geog baby

At the 2007 COP in Bali, Indonesia, the delegate from Papua New Guinea drew thunderous applause and cheers when he requested of the US delegation :

"If for some reason you are not willing to lead, please get out of the way"

carbon capture and storage

Technologies or approaches to remove carbon dioxide from emissions of power plants or other facilities, and sequester, or store, it (generally in liquid form) underground under pressure in locations where it will not seep out, in an effort to mitigate global climate change.

Experimental Lakes Area

The experimental lakes is a world class research centre -Many lakes given #s -PM closed down in 2011 -NGO's other agencies sent money to keep it open because of brilliant work done research necessary in order to understand how lakes respond to and recover from the impacts of human activity over time

sequestered

isolated and hidden away

why wont a warmer north help Canada's agriculture?

it takes a very long time for weathering and the accumulation of organic materials to lead to the formation of soil profiles much of canada is rocks

Glaciers

land based deposits of perennially frozen ice

what adds more to the rising of sea levels - sea ice or land ice

land ice

Paris Agreement 2015

an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance starting in the year 2020. 195 nations not legally binding

drainage basin or watershed

an area that is drained by a river and all the streams that empty into it

thermohaline circulation

an oceanic circulation pattern that drives the mixing of surface water(warmer) and deep water

plants and animals that wetlands host are adapted to what

aquatic environment

categories of society changing because of climate change

argriculture, forestry, health, economics

the typical automobile is highly inefficient - how much gas actually moves you?

around 15 percent

Chicago Climate Exchange

attempts to decree greenhouse gases through a market approach. another approach is to reduce effects of emissions from industries and automobiles. US Canada and Brazil coroporations traded carbon credits

swamps

contain shallow standing water that is rich in vegetation, but they occur in forested or wooded areas like dem Everglades

two threats to coral reefs caused by climate change

coral bleaching and enhanced co2 concentrations

what was the result of public opinion shift on climate change

corporations and industries began offering support for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and students have urged uni's to divest financial holding in oil companies

the america Pika

cute little animal that relies on cooler temperatures near glaciers

two places that will be affected by rising seas

densely populated regions on low lying river deltas and storm prone regions, and areas around the world where land is subsiding

anthropogenic

derived from human activities

aerosols

droplets and particles suspended in the air can have cooling or heating

flowing water is not the only part of riverine and riparian systems - what are the other parts

erosion, transport, and deposition of sediment by the water in these systems are also vitally important

benthic zone (lake)

extends along the bottom of the entire water body from shore to deepest point

evidence that interruptions of thermohaline circulations have been responsible for

extremely raoid shifts in climate in the areas bordering the North Atlantic

fens

fed by ground water mineral rich because of their association with ground water that is rich in minerals

how is forestry being affected

fires, insects and disease

a river's floodplain

flat areas nearest to the river's course that are flooded periodicaly essentially all the areas that the river could flood into

ways to extend climate research even farther back

fossils of marine microorganisms sediments beneath bodies of water air bubbles in ice growth rings of a tree

glaciation

global surface temperatures drop and ice sheets advance from the poles toward the mid latitudes opposite is interglaciations

cloud negative feedback loop

higher temperature could lead to more clouds which could reflect more radiation out of the atmosphere

whats a negative impact on glaciers reducing

if the glaciers don't melt in the drier months, there are communities that rely on that melt in those months that will not get enough water

all current trends (broad

increase temperature, varying in regions, melting ice and snow, extreme weather, rising sea levels

who tracks extreme weather patterns more than anyone

insurers - they are the ones that are dulling out the cash after them

ways climate change effects water systems

intense drought, melting glaciers, decreasing river flow, spring runoff earlier, drier summers

intervention

less heard of solution large scale technological modifications to the global climate system a "fix" - scary to many smart people - rushed and not thought out solution have been quietly discussed for years

adaptation

like the seawall in the Maldives James Ford from MCGILL studied Inuit adaptation to climate change in Canada's North

atmospheric blocking pattern

long loops of jet streams(caused by warming weakening winds) get stuck in one position, so a rainy system that would normally move past a city would be held in place for several days

do solar variations(changes in the suns output of energy have a high or low radiative forcing

low, much lower than any anthropogenic causes

five classes of wetlands

marsh, swamp, bog, fen and shallow open water

positive feedback of melting of ice and snow

melting causes a decrease in Earth's albedo, which reflects light

Are people distributed across the globe in accordance with water availability?

nah

why have atmospheric CO2 increased so much if natural sources still outweigh the human sources?

natural fluxes cancel each other out

RCP - representative concentration pathways

number of scenarios of differing human responses to climate change

littoral zone (lake)

nutrient rich water near the shore, immediate surface rich in biodiversity

other factors that influence climate

orbital factors, ocean absorption, solar output

Kyoto Protocol

outgrowth of the FCCC that required signatory nations to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels below those of 1990 US leaders refused to ratify it

