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