Tyler McGregor

Dr. Guenzel
ENC 1102
March 20, 2015
Research Dossier: Climate Change
Dossier Introduction
Climate change is a widely debated issue, especially within the political spectrum.
The existence of climate change and the influence humans have on it is directly linked to
my major and potential job. The duty of an environmental engineer is to use innovative
ideas to solve problems pertaining to the environment. These problems can range from
dealing with wastewater to air pollution and energy consumption.
Climate change is a complex topic and while there are many variables that
contribute to climate change, there is one underlying cause: the greenhouse effect. The
greenhouse effect is what makes Earth habitable. Without it, Earth would be a barren
planet, incapable of sustaining life. However if the greenhouse effect is allowed to spiral
out of control, the results can be devastating. While climate change is the overall topic for
my research, my niche will be the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. I will
explore the sources of release of those gases, what can be done to reduce the gases, what
results will occur if those gases are increased and for the purpose of introducing
contradicting perspectives; I will also look into if those gases are the underlying cause.
As the debate of climate change and its causes continues, the science behind the
generally accepted explanation is being called into question. I argue that the science
behind climate change and the chemistry of greenhouse gases such as CO2 is sound and
trustworthy; at the very least enough to understand humans are contributing significantly.
A perspective I plan to address is that climate change is a hoax; a position taken by those
who believe the government is trying to tax excessively by hiding behind the guise of
environmental protection. A third perspective I will address is that climate change may be
existent, but humans arent contributing/are contributing to an extent much smaller than
thought. The third perspective is perhaps the most widely accepted theory for those that
doubt the science of climate change.
Everyone has a stake in creating a more livable environment. My intended
audience for this presentation would be my ENC 1102 class. The students in the same
ENC 1102 class as myself are of a younger generation, a generation that will feel the
results of climate change. This will be my biggest appeal to my audience. If my argument
and research is successful then the implied audience will also be made aware. The
implied audience includes all of my intended audiences friends, family, and future family

members. By making my intended audience aware, I can reach to a much larger group.
Since climate change is a sensitive subject, I will use only scholarly articles and
research. Science is the backbone of my argument, so its important to ensure my sources
are credible. If the audience finds something wrong with any of my sources, it could
damage the credibility of my research and argument. Many people that doubt climate
change do so for reasons concerning credibility of the facts and science. My hope is that
the sources will help convince my audience of my argument. My second hope is that the
credibility of my sources will extinguish doubt people have on the science of climate
change. I plan to use data collected by notable agencies and organizations, such as
NASA, to support my main points.

Research Map
Research questions:
1. What are the chemical properties of greenhouse gases and how does the
greenhouse effect work?
2. Why is there doubt regarding the science backing climate change?
3. Who benefits if climate change is a hoax? Not man-made? True?
4. How will climate change affect the future and to what extent can environmental
engineers be useful?
5. How significant is having 400 ppm CO2 in the atmosphere? What does this
mean?
Keywords:

Climate change
Global warming
Greenhouse gases
Ppm (parts per million)
Carbon dioxide
Methane
Anthropogenic

Kinds of Research:
I will be conducting mostly library and Internet research. Other kinds of research
include searching the Internet for scholarly articles based on certain keywords that have
been listed above. I plan to gather data on carbon emissions, a greenhouse gas, to use as
evidence to support my thesis. For example, the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earths
atmosphere has increased exponentially since the industrial revolution. Similarly, the
Earths average surface temperature has risen as well. This will be an argument made in
my research paper. Other searches include articles on the release of greenhouse gases,

explanation of how the greenhouse effect works, Earths past concerning climate change
history, and what possible outcomes would result in both doing something and doing
nothing about climate change.
Potential Obstacles:
Climate change is a dense topic and area of wide debate. Since it has become
popular in recent years, finding articles and previous research should be easy. However,
so much material available can make knowing which material to utilize difficult. This is
why my research map and annotated bibliography can be helpful. With those tools, I can
decide which articles to use based on credibility.
Another obstacle is that new data and research regarding climate change is
appearing each year. While my research could be relevant now or even for a few years,
something new or more relevant can add to the conversation. So a time constraint will be
something to consider.
A third obstacle is that the two primary opposite perspectives differ widely and
each side claims to have an answer. This is why using my sources and interpreting them
will become important.
Time table
FEBRUARY
Sunday
1

