S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP). The purpose of CCSP is to improve the public's understanding of natural climatic variations and how citizens can help to slow down the rate of warming.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is meeting in Denmark in December, and has released some information that helps to understand global warming. In the fact sheet the UNFCCC reports that "more powerful storms and hotter, longer dry periods" are being observed and are assessed by the UN scientists. "The frequency of heavy precipitation events has increased over most land areas," the report goes on. In Africa's large lake basins like Niger, Lake Chad, and Senegal, total available water "has decreased by 40 to 60%."
"Almost all mountain glaciers in non-polar regions retreated during the 20th century." In fact, the UNFCCC continues, the overall volume of glaciers in Switzerland "decreased by two-thirds" due to the warming of the atmosphere. Snow cover has declined by about...
The report estimates that because of the losses of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica the average global sea level has raised at "an average rate of 1.8 mm per year between 1961 and 2003."
It rose faster between 1993 and 2003 -- by 3.1 mm per year -- the UNFCCC report asserts. Global warming has also affected bird species; in
Europe, mating and egg laying of some species is occurring earlier than usual. In the UK egg laying by 20 of 65 species…advanced by an average of eight days between 1971 and 1995 (UNFCCC).
Works Cited
Pickerell, John. "Global Warming 'marches on'; Past Decade Hottest Known." The National
Geographic. Retrieved Dec. 9, 2009, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com. (Dec. 8).
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. "Current Evidence of Climate
Change / Extra-Strength Weather." Retrieved Dec. 9, 2009, from http://unfccc.int/essential_background/feeling_the_heat/items/2904txt.php. (Dec. 9).
United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Climate Change -- Science: State of Knowledge." Retrieved Dec. 8, 2009, from http://www.epa.gov.
