Global Warming Introduction Essay Essay

Many researchers, scientists, and environmentalists are expressing concerns about changes in the overall climate of the earth. Some believe that a dramatically dangerous warming is taking place in the overall global climate, a problem that is referred to as â€Å"global warming.† This paper will attempt to explore this very issue. Climate is defined as the analysis of accumulated weather data for long term patterns and trends. The Oxford Reference Dictionary defines change as, â€Å"To make or become different.† Climate change is therefore defined as â€Å"long-term weather patterns and trends becoming different over an extended period of time.† For example, if the average temperature in Kalamazoo, Michigan over the 20th century is significantly higher or lower than the average temperature in Kalamazoo, Michigan over the 19th century, this would be an example of climate change. Changes in climate can result from both natural events and human activities. Examples of natural causes of climate change are volcanic eruptions, variations in the earth’s orbit around the sun, and variations in solar output (Ahrens, 485-491). Examples of human-induced causes of climate change include industrial pollutants and fossil fuels (Rhodes, 116), warming of average annual temperatures due to urbanization (Eichenlaub, 163), and changes in the earth’s albedo due to deforestation of tropical rainforests (Geiger, 320). Climate change in the context of this paper refers to changes that result from human activities, especially as these changes relate to the issue of global warming. Of special importance is the â€Å"greenhouse gas† effect which is defined as, â€Å"The trapping of thermal emissions from the earth’s surface by human-induced greenhouse gases† (He). If global warming is indeed happening, it is the greenhouse gas effect that is believ ed to be the most responsible. There are some scientists who do not believe that there is enough evidence to support the idea of global warming. They assert that concerns about global warming have been blown well out of proportion by the media. At the same time, other scientists assert that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that industrial activities, automobile emissions, and technological pollutants may eventually result in dangerous (and even deadly) trends in the overall global climate. This paper will attempt to address this concern by analyzing some of the scientific studies that have been published in major meteorology journals. Our atmosphere consists of many gases. Some of these gases, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, naturally absorb long-wave radiation that is emitted from the earth’s surface. Short-wave solar radiation enters the earth’s atmosphere and is absorbed by the earth’s surface. This radiation is then recycled and emitted as long wave terrestrial radiation. Gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide absorb this radiation, hold it in the atmosphere, and keep the temperature of the earth warmer than it would otherwise be if there wasn’t an atmosphere. This is what meteorologists refer to as the â€Å"natural greenhouse effect† (Mower). Problems could potentially arise, however, when human activities add additional trace gases into the atmosphere that also absorb out-going long-wave radiation. These additional trace gases include methane, chlorofloro carbons, nitrous oxide, aerosols, ozone, and carbon dioxide. The result is an increase in the amount of long-wave radiation that is being trapped by the atmosphere. It is believed that this could eventually increase the average overall global temperature. Carbon dioxide â€Å"†¦is considered the trace gas of greatest importance because of the substantial increase in its atmospheric concentration as well as its probable continued rise due to global consumption of fossil fuels† (Rhodes, 116). It is clear from looking at the evidence that carbon dioxide concentrations are increasing dramatically in the atmosphere. Observations of carbon dioxide concentrations are available for several locations. Over the period of 1973 to 1982, the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide in Barrow, Alaska rose steadily from 332.6 parts per million (ppm) to 342.8 parts per million (Geiger, 110-111). This is not isolated to Barrow, Alaska. Records from other locations, such as Mauna Loa in Hawaii, are confirming that carbon dioxide concentrations are increasing in the atmosphere at a dramatic rate. Continuous instrument records for atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations date back to the 1950’s at the Mauna Loa observatory (Michaels, 1564). In 1958, the average atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was only 316 parts per million (ppm). Preindustrial carbon dioxide concentrations are believed to be 279 parts per million (Michaels, 1564), and the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in 1990 was 353 parts per million (Rhodes, 116). However, as one author points out, the fact that we are dealing with significant changes in carbon dioxide does not automatically mean that we are looking at a serious problem (Lindzen, 288). This author points out that carbon dioxide is a † †¦minor atmospheric constituent and as such, its variations might not be notably impo rtant.