Analysis Project: Global Warming - Essay Example

?Analysis Project: Global Warming The first source that I picked is “Rain Will Get More Extreme Thanks to Global Warming, Says NASA Study” and is written by Carl Franzen. This source is a news article that was published on May 4, 2013. Carl Franzen is a longtime technology and science reporter for The Verge online newspaper, which focuses on providing its readers with in-depth information about current events. This source is credible because it gathers its information from other authoritative sources, such as those that originally announced any findings or results, allowing the team at The Verge to confirm the accuracy of the facts and data before publishing the articles for the public. The second source that I picked is “Decline in Snow Cover Spells Trouble for Many Plants, Animals” and is written by Terry Devitt. This source is a news article that was published on May 7, 2013. Terry Devitt is a research scientist and the Science Research Communications Director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This article details the results gathered from his personal and academic research. This source is credible due to Devitt’s extensive background in both researching the causes and effects of global warming and his contribution to the efforts in understanding and preventing global warming. The third source that I picked is “We Need Some Symptomatic Relief” and is written by Ken Caldeira. This source is a journal article that was found in the GreenFile database via Academic Search Premier, and was published in the Spring of 2013. Ken Caldeira is an atmospheric scientist with the Carnegie Institution for Science's Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University. Caldeira’s background and position as a scientist that focuses on changes in the atmosphere is what gives this source credibility. The fourth source that I picked is “National Institutes of Health Explore Impact of Climate Change on Human Health” and is written by Christine Jessup and John Balbus. This source is a short article found on the Global Change government website and was published on April 22, 2013. This source is credible as the website where it was found is moderated solely by the United States government’s Global Change Research Program. The information on this website is published based on authenticity, authority of its writers, and its relevance to the website’s purpose. In “Rain Will Get More Extreme Thanks to Global Warming, Says NASA Study,” Carl Franzen reveals how the steadily increasing temperature of the globe is leading to wetter locations receiving more rain and dryer locations experiencing lengthier droughts. While most studies have focused on the effects of global warming on specific regions, the study detailed in this article looks at the globe as a whole. Regardless of the location, “for every single degree Fahrenheit the global average temperature climbs, heavy rainfall will increase in wet areas by 3.9 percent, while dry areas will experience a 2.6 percent increase in time periods without any rainfall” (Franzen par. 3). This increase in rain and periods of drought are believed to be caused by the warming globe enabling the atmosphere to retain more water vapor as moisture, which causes the moisture to be withheld from the dry areas, denying these locations of moisture that would otherwise end their droughts (par. 4). The specific evidence in this source that I find convincing are the details of how much rain is released or withheld from certain locations, depending on its temperature. This information is convincing since the facts were presented by atmospheric scientists directly involved in the study. There is no bias present in this source. In “Decline in Snow Cover Spells Trouble for Many Plants, Animals,” Terry Devitt discusses how global warming is causing the snow to melt more quickly in the Northern Hemisphere, which is proving to be damaging to the animals and plants that rely on the thick cover of snow to protect them from the chill of winter. “Underneath that homogenous blanket of snow is an incredibly stable refuge where the vast majority of organisms persist through the winter” (Devitt par. 4), where the snow retains the heat from the ground, providing a place during the winter where plants can photosynthesize and insects, reptiles, and other organisms can thrive even in the coldest of conditions. Unfortunately, this snow cover has been decreasing as much as 3.2 million square kilometers (par. 5) during the spring months, and spring melt has sped up by two weeks. “There is concern these winter ecosystems could change drastically over the next several years” (par. 6), which can have grave consequences for the plants and animals that are dependent on these regions. Many species will be unable to survive the harsh winter, possibly causing the species to die out quicker due to a loss of habitat. The specific evidence in this source that I find convincing is how the decreasing snow cover has been monitored over time, which offers proof that this event is truly taking place, and is being caused by the increasing temperatures of the Earth. There is no bias found in this source. In “We Need Some Symptomatic Relief,” Ken Caldeira brings to light the importance of using solar geoengineering to help alleviate the side effects of global warming until the causes of global warming itself can be better understood and brought to an end. Solar geoengineering would “counteract the warming influence of greenhouse gases by diminishing the amount of sunlight absorbed by Earth” (Caldeira par. 3). This technology would slow down the effects of global warming and lower the temperature throughout the world, providing relief for the regions whose weather, and thus the ecosystem, has drastically changed as a result of a rise in temperature. Though the negative effects of solar geoengineering have yet to be fully explored, Caldeira’s models have shown that a reduction of sunlight can actually be beneficial to plant growth and crop production (par. 4). Indeed, the studies conducted by Caldeira revealed that plants and crops fared better in a solar geoengineered environment as opposed to an environment that was not geoengineered. Caldeira’s primary fear about utilizing solar geoengineering is that we may become dependent on the technology, causing us to spend more time, effort, and money on keeping the side effects of global warming at bay that we completely forget about researching methods to slow down or completely cease global warming. The specific evidence in this source that I find convincing is the series of trials that Caldeira