Global Climate Change due to Radiatively Active Gases

There are many factors, both natural and human related, that are influencing the Earth’s climate. Of these factors, there is particular concern about the potential changes to climate that may be occurring due to growing atmospheric concentrations of gases that absorb terrestrial infrared radiation, termed greenhouse gases. Much of this concern has centered around carbon dioxide (CO2) because of its importance as a greenhouse gas and also because of the rapid rate at which its atmospheric concentration has been increasing. However, in the last decade, it has been shown that other greenhouse gases are contributing to about half of the overall increase in the greenhouse effect on climate. In addition to these direct effects, research studies have shown that chemical interactions in the atmosphere can lead to additional ‘indirect’ effects on climate. As an example, changes in stratospheric ozone have received much attention because of concerns about ultraviolet radiation, but ozone is also a greenhouse gas, and changes in its distribution can affect climate.

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