* = research (done throughout), Conferences = TBA

Monda Tuesday
Wednesda Thursday
Frida
y
y
y
2
3
4
5
6

15*

22*

11

12 Library
Course &
Research
Proposal

13

16
17
Resear
ch Map
due

18 * CHM
hw due

19

20

14 Blog
posts for
eportfoli
o
21

23*

25

26 FYA
appointment
at 2

27*

28

MARCH
Sunday
Monday

10 Blog
posts for
e-portfolio

Saturda
y
7

24

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1*
8*
15
Workshop
draft
Rhetorica
l Analysis
22 Final
Dossier
Draft due

29 Blog
posts for
eportfolio

2 Digital
Paper
Trail
9

3*

16

23
Revised
Research
Proposal.
Meeting
with
ENC
30

APRIL
Sunday
Monday

6 Pitch
TED talk

12

13

19

20 Draft
3:
Research
paper

26

27
Extra
Credit???

4*

5 Give
informativ
e speech
11 Math HW 12 Math
due
quiz due

13

14

17

18* Math
HW due

19*

21
Beach
Day

24*
WITHDRA
W
DEADLINE

25*Appt
with FYA.
WRITING
SHOWCAS
E EC

26 Math
HW due

20*
Blog
posts for
eportfolio
27 CHM
TEST

10

28 Blog
posts for
eportfolio

31 Blog
posts for eportfolio

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1 CHM
homework
due

7 Final
Draft
Rhetorical
Analysis
14 Draft 2:
Research
Paper
21

9 Workshop
Draft 1
Research Paper

10

11 CHM
quiz
online

15

16

17

18

22

25

28

29

23 Final Draft
24
Argumentative
Research Paper/
Self
Assessment
30

Annotated Bibliography
Barnett,TimT.,andMichaelSchlesinger."DetectingChangeinGlobalClimateInduced
byGreenhouseGases."JournalofGeophysicalResearch:Atmospheres92.D12
(2012):n.pag.Web.4Mar.2015.
From the abstract: A quantitative search for a theoretically predicted CO2 signal in
surface air temperature data extending back to 1899 was marginally successful in a
statistical sense. However, the nature of the signal strength time series suggested that this
result is an artifact of large-scale decadal variations at the beginning and end of the
record. Application of the fingerprint strategy to three different global fields of climate
variables over the last 2535 years showed no significant CO2 signal. The analysis
pointed up the need to use: (1) model signal-to-noise ratios in selecting fields for
subsequent analysis and (2) multiple fields in the detection process. Most importantly, we
found the primary pattern of natural air temperature variability to be very similar to the
expected CO2 signal, thus suggesting that the air temperature field is not the best place to
attempt early detection of the CO2 signal. By contrast, the primary pattern of natural
variability and the expected CO2 signal in the ocean's surface temperature are
substantially different; this suggests the oceans as a low-noise environment in which to
attempt early detection.
The leading author, Tim Barnett, is a professor of oceanography at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography. His research interests include greenhouse gas studies, climate forecast
model development, and oceanography. Given his educational background, he is reliable
and considered an expert in his field of study. Although, this paper assumes that climate
change is existent.
Barnett, Tim P., David W. Peirce, and Reiner Schnur. "Detection of Anthropogenic
Climate Change in the World's Oceans." Science 13th ser. 292 (2001): 270-74.
Web. 21 Mar. 2015.
From the abstract: Large-scale increases in the heat content of the world's oceans have
been observed to occur over the last 45 years. The horizontal and temporal character of
these changes has been closely replicated by the state-of-the-art Parallel Climate Model
(PCM) forced by observed and estimated anthropogenic gases. Application of optimal
detection methodology shows that the model-produced signals are indistinguishable from
the observations at the 0.05 confidence level. Further, the chances of either the
anthropogenic or observed signals being produced by the PCM as a result of natural,
internal forcing alone are less than 5%. This suggests that the observed ocean heatcontent changes are consistent with those expected from anthropogenic forcing, which
broadens the basis for claims that an anthropogenic signal has been detected in the global
climate system. Additionally, the requirement that modeled ocean heat uptakes match
observations puts a strong, new constraint on anthropogenically forced climate models. It
is unknown if the current generation of climate models, other than the PCM, meet this

