Chapter 14

What was the overall change in CO2 emissions for electricity generation from 1980 to 2005?

0.9 billion metric tons

How is climate change most significantly affecting coral reefs and sea life?

Climate change causes the oceans to absorb more carbon dioxide resulting in ocean acidification.

Water currents along the coastline of Chile pull up deep water that is __________.

cold and high in nutrients

Which of these countries increased its carbon emissions since the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol?

Canada

Which of the following individuals would be least likely to support increasing federal funding for projects related to climate change?

Republican Senator

Which of the following is an adaptation response to climate change?

a Pacific island nation building higher seawalls

How high did sea level rise during the 20th century?

20 cm The world's oceans rose 20 cm in the 20th century because warming temperatures expanded the volume of seawater and caused glaciers and ice sheets to melt.

The oceans hold ________ carbon than the atmosphere.

50 times more

If predictions prove correct, which of the following will be true?

Both East and West Coasts of the United States will be impacted by climate change.

What was the percent change in CO2 emissions for transportation from 1980 to 2005?

36%

The figure shows all current fluxes of CO2, with arrows sized according to mass. Green arrows are natural fluxes, and red arrows are anthropogenic fluxes. For every metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted as a result of changes in land use (e.g. deforestation), approximately how much is emitted from industry?

4 metric tons To find how much CO2 is emitted from industry for every metric ton of CO2 from changes in land use, divide the value for industry by the value for changing land use.26 ÷ 6 = 4.3 metric tons

If, as some scientists predict, 2016 is like 2015, which of the following will be true?

It will be the second warmest year on record for the United States and the warmest for the world.

Of the following greenhouse gases, ________ concentrations have increased by the greatest percentage since 1750.

methane (CH4) the yellow line

A boat floating along the eastern shore of Florida is expected to drift __________.

northward toward the New England states

Ice that formed thousands of years ago is often found to contain tiny bubbles of gas. This gas came from __________.

the atmosphere

The Kyoto Protocol ________.

was intended to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels lower than those of 1990

Roughly ________% of U.S. citizens live in coastal counties and are thus vulnerable to rises in sea level.

50

In 2006-2007 there was a weak El Niño. Which of the following was most likely true?

Some heat was released from the Pacific Ocean.

How does South Florida's geology cause problems for Miami?

The limestone bedrock allows water to move through. Limestone is a permeable rock that lets water percolate through. Because of southern Florida's low elevation, this can lead to flooding as seawater flows in from below.

Hydroelectric power generation ________.

is an alternative to fossil fuels that produces fewer greenhouse gases

Carbon-based fuels in the lithosphere ________.

have been slowly sequestered over many millions of years

Which of the following areas is most likely to have the greatest rainfall?

A region with a warm atmosphere

Metabarcoding relies on large libraries of what?

DNA sequences

You are part of a research team replicating this study in Costa Rica's Braulio Carrillo National Park. The results are nearly identical to this study. Which of the following did you discover?

Metabarcoding detected more mammal species than transects or photographs.

When comparing barcoding to metabarcoding, which of the following is true?

Metabarcoding is less expensive and less time consuming than barcoding

Which greenhouse gas is produced by rice farming and the raising of cattle?

Methane

Which of the following is true regarding corals?

As sea levels rise, corals grow taller.

What are the periodic variations in Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun that alter the way solar radiation is distributed over Earth's surface?

Milankovitch cycles These consist of variations in changes in axial wobble, variation in Earth's tilt and change in the shape of Earth's orbit around the sun. Put together, these factors alter Earth's surface conditions over long periods of time. ...may trigger climate variation

Which of the following questions is best addressed by studying ice samples from Antarctica?

How have the atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide changed in the last 100,000 years?

According to the graph, how much warmer on average were global temperatures in the year 2000 than in the year 1900?

0.9°C

Recent research indicates that the variation in solar output ________.

is less than any of the anthropogenic factors affecting climate change

Which of the following is an example of mitigation?

making legislation to reduce our use of fossil fuels

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is an international panel that ________.

reports on how climate change influences wildlife, ecosystems, and society

Switching from fossil fuels to _____ energy would significantly decrease the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

solar, nuclear, and geothermal All of these energy sources would decrease the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, the use of nuclear reactors is associated with other problems.

Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that physical, biological, and economic evidence exists confirming global climate change due to human-produced greenhouse gases. Although the United States emits most of Earth's carbon dioxide, its policies do not reflect concern over its environmental effects. The United States failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement signed by other developed nations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Requested voluntary reductions of carbon dioxide emissions have not been effective in reducing greenhouse gases. Revisions to the 1970 Clean Air Act, called the "Clear Skies Initiative," were proposed to limit mercury, nitric oxides, and sulfur oxide emissions from power plants. Nicknamed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as the "Clear Lies Initiative," this proposal did not specifically address emission of carbon dioxide, and its loopholes precluded older power plants from modernizing, seemingly supporting polluting industries with political influence.Environmentalists are arguing for immediate action, including stricter laws to limit power plant carbon dioxide emissions and subsidies for renewable energy. They favor "portfolio standards," requiring electric companies to provide clean energy alternatives to consumers and "green tags," "wind certificates," and "green pricing" to support the use of alternative fuels. The United States should enact laws slowing global climate change because ________.

the United States is a major source of the problem

Part A - Scientific method: Different types of experiments Janzen's first step was to figure out which reptile species have TSD. Fortunately, he could rely on the work of researchers that had come before him. When TSD was first discovered, many scientists set out to determine which species had TSD and which did not. These researchers were not conducting hypothesis-driven research but rather running experiments to collect data about the natural world. These descriptive studies are valuable, just as they were to Janzen in helping him identify his study organism. Whether research is hypothesis-driven or not, scientists may use manipulative or observational experimental methods. In a manipulative experiment, a scientist manipulates one or more variables in the study, specifically the independent variable(s). In an observational experiment, a scientist observes differences that naturally occur. For each of the studies described below, indicate if it is hypothesis driven and whether the scientist is employing observational or manipulative methods.

1. A physiologist incubates eggs in the lab at a range of temperature to see what temperature produce males and what temperature produce females. Hypothesis Driven: NO Manipulative 2. A biologist predicts that shade might influence ground temperature, and therefore turtle sec ratios. He records the same sex ratio of turtles hatchlings in shaded and unshaded regions. Hypothesis Driven: YES Observational 3. An ecologist predicts turtles grow larger when no predators are around. She places turtles in an experimental pond system where half the ponds have predators and half the ponds have had the predators removed. Hypothesis Driven: YES Manipulative 4. A climatologist predicts that concentration of CO2 in a city will be negatively correlated with the amount of wind in the city. He collects data and looks at the amount of CO2 in a city as a function of the wind speed in the city. Hypothesis Driven: YES Observational 5. A sociologist conducts a survey in Hawaii to describe peoples' attitude about global climate change. Hypothesis Driven: NO Observational 6. A scientist determines the average wind speed, and variation in the amount of wind, in a number of locations to see which locations would be most suitable for wind turbines. Hypothesis Driven: NO Observational Prior to Janzen's work, scientists had conducted manipulative lab experiments demonstrating that painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) experience TSD. Janzen chose to use this species for his research. However, the lab was a controlled environment. Janzen wanted to find out how temperature influenced turtle sex ratios in the wild.

Part B - Experimental results: How increasing carbon dioxide levels affect pollen production The researchers designed this experiment to test their hypotheses: They grew ragweed plants in growth chambers at three different levels of CO2: -the pre-industrial level, 280 µmol mol-1the level in the year 2000, 370 µmol mol-1 -the level projected for the middle of the 21st century, 600 µmol mol-1 -They then measured the amount of pollen produced by sample plants grown under each condition and determined the concentration of protein allergens in that pollen. Here are the data they collected. Use the data table to answer these questions about the experimental results and conclusions. Not all terms will be used. CO2 Level . Pollen Produced Allergen Protein per Plant(g) Concentration (units mg-1 pollen protein) 280 µmol mol-1 5.0 4490 370 µmol mol-1 11.5 5290 600 µmol mol-1 21.0 8180

1. As the CO2 level increases up to 600 µmol mol-1, how does ragweed pollen production change? increases 2. As the CO2 level increases up to 600 µmol mol-1, how does the ragweed allergen concentration change? increases 3. If the CO2 level increases above 600 µmol mol-1, how would ragweed pollen production and the allergen concentration change? cannot tell from the data 4. Do the data support Hypothesis 1 and its prediction--that plants grown at higher CO2 levels will produce more pollen? (yes or no) yes 5. Do the data support Hypothesis 2 and its prediction--that plants grown at higher CO2 levels will produce higher concentrations of allergens? (yes or no) yes 6. Do the data prove that increased CO2 levels cause more severe ragweed allergies? (yes or no) no