† He goes on to say that there are a number of things that increasing levels of carbon dioxide could effect and influence, including in ways that are beneficial. For example, † †¦at altitudes of 25 km to 90 km, the atmosphere is cooled primarily by thermal radiation emitted to space by carbon dioxide. Increasing carbon dioxide should cool these regions, and this, in turn, should lead to increasing concentrations of ozone at these levels. Increasing carbon dioxide might also stimulate the growth of vegetation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lindzen, 288-289). While there are indeed some possible benefits to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, â€Å"†¦the main concerns have focused on the possibility that increasing carbon dioxide might significantly warm our climate† (Lindzen, 289). One author wrote that there is â€Å"†¦general agreement that increasing carbon dioxide will produce warming due to its ability to absorb in the infrared radiation† (Lindzen, 289). There are studies that have indicated that no significant change in the overall global climate has yet taken place. For example, a study that was done by P. W. Spencer and J. R. Christy, using temperature records from the period of 1979 through 1990, showed a global trend of only +0.04 degrees Celsius per decade (Michaels, 1566). Other studies showed that the Northern Hemisphere has had no significant warming, while the Southern Hemisphere has had a slight temperature increase in the order of 0.2 degrees Celsius since the 1950’s (Michaels, 1566). Patrick J. Michaels speculates that the reason that we have not seen a significant increase in temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere is because of the balancing effect of anthropogenerated sulfates going into the atmosphere as a result of industrial pollution. Anthropogenerated sulfates have a cooling effect on the atmosphere because of their ability to reflect incoming solar radiation back to space. Michaels explains this in more d etail when he writes, â€Å"Because anthropogenerated sulfates are primarily produced and reside in the Northern Hemisphere, we may therefore be equaling the current enhanced greenhouse forcing †¦ with actual negative forcing in the hemisphere that contains most of the world’s population† (Michaels, 1573). This lead to the obvious question of whether or not the lack of a significant increase in global temperature should be taken as evidence that we should not be concerned about the issue. William W. Kellog of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado has written an article called â€Å"Response to Skeptics of Global Warming† in which he responds to many of the objections that have been raised against global warming. Kellog points out that â€Å"†¦five or so of the most advanced climate models, developed over a period of many years by top notch teams, have all come to essentially the same conclusion: The global average surface temperature would probably rise by about 2 to 5 K if the greenhouse gas concentration were maintained at double the pre-industrial revolution level† (Kellog, 500). Kellog suggests that the reason that we have not seen a change as of yet in the overall warming is because of a temperature lag of several decades â€Å"†¦due in large part to the large heat capacity of the oceans of the world† (Kellog, 500). He asserts that the evidence is still in favor of the fact that, sooner or later, a serious warming of the climate will occur. References Ahrens, C. Donald. Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment, 5th Edition. New York: West Publishing Company, 1995. Eichenlaub, Val L., Jay R. Haman, Fred V. Nurnberger, and Hans J. Stolle. The Climatic Atlas of Michigan. University of Notre Dame Press: Notre Dame, Indiana, 1990. Geiger, Rudolf, Robert H. Aron, Paul Todhunter. The Climate Near the Ground, 5th Edition. Braunschweig, Germany: Friedr, Veiweg & Sohn Verlagsgesellschaft, 1995. He, Chansheng. Classroom notes presented verbally in Natural Resource Management, GEOG 555. Western Michigan University, winter 1999. Kellog, William W. â€Å"Response to Skeptics of Global Warming.† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 74, Number 4 (April 1991), pp. 499-511. Oxford American Dictionary. Oxford University Press: New York, 1980. Lindzen, Richard S. â€Å"Some Coolness Concerning Global Warming.† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 71, Number 3 (March 1990), pp. 288-299. Michaels, Patrick J. â€Å"Global Warming: A Reduced Threat?† Bulletin American Meteorology Society. Volume 73, Number 10 (October 1992), pp. 1563-1577. Mower, R. Neil. Classroom notes presented verbally in Physical Meteorology, ESC 530. Central Michigan University, autumn 1996. Rhodes, Steven L. â€Å"Climate and Environmental Degradation of the Great Lakes.† Journal of Environmental Systems. Volume 22, Number 2, pp. 105-122.

