What are the consequences of global warming short and long term?

Question

Will there be similar effects like the move " The Day After Tomorrow"?

Questions I would like to know and maybe a few others.

projected Air quality ?

projected temperature ?

Effects of the sun on humans compared to now?

projected effects on plants and animals?

some statistics would work or good links to sites that cover these question.

Answer 1

The Day After Tomorrow exaggerates both the speed and magnitude of the effects but it is based on a real scenario. Winter temperatures in Europe could drop to levels experienced in Siberia. That might happen if the Gulf Stream were to stall.

Global warming has little to do with air quality. CO2 is not a poisonous pollutant but rather a greenhouse gas. It shifts the balance of solar energy that is trapped in the atmosphere. Air quality typically refers to things like surface ozone levels and particulates and other pollutants that impact human health. CO2 does not affect health at the levels that it causes serious climate change. Climate does have some impact on pollutants so it does have a secondary effect.

Temperatures will increase world wide on average. Perhaps more importantly temperature extremes will increase and rain and storm patterns will change. It is anticipated that storms will become stronger because they get their energy from atmospheric and ocean heat. Rain patterns will likely shift creating drought in areas that are now farmed and may create flooding in areas that are now dry.

There should be no change in the effects of the sun on humans. I think you might be confusing global warming with ozone depletion.

Increased levels of carbon dioxide appear to have a mixed effect on plants some do better others do worse. Probably the bigger effect will be on weather patterns and how those changes affect plants and animals. The effects of weather change will be very large and will accelerate extinctions, which are all ready happening at extreme levels. This may be the most lasting impact of global warming. Once a species is gone it will not be coming back - ever.

A good place to start research is the wikipedia global warming link. Towards the bottom of the page there are a bunch of references and sprinkled throughout the article are hot links to related issues.

Answer 2

air will get worse, temp will rise, the sun is NOW more harmful and will continue to be,plants will grow better (as will insects) some parts of the world will be under water and some will turn into swampland.

Answer 3

http://www.junkscience.com/Greenhouse/

Answer 4

http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/ice_ages.html