Part C - Experimental results: How much temperature change can the turtles withstand? Janzen conducted an observational study in which he recorded the sex ratio of painted turtle hatchlings from numerous nests over the course of 6 years in Whiteside County, Illinois. His findings included:Nest temperature was directly related to the ambient air temperature.The temperature that produced a 50:50 sex ratio in a nest was similar to the environmental average temperature from the past 50 years. Therefore, even with temperature fluctuations from year to year, over time the ratio of males to females in the population was still around 50:50. The graph below summarizes the data Janzen collected over the course of his 6-year study. The temperatures on the x axis reflect the range of temperatures that Janzen recorded at different nests. He used this data to predict how a global temperature increase of 4°C might influence the sex ratio in painted turtle populations.

1. The x axis shows nest temperature. The y axis shows percentage of hatchlings that are male. 2. At low temperatures, only males are produced. 3. At high temperatures, only females are produced. 4. Between 21 and 25°C, as nest temperature goes up, percentage of hatchlings that are male goes down. 5. At the average nest temperature of 23°C, approximately 50% of hatchlings are male. 6. If the global temperature rises 4°C, approximately 0% of hatchlings will be male.

According to tide gauge data, what was the approximate increase in global average sea level between 1950 and 2000?

10 cm Along with a relatively small margin of statistical uncertainty, recent satellite data corroborate these data.

Which of the following emission reduction strategies would result in the greatest overall decrease in CO2?

A 10% decrease in both electricity generation and transportation emissions

Part C According to the graph, the percent change in total emissions in the rest of Canada increased after British Columbia introduced its carbon tax in 2008, whereas per-capita emissions in the rest of Canada declined. What might explain an increase in total emissions but a decline in per-capita emissions as reflected by the percent change, post-tax vs. pre-tax?

As the total emissions increased, the total population in that region increased more significantly, resulting in a reduction in emissions per capita.

Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that physical, biological, and economic evidence exists confirming global climate change due to human-produced greenhouse gases. Although the United States emits most of Earth's carbon dioxide, its policies do not reflect concern over its environmental effects. The United States failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement signed by other developed nations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Requested voluntary reductions of carbon dioxide emissions have not been effective in reducing greenhouse gases. Revisions to the 1970 Clean Air Act, called the "Clear Skies Initiative," were proposed to limit mercury, nitric oxides, and sulfur oxide emissions from power plants. Nicknamed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as the "Clear Lies Initiative," this proposal did not specifically address emission of carbon dioxide, and its loopholes precluded older power plants from modernizing, seemingly supporting polluting industries with political influence.Environmentalists are arguing for immediate action, including stricter laws to limit power plant carbon dioxide emissions and subsidies for renewable energy. They favor "portfolio standards," requiring electric companies to provide clean energy alternatives to consumers and "green tags," "wind certificates," and "green pricing" to support the use of alternative fuels. Why do environmentalists and scientists advocate stricter laws to limit power plant carbon dioxide emissions and subsidies for renewable energy?

Fossil fuel industries produce the most greenhouse gases.

What does the term anthropogenic mean in relation to climate change?

Human-generated intensification of the greenhouse effect By increasing the concentrations of greenhouse gases over the past 250 years, humans are intensifying the greenhouse effect beyond what our species has ever experienced.

How are warming temperatures causing a vicious cycle (positive feedback) that is leading to enhanced warming?

Ice and snow reflect light, and as they melt, Earth absorbs more of the Sun's rays.

Part D - Experimental application: Predicting the fate of other reptilesPart complete Not all reptile species have temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). And of the species that do, not every species produces males at low temperatures and females at high temperatures. The graphs below show how sex ratio is influenced by nest temperature in three other species compared to the painted turtle. A sex ratio that drifts from 50% males and 50% females is called biased. Notice how temperature changes do or do not lead to a biased sex ratio for each species. The graphs are repeated below. Rank the species according to how much a global temperature increase of 1°C could bias their population sex ratio. A bias can be toward a greater number of males or a greater number of females. The direction of the bias does not matter but rather the magnitude of the bias. Note that two species exhibit the same amount of bias and should be ranked as equivalent (overlapped).

