ozone and global warming
what are the melting and disappearance of mountaintop glaciers and snow & impacts
Aesthetics & tourism (Glacier National Park, other notable snow-capped mountains) No glaciers to hike to? Species dependent upon cold mountaintop habitat. Can try to go higher, but may or may not be able to. Water supplies for cities & irrigation derived from meltwater At risk
Which countries ratified the Kyoto protocal?
As of December 2006, a total of 169 countries and other governmental entities have ratified the agreement. Notable exceptions include the United States and Australia. Other countries, like India and China, which have ratified the protocol, are not required to reduce carbon emissions under the present agreement despite their relatively large populations.
10. What does "carbon neutral" mean?
Counteracting release of carbon dioxide - maintenance of a balance between producing and using carbon, especially balancing carbon-dioxide emissions by activities such as growing plants to use as fuel or planting trees in urban areas to offset vehicle emissions
how does sea level change affect coastal communities?
Current evacuation of some low-lying -Pacific Islands, future impacts on U.S. coastline -The last time the polar regions were significantly warmer than present for an extended period (about 125,000 years ago), reductions in polar ice volume led to 4 to 6 meters of sea level rise.
What are the impacts of melting permafrost?
Decomposition of organic matter & greenhouse gas release Collapse of buildings, roads, trees established on permafrost
What is the effect of climate change on agricultural production?
Disruption in agricultural production (due to changes in climate)
What is a cap and trade system? What problem has this system been used to address? How could it be used to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases?
First, it would put a mandatory cap on emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Second, it would allow companies to trade off their obligations with one another.
How has the sea level risen over the last decade and century?
Global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century. The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century
How might the melting of the Greenland ice shelf affect ocean circulation? Why might the slowing or shutdown of the Gulf Stream cause an ice age in Northern Europe?
Global warming might diminish the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift, and perhaps lead to relative cooling in Western Europe.
What is Climate Change? How is it different from global warming
Global warming" - long-term warming of the planet. Average surface temperature has gone up by about 0.8 °C (1.4 °F), relative to the mid-20th-century baseline (of 1951-1980) . "Climate change" encompasses global warming, but refers to the broader range of changes that are happening to our planet. These include - rising sea levels - shrinking mountain glaciers - accelerating ice melt in Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic, - shifts in flower/plant blooming times.
Scientists have measured atmospheric CO2 concentration from 1958 to today. Why does the line go up and down each year?
Levels decrease each year during the summer growing season and increase during the winter.
What is the effect of spread the spread of pests and diseases on the pine borer beetle & northern coniferous forests?
Milder winters allow more to survive. Trees are also weakened and are more susceptible
is the green house effect a bad thing?
NO, because Without the greenhouse effect average air temp at Earth's surface would be -18°C
So if a bigger green house effect occurs, is that good?
No that is very bad
What are the impacts of the melting of floating sea ice on Pace of global warming due to changes in sunlight reflection & absorption?
Positive feedback - Continued decrease in the Arctic's ice cover would also act to increase the effects of global warming in the northern hemisphere by decreasing the amount of sunlight reflected by the ice.
What is proof of acidification?
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30 percent.
How do greenhouse gases cause global warming?
Some heat radiating from Earth's surface back out toward space is trapped by carbon dioxide (along with some other types of gases) in the atmosphere. This greenhouse effect keeps Earth warm enough for living things.
How do humans affect the green house effect?
The greenhouse effect is a natural process that stops all of the sun's heat from escaping rapidly back to space. This process can be altered by human activities that affect the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
What is proof of extreme events due to global warming?
The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.
What has been the trend in global atmospheric CO2 concentration over the past 50 years since scientists started directly measuring it?
The overall level of carbon dioxide has climbed during the last four decades.
What is carbon sequestration?
a natural or artificial process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in solid or liquid form (Sequester means to isolate or hide something)
What is the Kyoto Protocol and when was it drawn up?
agreement made under the United Nations framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Countries that ratify this protocol commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases or engage in emissions trading if they maintain or increase emissions of these gases The treaty was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997, opened for signature on March 16, 1998, and closed on March 15, 1999.
