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= THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT = The Greenhouse Effect is almost like the earth’s blanket which keeps the heat in but harmful radiation is blocked out. Some of the suns rays are deflected from earth which would cause too much heat in the surface. Heat that flows off the earth’s surface and into space is trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gasses. This is why nights are warm as oppose to mercury which has no greenhouse affect. Greenhouse gasses absorb some infrared radiation in the earth’s atmosphere that otherwise would pass through and harm humans at an alarming rate. The gasses also absorb all of the sun's heat and reemit them in every direction mostly hitting the earth. The land also absorbs heat and reemits heat up towords the atmosphere. The gasses absorb the heat again and remitt them in every direction. These all combine to form the grenhouse effect which is very important for human survival.

GLOBAL WARMING: THE BIG PICTURE
There are three main greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse affect. They are Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide. These compounds absorb heat which is then emitted in all directions. Some heat travels towards earth and some emits into space. Drastic increases in these three gasses from industrialization, deforestation and the burning of oil and natural gasses has issued a warming affect on the planet. This is causing the polar ice caps to melt, the oceans to change in temperature, and increased precipitation around the globe.

The transportation sector is the second largest contributor of carbon dioxide gasses. Almost 100% of transportation energy consumption is petroleum based substances including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Jet fuel emissions pollute five times more than emissions from the ground. Carbon dioxide and sulfur emissions from airlines have increased 90 percent from 1990. They are growing four to five percent a year and are expected to increase as commercial demand increases. Aircraft pollution is now a very serious problem nationally and internationally therefore we must act now to curb this crisis.
 * GLOBAL WARMING: CONTRIBUTING FACTORS **

As the globe gets warmer, the ice sheets in and around Antarctica and Greenland begin to melt. This causes a rise in sea level which poses a serious threat to coastal areas around the globe. As the sea level rises, wetland areas on the coast will begin to disappear. Erosion of land will also become much more serious of a problem. The drastic changes in temperature would cause a change in rainfall patterns and amounts. This would affect the agriculture industry whichis highlly sensitive to any changes in climate. Severe weather from global warming would destroy crops as well. Ecosystems around the world are very interdependent on different plants and animals and if one is affected by climate change then the entire ecosystem will be affected.
 * GLOBAL WARMING: LOCAL EFFECTS **

Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Bombardier aircraft manufacturers to engineer more fuel efficient engines and aircraft to reduce harmful emissions. Such planes like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Join Strike Fighter, and the Bombardier CRJ1000 have made great strides in energy efficiency, but you should work on putting these models in the air. The top priority for aircraft manufacturers should be to create more fuel efficient designs that perform at the same level if not better than the current designs.
 * WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE CAN DO DIFFERENTLY: One specific area of focus **

European Union will not start the European Emission Trading scheme until 2012 in the aviation sector. Turbofan engines are more energy efficient than turbojet engines and turboprop engines. A turbofan engine has a much bigger fan than a jet engine to intake air. Part of the air intake is compressed in the engine and fuel combusts it as it fires out the back and pushes the aircraft forward. However, the difference is that the rest of the air passes through the fan as a cool mixture and mixes with the hot engine mixture. These engines require less fuel and have no major drawbacks. Swept wing designs are also fuel efficient because they reduce drag during sustained flight. However, during landings and takeoffs there is less lift and more thrust is needed. Therefore the variable sweep wing designs are the most fuel efficient because they are out at 90 degrees for takeoff but fold to swept wings during sustained flight. These wings should be incorporated into commercial aircraft designs to reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency.
 * A SUMMARY OF YOUR RESEARCH **

Environmental Protection Agency. "Glossary of Climate Change." __Environmental Protection Agency site on global warming.__ March 25, 2009. 6/1/09 http://epa.gov/climatechange/glossary.html#G
 * BIBLIOGRAPHY **

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__ Science Daily __, “Climate pollution from aviation increasing. 6/1/09   []

__ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change __, “Aviation and the global atmosphere” 6/1/09 []

Grant, R.G. __Flight:100 Years of Aviation__. New York, New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2002. <span style="border-top-width: 1pt; padding-right: 0in; padding-left: 0in; border-left-width: 1pt; font-size: 0pt; border-left-color: black; background: black; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding-bottom: 0in; layout-grid-mode: line; color: black; border-top-color: black; padding-top: 0in; font-family: Times New Roman; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: black; mso-border-alt: none black 0in; mso-font-width: 0%; mso-ansi-language: X-NONE; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE; msoborderalt: none black 0in; msofontwidth: 0%; msoansilanguage: X-NONE; msofareastlanguage: X-NONE; msobidilanguage: X-NONE;">