Exam 3 - Climate Change. Chpt. 11 (Without Debates)

A donation of $__ dollar will clean up ___ pound of trash from the ocean which was successful at raising ______ million dollars in 2 months!

$1 dollar 1 pound 30 million dollars

How global warming contributes to sea-level rise

- glaciers on land are melting - warming ocean water undergoes thermal expansion

Methods of measuring global climate overtime

1. Argo float buoys in the ocean 2. weather stations recording air temperature 3. tree rings 4. ice cores from Antarctic glaciers 5. fossils and sedimentary strata

The Central Valley produces about _____ of the food that the U.S. consumers?

1/4

How much coal do we dig up every year to burn? How much CO2 does it produce?

10 billion tons (gigatons)/ 37 billion tons (gigatons)

According to NOAA, how many billion dollar weather extreme events occurred in 2022?

15 billion dollars

How much CO2 do volcanos release yearly? How much CO2 do humans produce annually? Is this significant? Why or why not?

200 million metric tons per year. Humans produce 9.2 billion metric tons. - Yes, 46 x the rate of volcanoes and volcanoes alone can contribute to climate change

Storms have become increasingly worse. According to this table, what YEAR in recent history was the costliest due to storms?

2017 (3 storms each over $25 billion)

This idea came after their success with Team Trees which encouraged and succeeded in having volunteers plant _______________ trees per day which equated to ________ million trees over the last 2 years

2600 trees per day 20 million trees

Death Valley received it's entire years' worth of rain in ___?

3 hours

Two social media influencers have put together Team Seas which is attempting to remove _________ pounds of trash from the ocean/beaches

30 million

According to Chris Flavelle and FEMA the total rainfall in the past few weeks in California has been _______ % to _________ % above average.

400% to 600%

California is the ____th largest economy in the world

5th

What is the Carbon X Prize?

A 20 million dollar prize for innovators around the world who know how to convert CO2 into a useful material

What is an atmospheric river?

A concentration or plume of moisture high in the atmosphere that gets blown over land and then produces an intense volume of rainfall

What do they want to do with the CO2 after they capture it?

A filter with highly reactive chemicals called amines catches even small concentrations of CO2. Heating the filter then breaks the bond and you release the CO2 and you can extract pure concentrated CO2

What is methane?

A greenhouse gas 34 times more potent than CO2

About how many trees are on the planet?

Around 3 trillion trees

Why is California better off than places like Nebraska and Arizona?

Because California floods, it has an opportunity to harness this water but Nebraska and Arizona don't get this kind of rainfall so will always be struggling for water.

The current administration has promised 375 billion dollars over the next decade. What are some of the outcomes predicted to come from this?

Lower energy cost due to renewable energy, lower cost of electric vehicles, tax credits for using renewables, jobs created in the renewable energy field

Why do researchers also monitor the marine air temperature and the surface water temperature?

Most of the earth is covered in ocean so monitoring these temperatures is a global indicator of climate change

What will cause the end of agriculture in California?

No surface or underground water

Would widening the rivers have a big impact on the amount of food produced in this area?

No, not really. A little but not significant.

The United Nations is sounding the alarm bell for Climate Change which is making young people anxious. Is the alarm bell working in any real way?

No, right now everyone is looking at everyone else to do something. Feels a bit hopeless at times

Why is it important to build up the natural sand dune ecosystem?

Protects the land on the other side from storm surges and flooding

What boxes could you check- all the wins, from widening the rivers in California?

Reduce the severity of flooding, increase groundwater recharge and provide new wildlife habitat

What is the goal of the scientists in the PBS Climate Change video?

Scientists are building a new toolkit to ensure a prosperous future by reducing the heating effect

Besides flooding, what are the other manifestations of climate change is California facing?

Severe drought and wildfires

As mega storms continue to become longer and more severe why is the fix of widening the rivers become inevitable?

The damage will continue to grow and become catastrophic.

What does GEDI stand for?

The global ecosystem dynamics investigation

What did congress recently pass that might help this fight?

The inflation reduction act which has in it the single largest investment in this country in climate change infrastructure

embodied energy

The total energy required to produce a product.

What opportunity is NOT being pursued with today's flood waters in California?

They are not trying to recharge the aquifers with all this water

What are aerosols?

Tiny particles suspended in the air

What is the goal of SCoPEx?

To investigate the impacts of solar geoengineering

Where is the flood run-off water currently going?

To the ocean

What type of machine could a tree be?

Trees would be a carbon capture machine

What type of rock is Iceland formed out of? What is special about this type of rock?

