was at an equilibrium state for a centuries before the industrial revolution which lead to the increase usage/burning of fossil fuels, agriculture and rise in population. This ongoing human activity has created a significant change in the atmosphere as usually the rise of these gasses in the atmosphere would take thousand thousands of years, and gradually let organisms adapt to their homes but because this has been so rapid, an adaption may be impossible. Other consequences for the increase is that sea levels will increase and global weather patterns will rise to the extreme. These will lead to adversity between agriculture, human health, biodiversity with regions and loss of habitat for many specimens. For example the marine ecosystem would exhibit a change in water temperatures rising about 0.1 degrees Celsius over the century. This puts stress on marine life as coral reefs are susceptible to these changes and can make them bleach which means they are releasing their symbiotic algae. This can cause large scale reefs to die off and many organisms would be found without homes or ways to hide from danger. Also krill can be affected by these changes as they tend to not reproduce in warmer areas which leads to a disruption for krill eaters as they would face food shortages. Since there is an abundance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere much of it is also absorbed into oceans which cause the chemistry of the oceans to change and become acidic. This causes marine life to adapt quickly or die off, which could then lead to food shortages for humans as certain countries such as Japan rely heavily on seafood for their diet. Weather and climate globally will also be affected due to the greenhouse effect. Many places such as the Middle East may become hotter and drier, which can then cause it to be inhabitable by humans which forces them to relocate in order to survive as they have not had the time to adapt to the sudden changes. Coastal countries with large populations may be forced to move inland which can cause over-populations and they may not be able to adapt to certain circumstances. This can cause certain places to be affected by drought, floods and storms but it is uncertain which specific regions will be affected as it is unknown how long humans will continue to ignore these issues.Certain plants, animals and humans will be forced to move, adapt or perish as they are all of sudden exposed to these changes and they will find it difficult to survive. Crops will be affected as certain plants grow in warmer climates such as rice and colder climates such as sugar cane. This could lead to more food shortages and cause more people in countries such as Africa and China to suffer from hunger. Sources: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/explore/pristine-seas/critical-issues-sea-temperature-rise/ http://www.nova.org.au/earth-environment/enhanced-greenhouse-effect http://www.toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Greenhouse+Effect