Least Bias: Snake Painted Turtle/Alligator Tuatara Most Bias:

The culprit in about half of all seasonal allergy cases in this country is pollen from the common ragweed plant, Ambrosia artemisiifolia. Just a single ragweed plant can produce a billion pollen grains per season! All of that pollen is spread by the wind and can remain airborne for days--sometimes landing hundreds of miles away from the parent plant. If you're an allergy sufferer, it's nearly impossible to escape contact with this allergen. As allergy sufferers and medical doctors began to report increases in both the duration and severity of seasonal allergies, researchers started wondering if there could be a relationship between allergies, rising CO2 levels, and global warming. As you know, CO2 is a necessary reactant for plant photosynthesis, and studies have shown that increasing CO2 levels increases plant productivity in some species. This is particularly true for many weedy species.Suppose that you were a researcher trying to understand how rising levels of atmospheric CO2 might affect ragweed plants, and thus seasonal ragweed allergies. What questions, hypotheses, and predictions might you want to study? Complete the flow chart by selecting the hypothesis and predictions that follow from the question you're trying to answer. Not all labels will be used.

Question: How can CO2 levels affect ragweed allergies? Hypothesis 1: CO2 levels affect ragweed pollen production Prediction 1: Plants grown at higher CO2 levels will produce more pollen Hypothesis 2: CO2 levels affect concentration of protein allergens in ragweed pollen Prediction 2: Plants grown at higher CO2 levels will produce higher concentrations of allergens Researchers developed two hypotheses to explain why ragweed allergies appear to be getting worse as the global climate changes.• CO2 levels affect ragweed pollen production, with plants that grow at higher CO2 levels producing more pollen.• CO2 levels affect the concentration of allergens (the proteins that actually trigger allergic reactions) found in ragweed pollen, with plants that grow at higher CO2 levels characterized by pollen with higher concentrations of allergens.Next, the researchers designed experiments to test these hypotheses. Specifically, they grew ragweed plants at different CO2 concentrations, then collected and tested their pollen.

Part B - Background research: Identifying reliable sources While Janzen was planning his descriptive, observational study with wild populations of painted turtles, he wanted to find out how much temperatures were predicted to rise over the next 100 years. He is not a climatologist, but fortunately, scientists can rely on work done by other scientists. When scientists look for scientific information, they use primary scientific literature. Primary literature often takes the form of a journal that is published multiple times a year. There are hundreds of journals devoted to different fields of scientific research. The journals include papers that describe in detail the methods, results, and conclusions from scientific studies. A hallmark of primary literature is that the papers are reviewed by other scientists before they are published. This so-called peer review helps ensure accuracy and reliability. As a student, you might not go to primary literature as a first step. You might seek out information in popular literature aimed at nonscientists. When considering what popular sources to use, it is important to evaluate their reliability. For instance, consider the credentials of the author, if the source has an agenda or bias, if primary sources are cited, and if the information is consistent with what you find in other reliable sources. Suppose you found the following sources for Janzen to use as references for the predicted rise in global temperature. Indicate if each source is an example of primary literature, and then decide if each source is reliable. If you are uncertain about a source, look it up online.

Source- Primary literature? Reliable? a) Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres- yes, yes b) National Geographic- no, yes c) Climate Dynamics- yes, yes d) The New York Times- no, yes e) www.globalclimatescam.com- no, no

Which of the following is a carrion fly least likely to feed on?

a sleeping sloth

All of the following are anthropogenic factors contributing to climate change EXCEPT:

breathing. The anthropogenic factors contributing to climate change are... growing rice. deforestation. raising livestock. the combustion of fossil fuels.

Scientist often use ______________ which are programs that combine what is known about atmospheric circulation, ocean circulation, atmosphere-ocean interactions, and feedback cycles to simulate climate dynamics

climate models To understand how climate systems function and to predict future climate change, scientists simulate climate processes with sophisticated computer programs.

Scientists evaluate concentrations of gases and other atmospheric constituents from the distant past by examining which of the following?

gas bubbles trapped in ice We have hundreds of thousands of layers of ice in Greenland and Antarctica.

Which of the following have the ability to absorb energy from Earth's surface and then emit infrared radiation in all directions?

greenhouse gases

Which of the following is most likely in coastal areas as sunny-day flooding increases?

An increase in salt-tolerant plants.