Volcanic rock called basalt. Basalt is a porous rock that readily bonds with CO2 over centuries

nitrous oxide

a greenhouse gas released by microbial processes linked to agricultural tilling, synthetic fertilizers, and livestock waste

fossil fuels and cement production

accounts for about 80% of human caused CO2 emissions

thermal expansion

an increase in the size of a substance in response to an increase in the temperature of the substance

Earth's Orbit

can affect climate by altering the amount of radiation reaching Earth and distribution of energy at various latitudes

Milankovitch Cycles

can alter the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth - The shape of Earth's orbit changes in a 100,000-year cycle - The tilt and direction of Earth's rotational axis changes every 26,000 to 40,000 years.

ocean currents

can alter the distribution of heat throughout the ocean

continental drift

can cause large landmasses to form, creating regions where cold temperatures can develop in the winter

eruptions and asteroid strikes

can send up ash plumes and reduce the amount of sunlight entering the atmosphere, reducing global average temperatures

ocean acidification

decreasing pH of ocean waters due to absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels - an increase in acidity by 30% - This 30% increase interferes with calcium carbonate shell formations by ocean organisms, most of which are at the base of the food chain

climate

describes average long-term weather conditions for a specific region of Earth

Global Climate

describes these long-term trends for the planet as a whole ex: - increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes in the Atlantic - regular flooding events in coastal cities - long-term droughts in the Midwest

deforestation

diminishes the outflow of CO2 to vegetation

Describe one indirect indicator (proxy) of climate change?

either tree rings, coral skeletons, ice bores

halocarbons

greenhouse gases used for aerosol sprays, refrigerants, solvents, and fire retardants

paleoclimate

historical climate change information from ancient climates - some proxies can provide climate records dating back to more than 500,000 years - understanding past climate can help explain how plants and animals responded to climate change

Instrumental Period (1860)

is when climatologists began temperature readings with more reliable instrumentation. - Weather satellites have added a level of sophistication with infrared radiation - Recording temperature records with weather stations began in 1714 - improved data accuracy

Warming waters in the oceans are acting as _____________ causing the hurricane/storms to rapidly intensify.

jet fuel

What are some natural sources of methane? What are some man-made sources? How much more methane is in the atmosphere now than was before the Industrial Revolution?

microorganisms that live in the digestive tract of animals, wetlands (about 20% of the methane production), volcanoes and forest fires. - Human sources are coal mines, natural gas leaks, rice farming, livestock production, landfills. - There is 25% more methane now

It is estimated that more than a garbage truck of plastic enters a water supply every___________

minute

The rebuild of the air force base is going to focus on _______________ .

resiliency

greenhouse effect

results in greater inflow of energy and trapping of heat when compared to the amount of heat that escapes - Some energy from the sun is trapped at the Earth's surface while some of this energy radiates back into space

Hindcasting

shows computer simulations in support of real-world observations; results over the past 30 years show that humans are driving global warming, especially by releasing carbon dioxide and methane

greenhouse gases (GHGs)

such as carbon dioxide and water vapor that redirect heat rising from Earth's surface back down to the surface - If radiation is directed downward toward the Earth's surface, a warming effect is created.

geothermal gradient

the rate of change in temperature with greater depth due to the release of energy by radioactive elements

Phenology

the study of these seasonal behaviors within the geographic ranges of species

methane

traps heat in the atmosphere about 21 times more effectively than CO2

As surface water dries up, what needs to be the most important source of water in the Central Valley?

The aquifer

Predicted outcomes of climate change

- birds lay eggs earlier in the year - longer and more frequent heat waves - more category 4 and 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic and fewer category 1 and 2 storms - increase in extreme rain events

What is CarbFix? Why can't we do this on a large scale?

- CarbFix is the method of capturing CO2 and turning it into stone. - These technologies are very hard to scale up to a meaningful amount

What Can I Do?

- Consider the Impact of Your Transportation - Reduce Home Energy Use - Consider the Whole Impact of What You Consume - Make Changes Visible to Others

Natural Factors that Lead to Short-Term Global Climate Change

- Deepwater ocean currents contribute to warming. - Glacial melting changes regular ocean current patterns. - The end of the ice age changed the thermohaline conveyor in the Atlantic Ocean. - Volcanic eruptions and asteroid strikes had rapid effects on global climate change.

What was the problem on Apollo 13? How did the astronauts deal with that problem?

- How to deal with CO2 buildup due to astronauts being in a confined space and with each exhale adding more CO2. - Scrubbed CO2 molecules by polarizing their scrubbers to bind CO2 molecules

How Scientists Estimate Ocean Temperatures

- Most of the Earth is covered by oceans - Along with collecting surface air temperatures (SAT) over land, scientists also collect average marine air temperatures (MAT) and sea-surface water temperatures (SST).

What Caused Climate Change in the Past?

- Over geologic time, global climate has changed naturally. - Fossil evidence indicates that polar regions were forested during the Cretaceous Period. -700-million-year-old glacial sediments near the equator suggest that Earth was completely iced over during the "snowball Earth" period

Due to Climate Change

- Polar bears are threatened due to melting sea ice - Marine species with calcium carbonate shells are at risk due to ocean acidification - The Sachem skipper butterflies have extended their range from northern California into southeastern Washington

Changes Earth has Experienced Over Geologic Time

- Positions of drifting continents relative to the equator affect the amount of solar radiation accessible to land - Movement of continents also influences ocean currents, which also affects global heat distribution - Colliding land masses create hills and mountains that increase exposure to acid rain, which is created when CO2 dissolves in water droplets. Acid rain then flows to the oceans

EPA is working with this legislation to do what over the next decade or so (name some).

- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions - work on transportation to lower emissions -work on reducing methane emissions -focus on the power sector of our coal plants, natural gas

Are CO2 and Temperature related?

Yes, perfectly. The figure shows that the Earth's temperature closely follows the Co2 concentration

What is the Central Valley Project?

A series of dams that capture runoff from the Sierra Nevada mountains and dams to hold the water, plus the Hoover dam.

Which of the following may result in a positive feedback mechanism that would intensify climate change effects? A. Warmer temperatures result in thermal expansion, leading to sea level rise. B. At higher temperatures, trees increase rates of photosynthesis. C. A large volcano emits huge quantities of sulfate aerosols into the atmosphere. D. An increase in rainfall results in increased plant growth. E. None of the above.

A. Warmer temperatures result in thermal expansion, leading to sea level rise.

Small island nations such as the Maldives are in the international spotlight because they A. may be among the first nations to be completely flooded by rising sea levels. B. are accepting climate change refugees from other nations. C. are the largest emissions producers in their respective areas. D. have exceeded the emissions reductions set by the Kyoto Protocol. E. None of the above.

A. may be among the first nations to be completely flooded by rising sea levels.

What is the goal of the Marine Cloud Brightening Project?

Adding really small sea salt particles to clouds in a way that significantly increases their brightness to reflect the sunlight and do so over enough of the ocean that to have a significant impact on the global temperature

Why was Yellowstone National Park closed for the first time in 3 decades?

Catastrophic flash flooding

What is the danger with the Cloud Brightening Project?

Cloud brightening on a global scale could offset all the heat trapped by our CO2 emissions

The Hoover Dam harnesses the water from what river?

Colorado

An example of proxies used to help understand past climates would be A. direct records of regional temperatures. B. current levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. C. current measurements of solar radiation. D. ancient sediments of past glacial activity. E. none of the above

D. ancient sediments of past glacial activity

In general, describe how geothermal gradients are measured?

Decaying radioactive elementsthat releasee energy and heat the crust. By drilling into the crust and knowing the normal temperature ,scientists can reconstruct historical surface temperatures over the past several centuries

50 billion dollars will go to the EPA to focus on water infrastructure, in mainly what communities?

Disadvantaged communities (poor, black, brown, and native)

Briefly, what would it take to capture more flood water to recharge the aquifers?

Disrupting levees and widening the rivers

How does drought and wildfires prime California for flooding?

Drought kills vegetation that allows water to run off quicker and wildfires leave burn scars which accelerates the water as it hits the ground and runs off

Human sources of methane in the atmosphere include which of the following? A. Livestock production. B. Rice farming. C. Wetlands. D. Coal mining. E. All of the above.

E. All of the above.

Why is this difficult?

Economics of buying all that land or politically bad by seizing land or culturally changing the dynamics of the land.

How much of a tree's weight is Carbon?

Half of their weight

What were some of the weather extremes of 2022?

Heat waves and drought, catastrophic flooding and hurricanes. Tornadoes

What generation is particularly hard hit by climate or eco-anxiety?

Younger generations

Droughts

Long periods of unusually low precipitation - Will affect regional agricultural yields and wildfires. - Globally, heat waves have resulted in increased deaths

The amount of CO2 we emit each year isn't the only problem. What happens to the CO2 that we add to the atmosphere?

It stays there for thousands of years

Why is the U.S. investing in microgrid technology?

Keeps electricity closer to their sources so that large-scale electrical failure will not occurs. Also, they are largely reliant of renewable energy so they are also not contributing to green house gas pollution

albedo effect

Light colored surfaces on Earth increase

What is an aquifer?

Porous spaces between rocks under ground and caverns underground that hold water

feedback loops

Positive feedback enhances the original change, and negative feedback counters the original change

What 2 ingredients can they use to produce liquid hydrocarbon fuels?

Sunlight and ambient

What are some ways you can help cope with climate anxiety?

Talk to others who feel the same way, spend time in nature, take breaks from social media, turn your anxiety into action

Why was the Central Valley referred to as an Inland Sea before the levees?

Water used to flood the valley and sometimes be standing water until it percolated into the ground

Even if we reduce the carbon, what problem remains?

We have not solved the climate problem. All we've done is stop making it worse, but the problem that remains is heat that remains. The temperature of the earth is determined by heat coming in from the sun and heat going out by radiation out to space. Every single day CO2 from our past emissions traps energy in the earth's system

Agriculture in the early 1900's relied on groundwater wells for irrigation but by the 1930's they realized what?

Wells were drying up and they needed a new source of water

What is one problem that arises from planting trillions of trees?

What is one problem that arises from planting trillions of trees?All of our agricultural land to feed our existing population and over the next years, food demand is going to double. Therefore, if you take land to solve the climate problem, you create another problem

What are carbon-neutral fuels?

When carbon in fuels returns to the atmosphere but the net CO2 is zero

The investment in this base is useful how?

Will save taxpayers billion of dollars if it keeps the base protected and the information that is learned from this rebuild can be shared

3 carbon-free energy sources

Wind, solar, and nuclear power