Chapter 19 APES Reading Guide Core Case Study and Section 19-1

greenhouse gases (mainly water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O)

1% of the earth's lower atmosphere is made up of _______________________

_______________ is an estimated threshold, or irreversible tipping point, that could cause large-scale climate changes for hundreds to thousands of years

450 ppm

(a) human activities (b) Raising cattle and sheep, extracting fossil fuels, creating landfills, and flooding land to create reservoirs.

70% of methane emissions over the last 275 years are the result of _________(a)__________ examples are ________(b)______________

Methane levels

70% of methane emissions over the last 275 years are the result of human activities ex. Raising cattle and sheep, extracting fossil fuels, creating landfills, and flooding land to create reservoirs. ____________________ in the atmosphere have tripled during this time period

First, aerosols and soot fall back to earth or are washed out of the lower atmosphere Second, aerosol and soot in the lower atmosphere are being reduced, esp. In more developed countries because of their harmful impacts on plants and human health

Aerosol and soot pollutants are not expected to enhance or counteract projected climate change because:

glacial and interglacial periods

Alternating cycles of freezing and thawing are known as ______________________

cumulus clouds

An increase in thick and continuous low-lying _______________________ in low altitudes could decrease surface warming by reflecting more sunlight into space

cirrus clouds

An increase in thin, wispy _________________ at high altitudes could increase the warming of the lower atmosphere by preventing heat from escaping into space; (these float at high altitudes)

second law of thermodynamics

Because of the __________________________________ (whenever energy is converted from one form to another in a physical or chemical change, we end up with lower quality or less usable energy than we started with), burning any fuel automatically releases low-temperature waste heat into the environment

consensus

Evaluating climate data has been one of the longest and most thorough studies in the history of science. The goal of this effort has been to see if top scientists can reach a _______________, which means a general agreement about the usefulness of the data and conclusions they have analyzed, and report their findings to the world

(a) Between 1906 and 2005, the average global surface temp. rose by 1.3oF (0.74oC), most since 1980 (b) Annual greenhouse gas emissions from human activities rose 70% between 1970 and 2009 (c) 2000-2009 (our 1st decade in this century) was the warmest decade since 1881 (d) In some parts of the world, glaciers are melting and floating sea ice is shrinking at intensifying rates: -20th century - world's avg sea level rose by 19 cm or (7 inches) -compared to; 6 cm (2 in.) in the 19th century and 2 cm (¾ in) in the 18th century

Examples of evidence used to support the major conclusions in the 2007 IPCC report:

lower atmosphere

Human actions have led to increases in the greenhouse gases in the ___________________

__________________ play a key role in recent atmospheric warming.

Human activities

century

Humans are likely to change the planet's climate this _________________

James Hansen

In 1988,____________ appeared before a US Congressional committee and said that he was 99% sure that atmospheric warming was a grave threat that gets worse every day

(a) 20th century - world's avg sea level rose by 19 cm or (7 inches) (b) compared to; 6 cm (2 in.) in the 19th century and 2 cm (¾ in) in the 18th century

In some parts of the world, glaciers are melting and floating sea ice is shrinking at intensifying rates:

(a) Earth's lower atmosphere is warming, esp. since 1960 due to > CO^2 and greenhouse gases (b) Most gas increases due to human activities like burning of fossil fuels and deforestation (c) The earth's climate is changing because of human influence (changes in chemical composition & temp. of the atmosphere) (d) If greenhouse gases keep increasing, the earth will have quick warming & climate disruption in the century (e) Swift and great climate disturbances is expected to cause ecological, social and economic disruption or problems by deteriorating food and water supplies and ecosystems, flooding low-lying areas, and destroying many species

Major findings of 2007 IPCC report:

(a) atmospheric warming (b) permafrost

Methane emissions are expected to continue increasing in the future if ___________(a)_________ continues and melting of ________(b)________ in the arctic tundra results in releasing CH4

(a) 450 ppm

Multiple scientific studies say we need to prevent CO^2 levels from exceeding ___________ - An estimated threshold, or irreversible tipping point, that could cause large-scale climate changes for hundreds to thousands of years

(a) 285 ppm (b) 389 ppm

NOAA data shows that the atmospheric concentration of CO^2 rose from _______ ppm in around 1850 at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to _______ ppm in 2010

global effects

Natural events can have ____________ on the weather

What role do oceans play in projected climate disruption?

