APES - Unit 9 Outline

Explain the environmental problems associated with invasive species and strategies to control them

capable of causing extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats. This can result in huge economic impacts and fundamental disruptions

Identify the greenhouse gases

carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor

Explain how changes in climate, both short- and long- term, impact ecosystems PART 2

-Climate change can affect soil through changes in temperature and rainfall, which can impact soil's viability and potentially increase erosion. -Earth's polar regions are showing faster response times to global climate change because ice and snow in these regions reflect the most energy back out to space, leading to a positive feedback loop. -As the Earth warms, this ice and snow melts, meaning less solar energy is radiated back into space and instead is absorbed by the Earth's surface. This in turn causes more warming of the polar regions. -Global climate change response time in the Arctic is due to positive feedback loops involving melting sea ice and thawing tundra, and the subsequent release of greenhouse gases like methane. -One consequence of the loss of ice and snow in polar regions is the effect on species that depend on the ice for habitat and food.

Explain the causes and effects of ocean warming

-Ocean warming is caused by the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. -Ocean warming can affect marine species in a variety of ways, including loss of habitat, and metabolic and reproductive changes. -Ocean warming is causing coral bleaching, which occurs when the loss of algae within corals cause the corals to bleach white. Some corals recover and some die

Explain how changes in climate, both short- and long- term, impact ecosystems

-The Earth has undergone climate change throughout geologic time, with major shifts in global temperatures causing periods of warming and cooling -Effects of climate change include rising temperatures, melting permafrost and sea ice, rising sea levels, and displacement of coastal populations. -Marine ecosystems are affected by changes in sea level, some positively, such as in newly created habitats on now-flooded continental shelves, and some negatively, such as deeper communities that may no longer be in the photic zone of seawater. -Winds generated by atmospheric circulation help transport heat throughout the Earth. Climate change may change circulation patterns, as temperature changes may impact Hadley cells and the jet stream.-Oceanic currents, or the ocean conveyor belt, carry heat throughout the world. When these currents change, it can have a big impact on global climate, especially in coastal regions.

Identify the sources and potency of the greenhouse gases

Carbon dioxide, which has a global warming potential (GWP) of 1, is used as a reference point for the comparison of different greenhouse gases and their impacts on global climate change. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have the highest GWP, followed by nitrous oxide, then methane.

Identify the threats to human health and the environment posed by an increase in greenhouse gases

Global climate change, caused by excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, can lead to a variety of environmental problems including rising sea levels resulting from melting ice sheets and ocean water expansion, and disease vectors spreading from the tropics toward the poles. These problems can lead to changes in population dynamics and population movements in response.

Describe the chemicals used to substitute for CFCs

HCFCs and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) were created in the 1980s as substitutes for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) for use in refrigeration and a wide variety of manufacturing processes

HIPPCO

Habitat Loss and degradation, Invasive Species, Population Growth, Pollution, Climate Change, Overfishing

Describe what the greenhouse effect is

a process in which the warming of earth takes place, mostly as a result of excess greenhouse gases, which enclose and trap energy that would have otherwise left earth.

Explain how species become endangered and strategies to combat the problem

Species become endangered for two main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation. A loss of habitat can happen naturally. Human activity can also contribute to a loss of habitat. Development for housing, industry, and agriculture reduces the habitat of native organisms

Explain the importance of stratospheric ozone to life on Earth

Stratospheric ozone is important in the earth system because it absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun, protecting life on earth. Ozone is a relatively rare and unstable molecule composed of three oxygen atoms O3.

Explain the causes and effects of ocean acidification

mainly caused by carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere dissolving into the ocean. This leads to a lowering of the water's pH, making the ocean more acidic. Many factors contribute to rising carbon dioxide levels

What causes Ozone Depletion

occurs when chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)—formerly found in aerosol spray cans and refrigerants—are released into the atmosphere.

Explain how human activities affect biodiversity and strategies to combat the problem

overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water.