The Equal Family of Words

The Equal Family of Words The Equal Family of Words The Equal Family of Words By Mark Nichol This post discusses a family of words that pertain to balance, impartiality, or uniformity. The root equi-, which forms without the i when it precedes a vowel, ultimately derives from the Latin adjective aequus, meaning â€Å"even† (which is not related to equus, meaning â€Å"horse† and the source of equestrian). Equal refers to a state of balance, and the noun form is equality; a person or system that favors or promotes equality is an egalitarian. (The consonantal change occurred in French.) Equity is the quality of fairness, though the word also has senses in finance and in property ownership of rights or value. The adjectival form is equitable, and equitably is the adverbial form. The antonym, with the same variations, is inequity, though iniquity, which means â€Å"wickedness,† stems from the same source. (Its adjectival form is iniquitous, and the noun is formed by attaching to that word the suffix -ness.) To equate is to balance or compare, or to make even or smooth; the act of doing so is equation. (That noun also denotes a logical or mathematical expression.) Equanimity is fairness, and equilibrium is mental or physical balance. The root word of the former term is a form of animus, meaning â€Å"mind† or â€Å"spirit,† so a literal translation is â€Å"even mind,† and the root word of the latter term is derived from libra, meaning â€Å"balance† or â€Å"scale,† so equilibrium literally means â€Å"even balance.† (Equanimity has no adjectival form, but equilibrious, though rare, serves that function for equilibrium.) Equivalence (equivalency is a variation) is literally â€Å"equal worth†; the adjectival form is equivalent. The source of the root of equivocation is also that of vocal and voice; literally â€Å"equal voice,† the word has pejorative senses of â€Å"avoiding commitment to what one says† or â€Å"using language to deceive.† One is described as equivocating or being equivocal. Equinox derives from the Latin word for â€Å"equality of night (and day)†- the root nox is related to the first syllable of nocturnal (and both are cognate with night)- and refers to the two days of the year, six months apart, when day and night are of identical duration. A word that may not be an apparent relative of those described above is adequate, which means â€Å"sufficient.† (Its Latin forebear literally means â€Å"make equal.†) Depending on context, the word can be neutral or disparaging. And the rare term equiparation means â€Å"equal treatment.† (The root syllable is related to par and per, which pertain to value.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should KnowHang, Hung, HangedOne "L" or Two?

