Scientist Letter #1: Meet Griffin Boyle
Greetings!
Let me introduce myself. My name is Griffin Boyle and, if I do say so myself, I am a Grand Researcher. I travel all over the world studying this and that. Lately, I’ve been feeling the heat so I decided to investigate what this whole global warming nonsense is all about. Don’t worry, I’ll get to the bottom of this and help you out before you get to present at the United Nations summit on this!
Scientists say that the average temperature of the Earth has risen 1 degree Fahrenheit. How is this possible you ask? The answer isn’t always so simple, but let me break it down for you. The Earth has a layer of atmosphere around it that contains greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, trioxide and others. Think of them like a nice blanket around the Earth. The sun’s heat goes through these gases, warms the Earth, and gets sent back into space. Just like a blanket, the gases send some of that heat back to Earth to heat us again. Some of the gases get through and go to space. This balance leaves Earth a nice temperature, perfect for many crops and animals (including humans!). How do these gases get into the atmosphere? Nature sends many of these gases there. Unfortunately, humans send a lot, lot, lot, lot, lot (you get the idea) more of these gases into the atmosphere with our cars, factories, garbage and other things. That imaginary blanket? It just keeps getting thicker and thicker.
Is 1 degree Fahrenheit really so bad? What would happen to the USA and other countries if it gets worse? Stay tuned, I’ll let you know.
Sincerely in Science,
Griffin Boyle
Last modified: Tuesday, 13 July 2010, 11:41 AM