Natural earth processes that affect global warming?

Lynn Hollars: Positive feedback: (1) loss of polar ice decreases the reflection of light and increases heating, (2) melting of arctic permafrost releases methane which is a potent greenhouse gas, (3) warming of the ocean releases methane, (4) warming the atmosphere increases the water vapor in the air, and water vapor is a greenhouse gas. Negative feedback: (1) increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases the uptake by plants, (2) increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide increases the uptake of carbon dioxide by the oceans (but seriously changes the chemistry of the water). Overall, the carbon dioxide has been rising since the start of the Industrial Revolution, so the negative feedback mechanism is not working to maintain a constant level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere....Show more

Ramona Pago: volcanos

Hope Lundmark: The sun's inactive phase, the natural water cycle, methane and CO2 produced naturally by decomposition are some examples of positive! feedback. More trees and algea producing more oxygen, and the sun's active phase would be examples of negative feedback

Krystal Cordovano: solar flares

Hunter Beech: Negative Feedback: Increased temperature, humidity and Co2, increase plant growth and their overall capacity to absorb Co2.People figure out a human cause and reduce it.

Gaynell Pizzaro: Water Vapour is a positive feedbackClouds are both a positive and negative feedbacksurface albedo is a negative feedbackatmospheric sulfate aerosols are a negative feedback and contribute to global dimminglapse rate is a... positive feedback I thinkto name a coupleEdit: I think you all need to read the original question again. The asker is asking about positive and negative feedbacks. None of you have answered the question they posed....Show more

Charline Granes: Global Warming Global warming is an increase in the average temperature of Earth's surface. Since the late 1800's, the global average tempera! ture has increased about 0.7 to 1.4 degrees F (0.4 to 0.8 degr! ees C). Many experts estimate that the average temperature will rise an additional 2.5 to 10.4 degrees F (1.4 to 5.8 degrees C) by 2100. That rate of increase would be much larger than most past rates of increase. Scientists worry that human societies and natural ecosystems might not adapt to rapid climate changes. An ecosystem consists of the living organisms and physical environment in a particular area. Global warming could cause much harm, so countries throughout the world drafted an agreement called the Kyoto Protocol to help limit it. Causes of global warming Climatologists (scientists who study climate) have analyzed the global warming that has occurred since the late 1800's. A majority of climatologists have concluded that human activities are responsible for most of the warming. Human activities contribute to global warming by enhancing Earth's natural greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect warms Earth's surface through a complex process involving sunlight, gases! , and particles in the atmosphere. Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are known as greenhouse gases. The main human activities that contribute to global warming are the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) and the clearing of land. Most of the burning occurs in automobiles, in factories, and in electric power plants that provide energy for houses and office buildings. The burning of fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide, whose chemical formula is CO2. CO2 is a greenhouse gas that slows the escape of heat into space. Trees and other plants remove CO2 from the air during photosynthesis, the process they use to produce food. The clearing of land contributes to the buildup of CO2 by reducing the rate at which the gas is removed from the atmosphere or by the decomposition of dead vegetation. A small number of scientists argue that the increase in greenhouse gases has not made a measurable difference in the temperature. They say that natural processes could have! caused global warming. Those processes include increases in the energy! emitted (given off) by the sun. But the vast majority of climatologists believe that increases in the sun's energy have contributed only slightly to recent warming. The impact of global warming Thousands of icebergs float off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula after 1,250 square miles (3,240 square kilometers) of the Larsen B ice shelf disintegrated in 2002. The area of the ice was larger than the state of Rhode Island or the nation of Luxembourg. Antarctic ice shelves have been shrinking since the early 1970's because of climate warming in the region. Image credit: NASA/Earth Observatory Continued global warming could have many damaging effects. It might harm plants and animals that live in the sea. It could also force animals and plants on land to move to new habitats. Weather patterns could change, causing flooding, drought, and an increase in damaging storms. Global warming could melt enough polar ice to raise the sea level. In certain parts of the world, human dise! ase could spread, and crop yields could decline. Harm to ocean life Through global warming, the surface waters of the oceans could become warmer, increasing the stress on ocean ecosystems, such as coral reefs. High water temperatures can cause a damaging process called coral bleaching. When corals bleach, they expel the algae that give them their color and nourishment. The corals turn white and, unless the water temperature cools, they die. Added warmth also helps spread diseases that affect sea creatures. Changes of habitat Widespread shifts might occur in the natural habitats of animals and plants. Many species would have difficulty surviving in the regions they now inhabit. For example, many flowering plants will not bloom without a sufficient period of winter cold. And human occupation has altered the landscape in ways that would make new habitats hard to reach or unavailable altogether. Weather damage Extreme weather conditions might become more frequent and therefore ! more damaging. Changes in rainfall patterns could increase both floodin! g and drought in some areas. More hurricanes and other tropical storms might occur, and they could become more powerful. Rising sea level Continued global warming might, over centuries, melt large amounts of ice from a vast sheet that covers most of West Antarctica. As a result, the sea level would rise throughout the world. Many coastal areas would experience flooding, erosion, a loss of wetlands, and an entry of seawater into freshwater areas. High sea levels would submerge some coastal cities, small island nations, and other inhabited regions. Threats to human health Tropical diseases, such as malaria and dengue, might...Show more

Herma Ellebrecht: The two biggest natural phenomena are the solar activity and the multidecadal oscillation of the oceans. As solar activity increases the amount of energy reaching earth increases. The opposite is also true. You have probably heard of el nino and la nina, they seem to have a significant impact on cooling and heating o! f the atmosphere.

Monty Sieloff: maybe we pissed off the big guy, God almighty, who knows?

Christy Tirabassi: I'll give you one obvious natural earth process. It's the earth's natural oscillation between highs and lows in temperatures (a.k.a. ice ages and warm periods). IF the earth's climate is changing, it is due to this natural process.