Causes of Changing Weather Patterns

By Evelyn
Global climate change began in the mid 19
th
century. However, many
people from that century were not aware that the changing weather patterns are
due to climate change; they think that it was just a natural phenomenon occurred
in a particular area. From the global instrumental report, climate was changing at
this time. During the duration from the last decade of the 20
th
century and the
beginning of the 21
st
century it has been the warmest period in history (Noaa,
2007). According to Weather Questions (2010), climate is a typical weather
condition that is observed over a period of time in a particular place. Climate
change refers to the changes of the weather over a period of time as climates
contain a few components, like temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind, cloud
and seasons. Change in climate may lead to changing in weather patterns that
can that can affect natural ecosystems and also human economies as most
systems are linked to climate (Department of Ecology, 2007). It is commonly
believe that climate change is due to human activities. Activities such as
deforestation, burning of fossil fuels and production of electricity causes the
increase of greenhouse effect which leads to global warming that indirectly brings
the changes in weather patterns.
According to World Wide Fund for Nature (n.d.) deforestation is the
process whereby natural forests are cleared through logging and/or burning,
either to use the timber or to replace the area for alternative uses. In other words,
deforestation is a process of clearing the trees to make space for industries and
household. However, most people are not aware that around 1.6 billion tones or
25 to 30 percent of gases are released into the atmosphere due to deforestation
(Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations, 2006). At it is widely
known, trees play an important in maintain the balance of ecosystem. Too much
cutting of trees for alternatives uses such as making furniture, building house and
so on can affect the environmental balance as the amount of oxygen is inversely
proportional to the amount of carbon dioxide (Oak,n.d.). According to Avril Chew,
2003, trees perform photosynthesis to produce oxygen. The function of leaves in
trees is essentially as photosynthetic organs which allow gases exchange from
carbon dioxide to oxygen. However, fewer trees cause reduction of oxygen, as
the rate of gases exchange is reduced. As the amount of oxygen produce is
reduced, the concentration of carbon dioxide increases (Avril Chew, 2003). Thus,
the increase of carbon dioxide will cause the increase of greenhouse effect which
leads to global warming that indirectly brings the changes in weather patterns.

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According to Wall (2011), A record-setting 36.4 billion tons of carbon
dioxide were added to the atmosphere in 2010. That is 45 percent of carbon
dioxide gases were released by human activities. The burning of fossils fuels
also cause changes in the atmosphere and can contribute to changing in weather
patterns. When fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gases are burned in
order to produce energy used for transportation, manufacturing, heating, cooling
and electricity generation, greenhouse gases are produced; and this has caused
80 to 85 percent of carbon dioxide to be added to the atmosphere (Global
Change Research Information Office, 2006). Human activities such as burning of
fossil fuels have caused the rise of small particles in the atmosphere as half-
billion tons of carbon is pumped into the air. These little particles can make
changes to the feature of clouds by changing the total energy that the cloud can
absorb and reflect. These small particles indirectly increase the concentration of
greenhouse gases which leads to global warming(Global Change Research
Information Office, 2006).
Electricity production can cause the increase of greenhouse gases as
most of the electricity used is generated by burning fossil fuels that are non
renewable sources of energy like coal, oil and natural gas which will produce
cardion dioxide gas which will absorb heat energy. When the release of carbon
dioxide increase, the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere also increase and
contribute to global warming which indirectly brings changes in weather patterns.
While some methods of electricity production produce less carbon dioxide
emissions such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and nuclear systems.
However, there are some power plants fueled by wood, agricultural crop wastes,
livestock wastes, and methane collected from municipal landfills release carbon
dioxide emissions but contribute just a little to the global climate change as they
can prevent even b releases of carbon dioxide and methane. According to
powerscorecard.org (n.d.), 57 percent of coal was consumed in order to generate
electricity. Besides that, greenhouse gases like, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
produced by refrigeration and air-conditioner can lead to the thinning of ozone
layer as they will have non-stop reaction toward the ozone gas in the atmosphere
layer and contributions to climate change and changing of weather patterns are
predicted to increase (Gcrio, 1997).
When the release of carbon dioxide due to the combustion of fossil fuels
for energy production largely increases, the concentration of greenhouse gases
raised. Greenhouse gases are relatively small to solar radiation, and thus allow
the sun energy to passes through the atmosphere and to the surface of the earth.
As the greenhouse gases molecules were absorbed by the earth surface, they
then reemitted in all directions on the earth surface. This cause the Earth surface

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and lower atmosphere getting warmer as most of the heats were trap inside the
Earth surface (ccir.ciesin.columbia.edu, n.d.). When the earth heats up as the
temperature continue to rise, global warming occurred. Thus, the increase of
temperature on the Earth surface and in the oceans is also known as global
warming. (library.thinkquest.org,2000)
Global warming occurred when excessive of heat trapped in the Earth
atmosphere, which cause the rise of temperature. Extreme weather conditions,
changing in agriculture and increase in disease are the effects of global warming.
This change many bring harm to the ecosystem as well as human economy as
many people, animals or plants are unable to accept the changes on Earth. By
some mean, global warming indirectly brings the changes in weather patterns.
According to Oak (n.d.), the sea level has rise as ices and glaciers at north and
south poles are melting due to global warming and it will increase the sea level
which wil caused more disaster and there will be more suffering for mankind to
survive. Global warming caused a sudden change in weather patterns and also
increased in evaporation rates. Scientist predicted that there will be a growth of
drought that will affect other region in a particular country. Human beings will
encounter major food supply crisis and water crisis as if the drought is getting
longer and drier. Apart from that, global warming can also bring more extreme
heat waves. Global warming will also affect the winter weather in northern United
States (nwf.org, 2011). For instance, the winter will become shorter and spring
will arrives 1 to 2 week earlier; or certain snowing areas are experiencing heavy
snowstorms or more serious snowfalls such as storm tracks shift northward or
the ice cover on the Great lakes increases.
In conclusion, there are many factors of human activities that can
indirectly lead the causes of changing in weather patterns. As the amount of
carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gases in the atmosphere increase, global
warming will increase and happened in particular area that causes changing in
weather patterns. Deforestation somehow seems important in developing
industries and household for human beings, however it can affect the earth
atmosphere as oxygen gases exchange are reduced while carbon dioxide
increase. Besides that, people should be aware the dangers of burning fossil
fuels. Excessive burning of fossil fuels can lead to increase of greenhouse gases
which will indirectly contribute to changing in weather patterns. People should
also support renewable electric sources like solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower,
and nuclear systems in order to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and
prevent the changing of weather patterns to be worsened. Government should
encourage people to use renewable energy sources and also car pooling in order
to reduce the rise of greenhouse gases and global warming that will cause

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changing in weather patterns. As human beings, we should also be responsible
to our mother nature. We should reduce the cutting of trees, uses of non
renewable fossil fuels and reduce the use of electricity production that needed a
large amount of burning fossil fuels. What is the purpose of having a business
when there is no tree and no rain but just a bad weather?

1543 words



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