THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING
Editors Note: Samuel T. ('18) wrote this article on global warming for his advanced chemistry class
The effects of global warming are being felt increasingly all over the world, particularly
in areas in and around the Pacific, and there are any number of significant events that are causing
these changes. There is “The Blob,” which is essentially a huge area of water out in the Pacific
Ocean, approximately the size of Alaska, which in recent years has had an average temperature
of about 2.5 ℃ warmer than usual. The blob’s effects are clearing out large areas of marine life,
leading to significant increases in sea animals, such as sea lions, being washed up on shores.
Additionally, due to the lack of food in these unusually warm areas, many animals are being
forced to disperse, resulting in many fish that are known for staying in warm water environments
making moves into areas up near Canada and Alaska. This warm water as also been connected to
a huge increase in algae off the West Coast, which is leaving many types of shellfish too
dangerous to eat due to the toxins associated with these algal blooms.
But even more worrisome has been the devastating effects of the El Niño, a weather
pattern in which certain parts of the ocean’s surface heats up, causing it to release large amounts
of heat into the air, which is obviously problematic. The cause of El Niño is actually pretty
simple. What normally happens, is that winds that run over the Pacific flow from east to west,
from South America so South Asia, bringing the warm water with them. This warm water then
evaporates, leading to the monsoons that occur every year in those areas. The problem is, that
when these winds stop moving, the warm water that has been moving with the winds stays in
areas around South America, making the surfaces of these areas in the Pacific very warm. This
creates record-breaking storms, such as Hurricane Patricia, which devastated areas in South
America, as well as Mexico, in October of last year. On top of these intense storms, El Niño can
heavily affect the wind patterns in North America, which has played a large role in the unusually
warm winter we have been experiencing in the Northeast.
What causes these events to occur is definitely fascinating. To think that things which
seem at times to be fairly insignificant, such as slow moving winds that we tend to take for
granted, can have such devastating effects, seems pretty crazy. The problem is, despite the large
amount of information we have about what can cause many of these problems, people do not
seem to act upon them. Despite all of the research that has been done, and all of the facts that are
so often made readily available, many people still don’t seem to think that global warming is an
important issue, or at least important enough to worry about now.
There is no doubt that these changes, such as rising ocean temperatures, have, and will
continue, to affect our lives. Already there has been a large increase in both the amount, and the
strength, of storms, and it is apparent that many of these changes are affecting people's living
conditions. Most scientists think that as sea levels continue to rise, large portions of highly
populated land will be affected by flooding. Some scientists speculate that by the year 2,100, sea
levels around the Manhattan area could rise as much as six feet, having devastating effects on the
The good news is that, as 2015 drew to a close, there was a Conference held in Paris that
196 countries attended, intended to address that growing problem of global warming.
Thankfully, every country agreed to a plan that will hopefully cut greenhouse gas emissions in
half, but only if countries representing 55% of the world’s emissions officially sign it in April,
which will make it legally binding. It the deal is signed, and countries follow through with it, it
will be a significant step in the right direction, but there is still a lot more that needs to be done.
Bibliography:
Fountain, Henry, Aaron Byrd, and Ben Laffin. "How It Happens | El Niño." The New York Times.
September 09, 2014. Accessed January 11, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/video/science/100000003102629/how-it- happens-el- nio.html
Gerken, James. "New York City Could See Up To Six Feet Of Sea Level Rise This Century: Report." The
Huffington Post. Accessed January 11, 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/17/new-york-city- sea-level- rise_n_6700320.html.
Gillis, Justin. "2015 Likely to Be Hottest Year Ever Recorded." The New York Times. October 21, 2015.
Accessed January 11, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/22/science/2015-likely- to-be-
hottest-year- ever-recorded.html.
Schwartz, John, and Russell Goldman. "Hurricane Patricia: What You Need to Know." The New York
Times. October 22, 2015. Accessed January 11, 2016.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/23/science/hurricane-patricia- what-you- need-to-know.html.
Schwartz, John. "The Pacific Ocean Becomes a Caldron." The New York Times. November 02, 2015.