Bogs

peatlands in which the water table is at or just below the bog surface peat is a type of carbon-rich soil

shallow water wetlands

ponds, sloughs, oxbows, or vernal pools open water less that 2m in depth

IPCC prediction about sea levels

predict that they will be at least .4 m higher than it is today force hundreds of millions of people to choose between moving upland or investing in costly protections against high tides and storm surges

surge

rapid downslope movement of the glacier

fresh water

relatively pure, with few dissolved salts most fresh water is tied up in glaciers, ice caps, and underground aquifers 1 par in 10000 of Earth's water is easily accessible for human use

health problems cause by climate change

respiratory ailments, expansion of tropical diseases, floods overcoming sewage treatment, hunger related ailments,

Riparian

riverside forests

why is studying present day climate more straightforward

scientists can measure atmospheric conditions directly

marshes

shallow water allows grasses and seasonal herbaceous plants to grow above the water's surface

global climate models (GCMs)

simulations of Earth's climate system using mathematics

although carbon absorption by the ocean is slowing global warming,

since the water is warming it is continually absorbing less carbon (positive FL)

tributary

smaller river flowing into a larger one

Example of precipitation changes because of climate change

some regions in Western Prairies droughts have become more frequent and severe

examples of organisms adapting to global warming

spring birds are migrating earlier, insects are hatching earlier, and animals are breeding earlier

stable isotope geochemistry of ice

stable isotopes are naturally ocurring variations of elements, which are not radiactive, and which vary just slightly form one another in mass but not in other chemical characteristics powerful tool for studying paleoclimate icecores

carbon neutrality

state in which no net carbon is emitted

As water moves through the hydrologic cycle, it does stuff like

stores and redistributes heat, erodes mountain ranges, builds river deltas, maintains ecosystems, supports living organisms, shapes civilizations, and gives rise to political conflicts

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

synthesis of scientific information concerning climate change

wetlands

systems that combine elements of freshwater and dry land can be enormously rich and productive

methane comes from

tapping into fossil fuels, raising livestock, and disposing of organic matter in landfills

radiative forcing

the amount of change in thermal energy that a given factor causes

what island country could experience a catastrophic storm surge that would cripple the nation

the maldives

global warming potential

the relative ability of one molecule of a greenhouse gas to contribute to warming

how will climate change widen the gap between rich and poor

the rich have more wealth and technology with which to adapt to climate change, and poorer people rely more on resources that are sensitive to climatic conditions

how is climate for a tropical storm like steroids for a baseball player?

they don't cause more home runs, but create situations where more homeruns are possible

proxy indicators

types of indirect evidence that serve as proxies or substitutes for direct measurements and that shed light on past climate

permit trading programs

use free market to achieve public policy goals - Businesses have flexibility in how meet goals

in situ water

water from reservoirs, undisturbed freshwater systems provides opportunities for transportation, boating and recreation, cultural uses, and fishing

most commonly occuring greenhouse gas

water vapor if temperatures continue to increase, more water vapor could by in the atmosphere

Lakes are generally water bodies with a surface area greate than

2 ha

what is the average residence time for a molecule of water in the ocean

3000 years

Three types of use of use of fresh water

70 % agriculure, 20% industry, 10% residential

How much of Canada's ice shelves have shrunk in the past 100 years

90 percent

IPCC estimates in their postings : what does "very likely mean

90-100 likely that this climate prediction would come true

Copenhagen Accord

A 2009 agreement between the United States, China, India, Brazil, and South Africa to cut emissions (though not to legally binding amounts). The agreement also promises aid to developing countries to support green development.

albedo

Ability of a surface to reflect light

where is most of the water resources in the US

Alaska

who hosts the biggest ice shelves/sheets

Antarctica and Greenland

Milankovitch cycles

Changes in the shape earth's orbit and tilt that cause glacial periods and interglacial periods.

permafrost

Ground that is permanently frozen

examples of struggle caused by warming of the Canadian Arctic

Inuit and polar bears junt the seals and thin or absent ice makes hunting either dangerous or impossible

If we were to cease greenhouse gas emissions today, would temperatures rise?

Yes - time lag from gases already in the atmosphere that have yet to exert their full influence

paleoclimate

a climate prevalent at a particular time in the geological past.

jet stream

a high-speed high-altitude airstream blowing from west to east near the top of the troposphere

carbon offset

a voluntary payment made to compensate for greenhouse gas emissions coal burning power plant could pay a reforestation project to plant trees Uni. could fund dvelopment of clean energy projects to make up for fossil fuel energy the uni. uses

carbon sinks

accept more carbon that they release

Canada received the Dinosaur Award

accused of obstructing global progress toward a solution for climate change and instead protecting the fossil fuel industry didn't uphold the standard they promised through Kyoto Protocol

ocean fertilization

adding iron to ocean water would boost productivity and allow it to take more carbon dioxide

geoengineering

aim to increase fluxes of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and reduce the incoming solar radiation

7 major indicators that scientests would expect to be increasing if the global climate is warming

air temp. in lower part of the troposphere, water vapor in atmosphere, temperature over land, marine air temperature, sea-surface temperature, ocean heat content and sea level

principle of common but differentiated responsibility

all nations of the world have a responsibility to address issues related to climate change, but not all nations have the same capacity to do this

mitigation

alleviate the problem - reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to lessen the severity of future climate change

insolation

amount of solar energy that reaches Earth's surface per unit area in a given period

In the future, broadly, precipitation will increase at high latitudes and decrease at low and middle latitudes. what will this do

worsen water shortages in many developing countries of the arid subtropics