What is the effect of spread the spread of pests and diseases on malaria & other mosquito-spread diseases?
may spread to higher latitudes and up to higher elevations
Positive or Negative Feedback: Earth warms and algae populations will increase. The algae will use CO2, thus depleting CO2 from the atmosphere.
negative
Positive or Negative Feedback: On a hot day, people turn on their air conditions. The air conditioners are run with electricity, which is generated in a power plant by burning natural gas. The exhaust from the power plant is CO2. With more CO2, the atmosphere heats up more and people turn their air conditions up.
positive
How much did sea level rise from 1870 to 1993?
~200 mm (20 cm)
What happens during el nina?
- Increased velocity of east to west trade winds -Colder water along more of equator (eastern end) - Global change in weather patterns
What happens during el nino?
- Trade winds (east to west winds) slow and/or stop or reverse - water covers more of equator - No upwelling in eastern Pacific Ocean (collapse of fishing industry in Peru) - Global change in weather patterns - more precipitation to the eastern Pacific and west coast of the Americas
What is the Montreal Protocol? What global problem was it designed to address? Has it succeeded?
- an international treaty designed to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production of a number of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. Unfortunately, the hydrochlorofluorocarbons, or HCFCs, and hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, are now thought to contribute to anthropogenic global warming. On a molecule-for-molecule bases, these compounds are up to 10,000 times more potent greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide, The Montreal Protocol currently calls for a complete phase-out of HCFCs by 2030, but does not place any restriction on HFCs.
What are the global effects or impacts of climate change on Sea level change
-Melting of floating ice does not significantly affect sea level -Polar bears rely on the ice to hunt for seals, and its earlier break-up is giving them less time to hunt. Populations could decline significantly.
What is the effect of changes in temperature and precipitation on frequency and severity of droughts, floods, hurricanes?
-More frequent and more severe droughts and floods -More frequent and more severe hurricanes (possibly)
Can carbon sequestration be slowed, stopped or reversed?
-Need effective governance and international agreements -Individually - decrease your own carbon footprint - many possibilities, including driving less, efficient energy use, purchase green power, efficient water use (and thus energy), reduce, reuse, recycle, ...
What are the primary greenhouse gases and what processes produce them?
1. Carbon dioxide (CO2): Natural processes - respiration and volcano eruptions Anthropogenic - deforestation, land use changes, burning fossil fuels. 2. Methane(CH4) - decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture, especially rice cultivation, as well as ruminant digestion and manure management with livestock 3. Nitrous oxide (N2O) - soil cultivation practices, especially the use of fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nylon production, and biomass burning 4. CFC's (Chlorinated or halogenated fluorocarbons): Industrial uses, refrigeration and cooling 5. Ozone (O3) (Tropospheric)- Secondary pollutant formed from components of fossil fuel combustion (Nox, hydrocarbons, sunlight)
What is the EVIDENCE for climate change?
1. Sea level rise 2. Global temperature rise 3. Decreased Ice & Snow 4. Extreme events 5. Ocean acidification
Sea level rise is caused primarily by two factors related to global warming:
1. The added water from melting land-based ice 2. Thermal expansion of sea water as it warms.
What were the outcomes of the recent U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21)
1. To keep global temperatures "well below" 2.0ºC (3.6ºF) above pre-industrial times and "endeavour to limit" them even more, to 1.5ºC 2. To limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity to the same levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally, beginning at some point between 2050 and 2100 3. To review each country's contribution to cutting emissions every five years so they scale up to the challenge 4. For rich countries to help poorer nations by providing "climate finance" to adapt to climate change and switch to renewable energy.
what is the heat trapping effect per molecule of each of the primary green house gases?
1. Water Vapor: 0 2. Carbon Dioxide CO2: 1 3. Methan CH4: 28 4. CFCs: 1000- 20,000 5. Ozone O3: variable
What are the green house gases contribution to the global greenhouse effect?
1. Water Vapor: 1 2. Carbon Dioxide CO2: 2 3. Methan CH4: 3 4. CFCs: 4 5. Ozone O3: 4
