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Theoprastus notices that humans can effect the climate and change it
Theoprastus was a student of Aristotle, the greek philosopher, was the first to document that humans can effect climate change. He looked at the drainage of marshes cools the area. He also looked at how clearing forest was effecting and making the climate warmer. -
John Tyndall observed that gases like water vapor and carbon dioxide in the "atmosphere envelope" retain heat.
John Tyndall had a really big impact on climate science during his time. He experimented with various gases and air that absorbs heat and radiation. He also came up with demonstrations on how radiant heat is absorbed and emitted at a molecule level. -
Svante Arrhenius prodicted that burning fossil fuels would cause global warming.
Svante Arrhenius came up with the idea that most reactions require heat energy . He also was the first scientist to attempt to calculate how carbon dioxide changes the surface tempature of the earth. He noticed the "greenhouse effect" and was the scientist that named it. He also predicted that the global average tempature would increase by 5 degrees celcious. -
First time people and scientist noticed that the levels of carbon dioxide are increasing.
In 1958, people first realized the potential that carbon dioxide has to heat things up and effect the enviornment. Carbon dioxide that is effecting our atmosphere is produced by burning fossil fuels and volcanic outgassing. It also comes from wildfires and the respiration of living, organic things. Some man-made sources of carbon dioxide are fuels for heating, power generation, and transport. Most of the carbon dioxde is made from natural causes. -
Beginning of period of atmospheric warming known as "global warming."
The year of 1970 is the first year that people actually started taking global warming seriously. Many studies started and it was found that human activity was the main cause of the warming of the earth's climate. Observations in 1970 led to noting that weather patterns and tempatures are changing reapidly and unpredictably on a global scale. It is mostly caused by heat trapping gases in the atmosphere (greenhouse gases). -
European Heat Wave
In 2003 the European heat wave hit all of Europe, but especially France. This event was the first time scientists believed that a major climate event was caused by human activity. It was later confirmed that the event was human enduced. This had huge effects on multiple important natural things including the ocean and the crops for that year and for years to come. -
Massive Ice Loss in the Arctic
In 2007, our earth experienced the biggest ice loss in history. Scientists began to think that soon we would have an ice-free north. This especially effected the Arctic polar ice caps all the surrounding areas. The ice that was melted that summer was the size of Texas and California combined. Also effected the other ice caps and therefore the world since we rely on ice so much. -
Current Climate Change
Currently the climate has been changing a lot. We have had more forest fires and heat waves then we've ever had before. Before fires and forest fires catch flame, we have had record breaking temptatures. Tempatures have especially grown in the Rocky Mountains and have made it difficult for snow to fall. Tempatures are continuing to rise and we are experienceing the hottest tempatures we've ever had.