conducted to confirm what is currently known about solar geoengineering: its ability to cool the temperature of the Earth and the benefits that it has on plant and crop growth. One idea that I am doubtful about is Caldeira’s belief that our preference for solar geoengineering will halt our concern about finding methods to actually stop global warming. I feel that this is something that cannot be determined without first using the geoengineering technology; Earth’s inhabitants may be so impressed by what geoengineering is capable of that they may become even more desperate to find a permanent cure to global warming. There does not appear to be any bias in this source. In “National Institutes of Health Explore Impact of Climate Change on Human Health”, Christine Jessup and John Balbus explore the importance of understanding the effects that global warming has on the health of human beings, especially those that have been diagnosed with infectious diseases or chronic illnesses. Jessup and Balbus state that “climate change is affecting human health through environmental consequences, such as sea-level rise, changes in precipitation, heat waves, changes in intensity of hurricanes and storms, and degraded air quality” (par. 2), which is prompting the necessity of investigating exactly how the effects of global warming are damaging to human health. Studies have already shown that climate change can amplify heat stress and heat mortality (par. 3), and can cause a decrease in food and water due to certain regions losing the required temperature to keep up food production or water supply. The authors urge the National Institutes of Health to to put more effort and money into research that can help better determine the effects of global warming on human health, which can, in turn, lead to potential solutions. The specific evidence in this source that I find convincing is the general fact that global warming is damaging not only to our environment, including the plants and animals, but also to the health of humans. However, this same evidence also leaves me doubtful because, while the arguments are logical and make sense, the authors did not provide precise examples to show how humans are being affected by global warming. This source does not contain any bias. From these four sources, I learned about the devastating effects of global warming and the importance of preventing global warming from causing further damage to both our world and the human race. While each article that I picked takes a different stance on global warming, whether the article discusses the causes, effects, or prevention methods, they all point to the same conclusion: global warming is a horrible event that is taking place right now and it needs to be slowed down or stopped completely for the sake of every living thing on Earth. Terry Devitt and Carl Franzen focus on the destruction of the Earth and its many ecosystems as a result of global warming, from snow-covered grounds decreasing and destroying the homes of many plants and animals that rely on the thick layer or snow to survive the winter, to various regions seeing greater or lesser rainfall, which can either flood a region or increase the length of a drought. Christine Jessup and John Balbus concern themselves solely with the effects that global warming is having on the health of human beings, believing that since global warming is effecting the lives of other living things on Earth, then human lives are put at the same risk. Ken Caldeira recognizes the many forms of damage as a result of global warming, and proposes temporary relief that can be found in the technology known as solar geoengineering. Each author focuses on something unique about global warming, yet impresses the importance of finding solutions to our steadily changing climate. The primary differences that I learned from these four articles are the many effects and proposed solutions that have been presented in regard to global warming, as well as what each author deems is the most important aspect that needs to be solved. According to Terry Devitt, melting snow is damaging a variety of ecosystems for plants and animals that are dependent on locations that protect them from the icy chill of winter. As a result of global warming, in Devitt’s perception, many species of plants and animals are risking becoming endangered and preventing this from occurring is vital. Carl Franzen takes a different perspective and looks to the damage that global warming is causing in the form of either too much rain in regions that are already wet or not enough rain in regions that have been suffering from droughts. Too much rain can cause flooding, which can destroy the habitats of animals and humans alike, while not enough rain can lead to the diminishing of crop production, which can affect the amount of food available to animals and humans. Devitt is concerned with the welfare of plants and animals, while Franzen is focused primarily on the damages befalling humans. Christine Jessup and John Balbus take a similar stance to Franzen, concerning themselves with the wellbeing of humans, but while Franzen’s article is centered on the effects being caused by too much or not enough rain, Jessup and Balbus look at the devastation being caused by too much heat. Ken Caldeira shows a completely unique perspective, providing insight into temporary prevention methods that can help plants, animals, and human beings alike. I think that the next thing that I need to do on my research project on the basis of what I learned by reading and responding to my sources is develop a thesis based on the information that I have gathered. I can use both the similarities and the differences in my chosen sources to help me create a position for my research project that reveals the importance of understanding the causes, effects, and possible solutions of global warming. Since each author has a specific focus in their article that is unique from the positions of the other authors, there are many perspectives of this issue that I can choose from. Works Cited Caldeira, Ken. "We Need Some Symptomatic Relief." Earth Island Journal 28.1 (2013): 50-52. GreenFILE. Web. 8 May 2013. Devitt, Terry. "Decline in Snow Cover Spells Trouble for Many Plants, Animals." Science Daily. N.p., 7 May 2013. Web. 8 May 2013. . Franzen, Carl. "Rain Will Get More Extreme Thanks to Global Warming, Says NASA Study." The Verge. N.p., 4 May 2013. Web. 6 May 2013. . Jessup, Christine, and John Balbus. "National Institutes of Health Explore Impact of Climate Change on Human Health." Global Change. N.p., 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 6 May 2013. . Read More