constraint.
This is the same author as previously mentioned. His credibility remains the same as does
his bias.
Barth, M.C., and J.G. Titus. Greenhouse Effect and Sea Level Rise: a Challenge for This
Generation. N. p., 1984. Print.
This article goes in depth concerning the effects of climate change, particular sea level
rising. A promising source, I will most likely reference the authors of this paper often in
my research paper. The report explains causes of an out of control greenhouse effect,
which is one of my research questions. In my paper, I plan to have a large section
dedicated to what can result from climate change, so this article will be helpful there.
The authors work on the assumption global warming is anthropogenic. This report
mainly lists worse case scenarios, so it can be used to contradict other perspectives that
Ive listed.
Heffernan,Olive."SunNotaCauseofGlobalWarming."Weblogpost.NatureClimate
Change.NaturePublishingGroup,11July2007.Web.4Mar.2015.
This article casts doubt on the view that the sun is causing global warming. The sun is not
getting warmer and is not influencing global warming in a way that is significant enough
to cause current temperature trends.
This is also a blog posts but it uses facts to show that the sun is not the culprit to global
warming. Since it is a blog, there is a hint of bias and references are made to the research
conducted by other parties. Important to note is that this is a blog on a reliable site and
the author has credibility. From her profile on Nature, Olive is a freelance science writer
and editor who covers environmental issues for publications such as
Nature, Nature Climate Change, New Scientist, Scientific American, Yale Environment
360, National Geographic News, and The Guardian.
Lashof,DanielA.,andDilipR.Ahuja."RelativeContributionsofGreenhouseGas
EmissionstoGlobalWarming."Nature344(1990):52931.Web.3Mar.2015.
Abstract from article: In the past few years, many workers have noted that the combined
effect on climate of increases in the concentrations of a large number of trace gases could
rival or even exceed that of the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide13. These trace
gases, principally methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons, are present at
concentrations that are two to six orders of magnitude lower than that of carbon dioxide,
but are important because, per molecule, they absorb infrared radiation much more
strongly than carbon dioxide. Indeed a recent study4 shows that trace gases are
responsible for 43% of the increase in radiative forcing from 1980 to 1990 (Fig. 1). An
index to compare the contribution of various 'greenhouse' gas emissions to global
warming is needed to develop cost-effective strategies for limiting this warming.
Estimates of relative contributions to additional greenhouse forcing during particular

periods do not fully take into account differences in atmospheric residence times among
the important greenhouse gases. Here we extend recent work on halocarbons5,6 by
proposing an index of global warming potential for methane, carbon monoxide, nitrous
oxide and CFCs relative to that of carbon dioxide. We find, for example, that methane
has, per mole, a global warming potential 3.7 times that of carbon dioxide. On this basis,
carbon dioxide emissions account for 80% of the contribution to global warming of
current greenhouse gas emissions, as compared with 57% of the increase in radiative
forcing for the 1980s.
This article contains only facts about the chemical properties of certain greenhouse gases.
Nordhaus,WilliamD."ToSloworNottoSlow:TheEconomicsoftheGreenhouse
Effect."TheEconomicJournal101(1991):92037.Web.4Mar.2015.
This article takes a look at the economic implications of climate
change. Economic results of climate change could be a carbon tax,
larger FEMA funds, and how cities with economic relevance to nations
would be impacted.
William D. Nordhaus is the sterling professor of economics at Yale
University. Nordhaus is an established economist. His areas of study
include the economic implications of climate change and hes written
numerous papers on the subject.
Raynaud,D.,J.Jouzel,J.M.Barnola,J.Chappellaz,R.J.Delmas,andC.Lorius."The
IceRecordofGreenhouseGases."Science259.25097(1993):92634.Print.
This source will be useful because ice records are what tell us how the
Earth was in the past, thousands of years ago. Scientists drill holes in
the ice caps that are miles deep. When examined, the extracted ice
acts as an atmospheric record. I can use this source to disprove the
perspective that the climate is changing but not because of
anthropogenic causes. I can also use this source to establish a degree
of credibility to
Climate science. This will most likely be one of my most referenced sources.
This article is unbiased and solely reports findings from the authors research. The
authors remain objective and only reports facts.
Soytas,Ugur,RamazanSari,andBradleyT.Ewing."EnergyConsumption,Income,and
CarbonEmissionsintheUnitedStates."Elseveir62.3(2007):48289.Web.4
Mar.2015.
Abstract from the paper: This paper investigates the effect of energy consumption and
output on carbon emissions in the United States. Earlier research focused on testing the
existence and/or shape of an environmental Kuznets curve without taking energy