Issue Paper Essays - Bush Family, Livingston Family, Schuyler Family

Issue Paper Essays - Bush Family, Livingston Family, Schuyler Family Issue Paper Issue paper In the two thousand presidential elections there are two main candidates. The candidates are Al Gore and Governor George W Bush. Al Gore is the candidate running for the Democratic Party and Bush is running for the Republic party. Each candidate has great points on certain issues. The president whom won my vote though, was Governor Bush. Bush won my vote for many reasons. Some of his feelings for certain issues met in agreement with mine. His main mentor is his father. He is governor, so he definitely has the leadership skills needed to be president. His tax cut plan seems to be highly intelligent. He feels that it is important to cut taxes to lessen government spending and to keep economy growing. He pledges to cut one point three trillion dollars for everyone. The best part being is that George wants to cut taxes for people of every class. He has what seems to be a great social security plan, which is to not cut social security for senior citizens. Bush doesnt even want to think of touching set aside money for social security. He wants to give younger workers the option to invest some of their contributions. According to George, his first priority is education. He wants to assist education any which way he can to increase its efficiency. He feels that the government should give schools more stately freedom. Governo r Bush has a list of principles to better schools, some of which are: having measurable goals, regular testing, accountability, local control, and competition. He applied this principle to Texas where he is govenor and the results are incredible. Gore did not win my vote. He didnt win it for a few reasons. He is the vice- president; this is proof that he definitely has the experience. He wants to bring more government into peoples lives. He feels it is trully necessary. Als first priority is campaign-finance reform. He feels that it needs many adjustments, for there are so many flaws in the old laws that contain it. Al wants to reduce the cost of campaigns, restore the faith of the people, and eliminate the influence of special interests and more. He offers great ideas but this shouldnt be his first priority. For social security he feels the system should be kept the same and have Uncle Sam fund extra retirement plans for the working class. He has many propositions of how to save the social security fund. Some of his propositions are; to devote all social security surpluses to social security, oppose efforts to raise the retirement age, three: improving fairness to widows, to create retirement savings plus accounts, which are tax-free accounts that are maintained by private financial institutions, and more. This shows he wants more government involvement. For his tax plan it seems that he wants to pick only certain people to give assistance to and neglect the others. Some categories he has chosen to help out are; Working families caring for children and aging parents, for educational purposes, Family liabilities, retirements, low-income communities, and more. My vote is for Bush, and stands firm. I like Gores tax plan a little better, but Bushs whole outlook seems more beneficial to me. I dont like Clinton too much and I feel that if we do get Gore as president it is just like reelecting Clinton. Gore has some good ideas but his wanting for more government involvement made him lose my vote. Overall Bush has better plans and ideas in-which government assistance is not needed.

Word Choice Whiskey vs. Whisky

Word Choice Whiskey vs. Whisky Word Choice: Whiskey vs. Whisky To mark Saint Patrick’s Day, we’re taking a look at a spelling problem with deep connections to Ireland: whether to write â€Å"whiskey† or â€Å"whisky.† So are these terms interchangeable? Or is there a difference? And what does this have to do with Ireland anyway? Let us explain! The Origins of Whisky/Whiskey Whisky (we will default to this spelling to save repeating ourselves too much) is a distilled alcoholic drink made from malted grain. It is widely associated with two countries: Scotland and Ireland. Both have a long history of distilling whisky, but the word itself comes from Ireland. A modern whisky still.(Photo: saxonrider) In particular, it comes from Old Irish term uisge beatha, meaning â€Å"water of life.† This is the Irish version of aqua vitae, which was the Latin word for distilled alcohol of any kind (not just whisky). Eventually, uisge beatha entered English and was anglicized to become â€Å"whisky† or â€Å"whiskey.† Why two spellings, though? This may have started as a matter of regional preference. The story most people tell is that, during the 19th century, Irish distillers wanted to distinguish their product from their Scottish competitors. As such, they started using the spelling â€Å"whiskey† for Irish whiskey. Scottish whisky, meanwhile, became known as Scotch whisky. A Global Drink We see this Irish–Scottish division in modern spellings around the world: The spelling â€Å"whiskey† is standard in Ireland and the US. This is partly because of the large number of Irish immigrants who set up stills over here. â€Å"Whisky† is standard in most other countries, including Japan and India. This is not a strict distinction, though. As such, while â€Å"whiskey† is standard in the US, you will also find distillers who call their products â€Å"whisky.† For instance, Maker’s Mark uses the spelling â€Å"whisky† to recognize the Scottish heritage of company founder Bill Samuel. Whiskey or Whisky? Some people say there are differences between â€Å"whiskey† and â€Å"whisky,† such as the distillation process or the type of still used. Most of the time, though, â€Å"whiskey† and â€Å"whisky† are just different spellings of the same word. And as such, they are often used interchangeably. However, if you want to avoid upsetting drink geeks, remember: Whiskey is the spelling associated with Ireland. Whisky is associated with Scotland (especially â€Å"Scotch whisky†). So the correct spelling depends on where your favored tipple comes from. And if you want a Saint Patrick’s Day drink that won’t cause spelling headaches, you can always try Guinness instead.