Accessed January 11, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/science/global-warming-pacific-ocean- el-nino- blob.html.
in areas in and around the Pacific, and there are any number of significant events that are causing
these changes. There is “The Blob,” which is essentially a huge area of water out in the Pacific
Ocean, approximately the size of Alaska, which in recent years has had an average temperature
of about 2.5 ℃ warmer than usual. The blob’s effects are clearing out large areas of marine life,
leading to significant increases in sea animals, such as sea lions, being washed up on shores.
Additionally, due to the lack of food in these unusually warm areas, many animals are being
forced to disperse, resulting in many fish that are known for staying in warm water environments
making moves into areas up near Canada and Alaska. This warm water as also been connected to
a huge increase in algae off the West Coast, which is leaving many types of shellfish too
dangerous to eat due to the toxins associated with these algal blooms.
But even more worrisome has been the devastating effects of the El Niño, a weather
pattern in which certain parts of the ocean’s surface heats up, causing it to release large amounts
of heat into the air, which is obviously problematic. The cause of El Niño is actually pretty
simple. What normally happens, is that winds that run over the Pacific flow from east to west,
from South America so South Asia, bringing the warm water with them. This warm water then
evaporates, leading to the monsoons that occur every year in those areas. The problem is, that
when these winds stop moving, the warm water that has been moving with the winds stays in
areas around South America, making the surfaces of these areas in the Pacific very warm. This
creates record-breaking storms, such as Hurricane Patricia, which devastated areas in South
America, as well as Mexico, in October of last year. On top of these intense storms, El Niño can
heavily affect the wind patterns in North America, which has played a large role in the unusually
warm winter we have been experiencing in the Northeast.
What causes these events to occur is definitely fascinating. To think that things which
seem at times to be fairly insignificant, such as slow moving winds that we tend to take for
granted, can have such devastating effects, seems pretty crazy. The problem is, despite the large
amount of information we have about what can cause many of these problems, people do not
seem to act upon them. Despite all of the research that has been done, and all of the facts that are
so often made readily available, many people still don’t seem to think that global warming is an
important issue, or at least important enough to worry about now.
There is no doubt that these changes, such as rising ocean temperatures, have, and will
continue, to affect our lives. Already there has been a large increase in both the amount, and the
strength, of storms, and it is apparent that many of these changes are affecting people's living
conditions. Most scientists think that as sea levels continue to rise, large portions of highly
populated land will be affected by flooding. Some scientists speculate that by the year 2,100, sea
levels around the Manhattan area could rise as much as six feet, having devastating effects on the
The good news is that, as 2015 drew to a close, there was a Conference held in Paris that
196 countries attended, intended to address that growing problem of global warming.
Thankfully, every country agreed to a plan that will hopefully cut greenhouse gas emissions in
half, but only if countries representing 55% of the world’s emissions officially sign it in April,
which will make it legally binding. It the deal is signed, and countries follow through with it, it
will be a significant step in the right direction, but there is still a lot more that needs to be done.
Bibliography:
Fountain, Henry, Aaron Byrd, and Ben Laffin. "How It Happens | El Niño." The New York Times.
September 09, 2014. Accessed January 11, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/video/science/100000003102629/how-it- happens-el- nio.html
Gerken, James. "New York City Could See Up To Six Feet Of Sea Level Rise This Century: Report." The
Huffington Post. Accessed January 11, 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/17/new-york-city- sea-level- rise_n_6700320.html.
Gillis, Justin. "2015 Likely to Be Hottest Year Ever Recorded." The New York Times. October 21, 2015.
Accessed January 11, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/22/science/2015-likely- to-be-
hottest-year- ever-recorded.html.
Schwartz, John, and Russell Goldman. "Hurricane Patricia: What You Need to Know." The New York
Times. October 22, 2015. Accessed January 11, 2016.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/23/science/hurricane-patricia- what-you- need-to-know.html.
Schwartz, John. "The Pacific Ocean Becomes a Caldron." The New York Times. November 02, 2015.
Accessed January 11, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/science/global-warming-pacific-ocean- el-nino- blob.html.
