Climate change and greenhouse gases

What are greenhouse gases

-gases that absorb and release energy that warms the troposphere - -human activities are overwhelming the natural factors that led to climate change in the past

Ten indicators of a warming world

1) air temperature near surface 2) humityty 3)temperature over ocean 4) sea surafce temperature 5) sea level 6) ocean heat content 7) temperature over land 8) sea ice 9)glacier 10) snow cover

Susquehanna River Water Temperature1974-2016

Another variable that indicates temperature changes is water temperature. The above graph demonstrates in increase in water temperature in the Susquehanna River since the 70s as seen near the environmental lab in Berwick. Why is an increase in water temperature problematic? not good for aquatic organisms

Why is the sea level falling in some areas

Changes in gravitational forces--when mountain glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica melt, they transfer the mass of their water to the ocean. As these areas lose their mass, their gravitational pull on the ocean weakens- Isostatic rebound results in bulging and sinking in different areas.

What variables contribute to sea level rise?

Changes in: •Temperature •Density •Salinity

Climate Change

Climate change: refers to a broad range of global phenomena created predominantly by burning fossil fuels, which add heat-trapping gases to Earth's atmosphere. These phenomena include the increased temperature trends described by global warming, but also encompass changes such as:

Climate

Climate: is determined by the average weather conditions of the earth or of a particular area, especially atmospheric temperatures, over periods of at least three decades

Soultions Cont..

Estimates currently suggest that stabilizing CO2 in the atmosphere would require the reduction of global emissions by 66-83%*. This would include: •Cutting fossil fuel use •Improving energy efficiency •Shifting to cleaner energy •Reducing deforestation •Using sustainable agriculture •Slowing population growth •Planting and tending trees. • *NOTE HOW HUGE THIS PERCENTAGE IS. This is why the precautionary group says, "It makes the most sense to act now."

effects of climate change

Food Production (agriculture) Weather Extremes - Natural Disasters Water Supply Forests - Biodiversity Sea Level Rise

Global warming

Global warming: refers to the long-term warming of the planet since the early 20th century, and most notably since the late 1970s, due to the increase in fossil fuel emissions since the Industrial Revolution.

Innumeracy: an inability to deal comfortably with the fundamental notions of number and chance Quantitative Illiteracy: the limitation and difficulty that most people have conceptualizing very large or very small numbers - we can't make sense of numbers like a billion or like .001. They're too abstract. This is why speaking to the public about greenhouse gases using terms like "parts per million" aren't effective—we're not well wired to think in these very large or very tiny numbers. They don't mean much to us. - this is a serious obstacle in climate education

Innumeracy: an inability to deal comfortably with the fundamental notions of number and chance

Measuring through ice

One way we're able to measure these changes is through ice samples (or ice cores). An ice core is a core sample that is typically removed from an ice sheet or a high mountain glacier. - They're drilled with hand augers (for shallow holes) or powered drills They can reach depths of over two miles (3.2 km) - Contain ice up to 800,000 years old

Quantitative

Quantitative Illiteracy: the limitation and difficulty that most people have conceptualizing very large or very small numbers - we can't make sense of numbers like a billion or like .001. They're too abstract. This is why speaking to the public about greenhouse gases using terms like "parts per million" aren't effective—we're not well wired to think in these very large or very tiny numbers. They don't mean much to us. - this is a serious obstacle in climate education

Zimov

Sergey Zimov is a Russian geophysicist who specializes in arctic and subarctic ecology. Pay attention to a solution he's proposing—it's wild.

Measuring Air

The Mauna Loa site is considered one of the most favorable locations for measuring undisturbed air because possible local influences of vegetation or human activities on atmospheric CO2 concentrations are minimal and any influences from volcanic vents may be excluded from the records." (cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov)

Solutions to climate change!

There are three schools of thought. 1)One small group says do nothing 2)Another group says gather more information 3) A third group says act (precautionary principle). •Those who propose action defend this by saying that the steps to reduce global warming would also be good for overall air pollution and long-term energy needs. Termed the no-regrets strategy.

Trophosphere

Trophosphere: The air we breathe and where weather occurs

Weather

Weather: consists of short-term changes in atmopheric variables such as the temperature, precipitation, wind, and barometric pressure in a given area over a period of hours or days.

greenhouse effect

a process that occurs when gases in Earth's atmosphere trap the Sun's heat. This process makes Earth much warmer than it would be without an atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is one of the things that makes Earth a comfortable place to live.

How do we measure? PPM

parts-per-million (ppm): Concentration by volume of one part of a gas per million parts of air. •1 x 10−6 parts-per-billion (ppb): Concentration by volume of one part of a gas per billion parts of air. •1 x 10−9

How do we measure climate?

•An international group of meteorologists and climate scientists have agreed upon a list of essential climate variables (ECVs) that are monitored to help us understand changing conditions. •The variables are grouped into three categories: atmospheric (air), terrestrial (land), and oceanic (ocean). •For all categories, sensors record both in-situ (in place) and remote measurements.

What is permafrost?

•Any type of ground-from soil to sediment to rock-that has been frozen continuously for a minimum of two years and as many as hundreds of thousands of years. • •It can extend down beneath the earth's surface from a few feet to more than a mile—covering entire regions, such as the Arctic tundra, or a single, isolated spot, such as a mountaintop of alpine permafrost. • •Where is it found: Siberia, Canada, Greenland, and Alaska •Nearly 85% of Alaska sits atop a layer of permafrost

Why are people inclined to ignore evidence of climate change?

•Distance •Physical •Temporal •Psychological •Avoidance •Activates emotions •Makes us examine ethics and morals •Tribalism •Involves our people •Misinformation •Weather is not climate •"Climate change is not happening because it is cold. Today. Where I live." •Social media as news •Politics à Economics •"hoax" •Flies in the face of our idea of 'progress'

Human health

•Heat waves could double or triple deaths among the elderly and people with heart disease. •Weather events have a significant effect on individuals with asthma and allergies. •Food and water supplies would be disrupted and increased in price. •Warmer, wetter conditions would encourage fungal and bacterial growth leading to spoilage. •Malaria and other diseases would spread with warmer and wetter climates. •Mental health implications Mental health events increase with environmental stressors

What happens when permafrost thaws?

•Loss of greenhouse gas stores •Carbon dioxide (twice as much as exists in the atmosphere now), methane, etc. •Release of other pollutants •Mercury •Structural changes and subsidence •Damage to public infrastructure •"drunken forests" •Erosion, landslides, sediment into waterways •Natural Disasters •Increase in wildfires •Sea level rise and flooding •Illness •Release of ancient microbes •Bacteria and viruses that have laid dormant for thousands of years