We have all heard the term global warming, but many do not really understand the meaning of the term, and others don't believe it is a serious problem. ABC Alaska News spoke with local meteorologists and professors to find out what they they have to say about global warming.

Global warming, according to the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, “is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation.”

The ozone layer, which protects the Earth from the sun's deadly rays, is diminishing – thus causing the earth's surface to be warmer than usual and affecting weather patterns all over the world.

The issue is debatable. While some experts believe that the rising temperatures here on Earth is a part of a normal cycle, others believe that human activity is adversely affecting the depletion of the ozone layer, causing the Earth heat up much more quickly than it should, which could mean trouble.

According to experts, at this time Alaska's temperatures are within the normal climate range. One local meteorologist explained that an Ice Age has been melting away for 10,000 years now, and that it is expected for the weather to get warmer.

Other experts believe that we humans are directly affecting the warming of the Earth by using products and chemicals that put pollutants in the air, which deplete the ozone layer.

The fact of the matter is that yes, the Earth's atmosphere is getting hotter. The point of contingency lies in whether the heating of the Earth is normal and on schedule as we continue to thaw out from the Ice Age, or are we humans speeding up the process with the gases and fumes that we release into the environment?

This debatable issue is one that will continue, experts say, until there is scientific evidence to show just how much human pollutants are warming the atmosphere and how much the atmosphere is warming on its own as part of the normal cycle.