Week 5 Individual Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Week 5 Individual Assignment - Essay Example is one-tailed (Left tailed) and we want to determine whether there has been a reduction in the weight of individuals who joined Weight Reducers International. Since the z-test statistic is less than -1.645 therefore at the 5% significance level, we have sufficient evidence to conclude that those who will join Weight Reducers International on average will lose less than 10 pounds. Dole Pineapple, Inc., is concerned that the 16-ounce can of sliced pineapple is being overfilled. Assume the standard deviation of the process is .03 ounces. The quality control department took a random sample of 50 cans and found that the arithmetic mean weight was 16.05 ounces. At the 5 percent level of significance, can we conclude that the mean weight is greater than 16 ounces? Determine the p-value. We will reject the null hypothesis if the z-test statistic is greater than 1.645 (z > 1.645) since the test is one-tailed (Right tailed) and we want to determine whether 16-ounce can of sliced pineapple is being overfilled. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal reported that the 30-year mortgage rate is now less than 6 percent. A sample of eight small banks in the Midwest revealed the following 30-year rates (in percent): We will reject the null hypothesis if t-test statistic is less than -2.998 since the test is one-tailed (left tailed) and we want to determine whether the 30-year mortgage rate is now less than 6 percent Since the t-test statistic is greater than -2.998 therefore we will not reject the null hypothesis. At 1% significance level we have sufficient evidence to conclude that the 30-year mortgage rate is not less than 6 percent. The minimum significance level (p-value) at which the null hypothesis can be rejected is between 5% and 10% since the value -1.61 lies in between -1.415 and -1.895 for a t-distribution with degrees of freedom = 7 The null hypothesis is that there is no difference in the population mean number of times men and women buy take-out dinner in

Quality Improvement Issue Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quality Improvement Issue - Term Paper Example In my organization, appointments are sometimes not planned by nurses in the outpatients department and as a result, patients complain on a daily basis. Prolonged waiting times have also increased patient dissatisfaction and many of them are increasingly opting to seek the services of our competitors whose waiting times are lower. A study cited by Yeboah and Thomas (2009) showed that increasing waiting times for more than thirty minutes conversely increases patients intolerability. Deliberate lack of scheduling appointments by nurses is contributed by heavy workloads that makes the them forget to schedule appointments. Strategies to reduce patient waiting times in my organization needs to be redesigned in order to improve quality of care provided. Most importantly, newly formulated strategies ought to focus on reducing nurses workload s. Ho (2014) reiterates that patient waiting time is contributed by increasing patient loads. In fact, there is a lot of confusion among patients when they have multiple appointments. Some of them spend nearly a day as they wait to be attended to. To reduce the patients waiting time in my organization, there is need for decisive and patient centered planning, restructuring, simplifying, and updating workflows in order to improve efficiency of care provided. Institute of Medicine. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. Retrieved from

How could television be used to improve social and political life in Essay

How could television be used to improve social and political life in the United States - Essay Example Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are the leading methods of getting social and political information to a massive audience. These announcements exist on channels that are usually controlled by the city, and they cover current political information and other goings-on throughout America. â€Å"The best way to improve social life in the United States is to let the vast majority of the population know what is going on in America’s social life (Womack, 2009).† Most of these channels run 24/7, always updating their information so that those that watch these announcements stay up to date. While these announcements usually have their own designated television stations, there are some counties that prefer to air the announcements during news broadcasts or popular television shows - times when there is a good chance that there are already a massive number of people sitting in front of their televisions. Similarly, another popular method of using the television to improve social and political life is the news. A little more formal than Public Service Announcements, the news informs people of numerous goings-on in the world, influencing the social and political side of television viewers, especially the political side. People are able to view the different debates going on in politics and decide for themselves which side of the argument they are more in agreement with. They can also conclude their own argument if the ones on television do not please them. They are able to build a political opinion by watching the news on television. As a large majority of people do watch the news, many news companies make sure to feed the important, need-to-know information in the first half-hour (Calavita, 2005). A method that is used to guarantee a large audience when it comes to viewing either Public Service Announcements or a news broadcast is by placing the program immediately after a popular television show. This method is implemented with the belief that