Oceans absorb CO^2 from the atmosphere which helps moderate the earth's average surface temperature and climate; Increasing levels of CO2 have increased the acidity of the ocean's surface This could decrease the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide; if these preliminary results are correct, increasing ocean acidity could disrupt ocean food webs and global food supplies; it could also result in much less CO^2 being removed from the atmosphere, which would speed up projected climate disruption in yet another positive feedback loop

natural capital

One of the planet's most important forms of

inefficient technologies

Our society depends on ____________________ , which add waste to the environment

slow atmospheric warming

Outdoor air pollution can temporarily _________________

(a) the sun's output of energy, (b) impacts by large meteors (that create immense dust), and (c) slight changes in the earth's orbit around the sun

Over the past 3 billion years, the earth's climate has been altered by many factors:

(a) Earth's global air circulation patterns (b) Global ice cover (c) Concentrations of gases (d) Changes in ocean currents

Over the past 3 billion years, the earth's climate has been altered by many other factors also:

(a) cooling (b) warming

Periods of global _______(a)______ and global _____(b)_______ have happened over the past 900,000 years

show me your evidence and explain your reasoning

Scientists are professional skeptics who are always saying _________________________

1 degree fahrenheit

Scientists believe the earth's climate has warmed about 0.6 degrees Celsius (_______________) since 1980

climate zones

Scientists have used climate to divide the earth into ____________________

mathematical models

Scientists use complex _________________________________ (which simulate interactions among the earth's sunlight, clouds, landmasses, oceans, ocean currents, concentrations of greenhouse gases and pollutants, positive & negative feedback loops) to project the future changes in atmospheric temperature

(a) Svante Arrhenius (b )one of the most widely accepted theories in the atmospheric sciences

Swedish chemist ________(a)___________ first noticed the natural greenhouse effect in 1896. The natural greenhouse effect is _______________________________________

underestimating

The IPCC has been criticized by a number of climate scientists for ___________________ the projected disruption of the world's climate in this century

(a) give positive feedback to (b)give negative feedback to

The IPPC have identified factors that might Amplify (_________(a)______________) or dampen (______(b)______________) the projected changes in the average atmospheric temperature

(a) Amplify (b) dampen

The IPPC have identified factors that might ______(a)_________ (give positive feedback to) or ______(b)________ (give negative feedback to) the projected changes in the average atmospheric temperature

climate changes and projects future ones

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) documents past _____________

burning of fossil fuels

The _____________________ is one of the top human activities that emits CO^2

energy output of the sun

The ___________________________ plays a large role in the earth's temperature

determining the average temperature of the atmosphere

The atmospheric concentration of CO^2 plays an important role in

rising avg atmospheric and ocean temperatures

The big melt: each summer, some of the floating ice in the Arctic Sea melts and then refreezes during the winter but in recent years more ice has melted than usual due to _________________________

natural greenhouse effect.

The climate and our lives and economies depend on the _______________________

decreased

The energy output of the sun has _______________ for several decades

decreased

The energy output of the sun has ________________ for several decades

temperature

The energy output of the sun plays a large role in the earth's _______________

clouds

The role played by ______________ in the warming of the atmosphere is a major unknown in global climate models and a key reason why there is such a wide range of projected future temperatures

human activities

There is lots of evidence that ________________ play a role in global warming

climate disruption

There is worry that this warming will lead to rapid______________________ that could have damaging effects on most of the planet, its ecosystems and the people living in it.

predictions,

These mathematical models are not _____________________, which state what scientists believe will happen. These mathematical models can be incorrect

projections

These mathematical models provide scenarios, or ____________________, of what is likely to happen

global energy efficiency revolution

To fix this, there must be a __________________________________

freezing cold and not suitable to live in

Without the natural greenhouse effect the planet would be ____________________

Greenland's

_____________ ice seems to be melting at an accelerating rate

Ice cores

_______________ are extracted by drilling deep holes into ancient glaciers at various sites such as the one near the South Pole in Antarctica

soot

________________ has a very large warming effect, 4 times more than what was earlier estimated

Human activities

_________________ emit large quantities of greenhouse gases.

Climate

_________________ is determined by the average weather conditions of the earth or of a particular area, especially temperature and precipitation, over a long period of time ranging from decades and centuries to thousands of years

Weather and climate

__________________ are not the same.

Weather

__________________ consists of short-term changes in atmospheric variables such as temperature, precipitation, wind, and barometric pressure

The greenhouse effect is _____________________

a natural process that warms the lower atmosphere and surface; along with solar energy, consequently impacts the earth's climate

Hansen

developed several climate models;e is head of NASA's Goddard Institute as of 1981 (world's most respected climate scientists and modelers); listed in Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2006

acidity

increasing levels of CO2 have increased the ___________ of the ocean's surface; This could decrease the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide

Hansen's message

is that rising levels of greenhouse gases will lead to catastrophic climate change during this century

Atmospheric warming

is the gradual rise of average temperature of the atmosphere near the earth's surface

The atmosphere is heating from the bottom up, ______________

meaning humans are playing an important role

Life on earth and the world's economies are totally dependent on the ___________________

natural greenhouse effect

Waste heat

plays a role in climate disruption.

aerosols

there is also evidence that _________________ have slowed the rate of atmospheric warming