The atmosphere around Earth can cause global warming because ________.

molecules in the atmosphere are warmed by radiation from Earth and retain that heat

If we take a sample of ice from 10 meters beneath the surface and find that it is 1,000 years old, where would we need to look for ice that is about 10,000 years old?

much deeper, about 100 meters below the surface

If U.S. population increased 32% from 1980 to 2005, how would you describe the change in per capita CO2 emissions for electricity generation?

As population increased, per capita CO2 emissions increased twice as fast.

Which government officials have taken action against the effects of climate change?

Local Florida city officials The Mayor of Miami Beach and other representatives have adapted several agreements to combat climate change and its effects on the region.

According to scientific data, which of the following is most likely true?

The rate of global warming can speed up or slow down.

If trends continue, which of the following will occur?

There will be more intense rainfall events in the eastern United States.

Which of these would NOT contribute to a global increase in temperature?

planting trees Trees remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they release into the atmosphere. By removing carbon dioxide, they reduce the greenhouse effect and this would contribute to a reduction in global temperature.

You are a tourist walking through Yosemite National Park. You see a researcher walking a length of trail documenting every bird species she sees. Which of the following is she doing?

transect

In which one of the following locations is the ocean current flowing from the north toward the equator?

west coast of the United States

The largest fishery on Earth, located along the west coast of Chile, consists of __________.

1% of the ocean and provides 20% of the world's total fish catch

What initiative or group is responsible for the most reviewed and widely accepted reports that we have on climate change?

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Now compare the change in GDP to the change in CO2 emissions from electricity generation. If GDP more than doubled from 1980 to 2005, what is the ratio of changes in CO2 emissions to changes in GDP for that period of time?

Less than 1:1, showing a slight CO2 decrease per unit of economic activity

If another ice age occurs, which of the following is most likely?

Sea levels will drop.

Evidence from polar ice core analysis shows that, until now, carbon dioxide levels have never exceeded ________ ppm in the last several hundred thousand years.

300

Over ________% of the fuel you pump into your automobile does something other than move your vehicle down the road.

85

Part A The chart shows how greenhouse gas emissions changed in both British Columbia and the rest of Canada after British Columbia introduced its carbon tax in 2008. In particular, the graph shows: -The percent change in total emissions in British Columbia and the rest of Canada, post-tax (2008-2013) versus pre-tax (2000-2007). -The percent change in per-capita (or per-person) emissions in British Columbia and the rest of Canada, post-tax versus pre-tax. -The percent change in emissions per dollar of GDP, a reflection of economic health and growth, in British Columbia and the rest of Canada, post-tax versus pre-tax. How did emissions change in the rest of Canada after British Columbia introduced its carbon tax in 2008, as reflected by the percent change post-tax vs. pre-tax?

After British Columbia introduced its carbon tax in 2008, the rest of Canada experienced a(n) increase in total emissions, a(n) reduction in emissions per capita, and a(n) reduction in emissions per dollar of GDP.

Concept Review: Factors Influencing Climate Can you determine whether these factors have a warming or cooling effect on Earth's surface?

Factors that contribute to warming: Tropospheric ozone (O3) Carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuel combustion Nitrogen oxides (N2O) from denitrification and fossil fuel combustion Methane (CH4) from decomposition and feedlots Parts of Earth's surface with low reflectivity (low albedo) Black carbon aerosols and soot particles Factors that contribute to cooling: Condensed water vapor (cloud albedo) Parts of Earth's surface with high reflectivity (high albedo)

Part B Suppose you are involved in a national campaign to promote carbon taxes as a solution to curb the production of greenhouse gases in Canada. You plan to use this chart in order to showcase the success achieved by British Columbia. Using the information in the graph, in which category will you point out that British Columbia made the most dramatic reductions after introducing its carbon tax in 2008?

Emissions per dollar of GDP

The figure indicates a net accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere of approximately 15 billion metric tons per year. Based on the figure, what is causing this?

Human activities are sending more CO2 into the atmosphere than is moving from the atmosphere to the surface. The net accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere is due to high anthropogenic releases of CO2 into the atmosphere (industry and changing land use) that are not balanced by an equal movement of CO2 from the atmosphere to the surface.

Which one of the following types of scientists would most likely be interested in the information we can learn from ice cores from Antarctica?

climatologists interested in climate change

Which of the following is an example of mitigation rather than adaptation for global climate change?

building more solar panels to generate electricity instead of more coal-fired power plants

The predominant greenhouse gas produced by human use of fossil fuels is __________.

carbon dioxide