consumption into account. We investigate the Granger causality relationship between

income, energy consumption, and carbon emissions, including labor and gross fixed
capital formation in the model. We find that income does not Granger cause carbon
emissions in the US in the long run, but energy use does. Hence, income growth by itself
may not become a solution to environmental problems.
The leading author, Ugur Soytas, is the co-editor of Energy Economics and a professor at
Middle East Technical University. His research interests include energy consumption,
economic growth, and economic impacts of climate change. This article analyzes the
economic implications of climate change.
Tollefson,Jeff."ClimateScience:AnErosionofTrust?"Nature466(2010):2426.Web.
3Mar.2015.
Subheading was included with this article: Many climate researchers worry that
skepticism about global warming is on the rise. Jeff Tollefson investigates the basis for
that concern and what scientists are doing about it. This article is biased towards the fact
that global warming/climate change is existent and mostly man-made. The author
explores reasons why there is skepticism among the general public, which is also one of
my own research questions.
Taken from Nature, information to establish credibility: Jeff came to Nature from
Congressional Quarterly, where he covered energy, climate and the environment for two
years. Before that he was a Knight fellow in science journalism at MIT; a science reporter
at the Santa Fe New Mexican, where he covered Los Alamos and the national labs among
other topics; and a general assignment reporter at the Billings Gazette for which he
covered Yellowstone National Park. Jeff has won a number of accolades, including New
Mexico press awards for pieces on pollution and nuclear-weapons work at Los Alamos
National Laboratory. He is originally from Wyoming and has studied French, Russian and
Portuguese.
Tollefson,Jeff."EPA:GlobalWarmingIsaProblem."Weblogpost.NatureClimate
Change.NaturePublishingGroup,21Apr.2009.Web.4Mar.2015.
Thisisablogpostbutgiventheauthorscredibility,Ivedecidedtoincludeitasasource.
TheauthorexamineshowtheEPAcametodecidethatclimatechangeisaproblemand
theearlyregulationsthatshouldbemadetocurbit.
Since this is the same author of a source Ive cited, his credibility remains unchanged. He
is bias towards climate changes existence.
Zaval,Lisa,ElizabethA.Keenan,EricJ.Johnson,andElkeU.Weber."HowWarmDays
IncreaseBeliefinGlobalWarming."Nature:ClimateChange4(2014):14347.
Web.3Mar.2015.
Abstractfromarticle:Climate change judgments can depend on whether today seems
warmer or colder than usual, termed the local warming effect. Although previous research
has demonstrated that this effect occurs, studies have yet to explain why or how

temperature abnormalities influence global warming attitudes. A better understanding of

the underlying psychology of this effect can help explain the publics reaction to climate
change and inform approaches used to communicate the phenomenon. Across five
studies, we find evidence of attribute substitution, whereby individuals use less relevant
but available information (for example, todays temperature) in place of more diagnostic
but less accessible information (for example, global climate change patterns) when
making judgments. Moreover, we rule out alternative hypotheses involving climate
change labeling and lay mental models. Ultimately, we show that present temperature
abnormalities are given undue weight and lead to an overestimation of the frequency of
similar past events, thereby increasing belief in and concern for global warming.
The authors have no bias but base their research on the assumption that climate change is
existent and anthropogenic.