Ch. 18 APES
Describe the Kyoto Protocol
It mandates signatory nations by the period 2008-2012 to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels below those of 1990
Describe how each of the following solutions can help with global climate change
- public transportation - hydroelectric power - hydrogen fuel cell - biodiesel - electric cars - federal subsidies for mass transit - cap and trade rules - carbon offsets
What is the percent of U.S. cities devoted to Automobiles?
30%
Not counting the current Carbon Dioxide spike, what is the highest level (in ppm) of Carbon Dioxide measured in the past several hundred thousand years?
300 ppm
What percent of U.S. population is vulnerable to coastal flooding?
53%
Using ice cores, how far back can scientists determine greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere?
650,000 years
What percent of U.S. electricity comes from fossil fuel?
69%
What percent of automobile fuel is NOT used for moving the car?
85%
Describe the difference between "Adaptation" and "Mitigation" and give one example of each.
Adaptation is the response to accept climate change is happening and pursue strategies to minimize its impact on us. An example would be erecting a seawall. Mitigation is a strategy to pursue actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to lessen the severity of future climate change. An example would be reducing greenhouse gas emissions by improving energy efficiency and switching to clean and renewable energy sources.
What surface has the most albedo and why is this important for climate?
Albedo is the reflectivity of a surface
Explain how greenhouse gases warm the Earth's atmosphere. Use a diagram in your explanation.
As Earth absorbs solar radiation and emits infrared radiation, some atmospheric gases absorb this infrared radiation resulting in re-emiting infrared energy. Some of this energy is lost in space while some travels back downward and warms our atmosphere.
Give an example of how cities and states in the U.S. have led the federal government in making policy affecting global climate change?
By mid-2007, mayors from over 600 cities from all 50 U.S. states had signed on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, led by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. Under this agreement, mayors commit their cities to pursue policies to "meet or beat" Kyoto Protocol guidelines and to urge their states and the federal government to take action as well.
List two countries that have reduced carbon dioxide emissions significantly since the Kyoto Protocol and two countries that have increased their emissions significantly in the same time period
Canada and United States have reduced carbon dioxide emissions significantly, however, Russia and the United Kingdom.
Which Greenhouse gas has increased the most since 1800?
Carbon Dioxide
Which Greenhouse gas is the most potent per molecule?
Carbon Dioxide
List the 6 major greenhouse gases and give a natural source and an anthropogenic source for each.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2): Fossil Fuel Ozone (O3): Combustion (Smog) Halocarbons (CFC): Refrigerants Nitrous Oxide (N2O): Fertilizer Methane (CH4): Landfills, livestock (stomachs), rice cultivation, fossil fuels Water Vapor (H2O): Water sources
Explain why carbon dioxide is the focus of climate change policies even though it is relatively weak as a greenhouse gas.
Carbon dioxide is more abundant than other gases so it contributes more to the greenhouse effect, and human activity boosts the concentration of carbon dioxide.
What is the difference between Climate Change and Global Warming?
Climate Change describes trends and variation in Earth's climate, involving aspects such as temperature, precipitation and storms). Global Warming refers specifically to an increase in Earth's average surface temperature.
Describe two positive feedback loops related to climate change.
Climate change is well underway and further greenhouse gas emissions will increase global warming and cause increasingly severe and diverse impacts. Sea-level rise and other consequences of global climate change will affect locations worldwide from the Maldives to Bangladesh to Alaska to Florida.
What is the difference between climate and weather?
Climate describes an area's long-term atmospheric conditions (temperature, moisture, wind etc.) Weather specifies conditions at localized sites over hours or days.
Which fossil fuel is responsible for most of the carbon emissions in the U.S.?
Coal is most responsible for carbon emissions because it doesn't burn cleanly.
How do subsidies for mass transit affect ridership?
Currently, the subsidies for mass transit are not high which makes it unreliable and inconvenient. However, if U.S. were to increase subsidy, the United States could substantially cut its air pollution, its dependence on imported oil, and its contribution to climate change.
What environmental harms are caused by the ENSO system?
ENSO can result in a shutdown of nutrient deliveries that support marine life and fisheries and alter weather patterns creating rainstorms and floods in generally dry areas and causing drought and fire in regions typically moist.
What percent of the sun's radiation is absorbed by the Earth?
Earth absorbs 70% of solar radiation and reflects the remaining 30%
Besides Atmospheric Gasses, what are 4 other factors that influence Earth's climate?
Earth's climate can also be affected by Milankovitch cycles, solar output, ocean absorption and ocean circulation.
Rank the top 2 sources of Greenhouse gases in the United States.
Electricity and transportation
How might climate change affect the spread of diseases?
Expansion of tropical diseases, such as dengue fever, move toward the poles. Disease and sanitation problems when floods overcome sewage treatment systems.
What areas of U.S. land is vulnerable to coastal flooding?
Florida, coastal cities, and Pacific Islands may need to be evacuated.
What are the 2 human activities are largely responsible for current climate changes.
Fossil fuel combustion and deforestation are largely responsible for current climate changes.
What is the number one source of anthropogenic methane?
Fossil fuel deposits
Which layer of the atmosphere are the greenhouse gases warming?
Greenhouse gases are warming the troposphere
What is the current level of Carbon Dioxide?
In 2007 the level of carbon dioxide was 383 ppm
Describe one other thermohaline circulation pattern that affects climate.
La Nina events are the opposite of El Nino events. Cold surface waters extend far westward in the equatorial Pacific, and weather patterns are affected in opposite ways.
Contrast the Montreal Protocol with the Kyoto Protocol. (Not in book)
Montreal Protocol; an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out he production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. Kyoto Protocol; mandates signatory nations by the period 2008-2012 to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels below those of 1990.
How might climate change affect the ocean's pH?
Ocean water became more acidic by about 0.1 pH unit, and will decrease in pH by 0.14-0.35 units more by century's end. As ocean water absorbs atmospheric CO2, it becomes more acidic, which impairs the growth of coral and other organisms whose exoskeletons consist of calcium carbonate
Describe the "Precautionary Principle" and how it relates to global climate change.
Precautionary principle is the idea that one should not undertake a new action until the ramifications of that action are well understood. This relates to global climate change because it prevents the actions of people when they don't understand the effects.
Describe the ENSO system and explain its significance to global climate change.
The El Nino-Southern Oscillation is a systematic shift in atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature and ocean circulation in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Air pressure changes and cause equatorial winds to weaken. Without those winds, the warm water that collected in the Pacific flows eastward. ENSO alter weather patterns and cause rainstorms and floods in areas that are usually dry.
Explain what the IPCC is and its effects on global climate change issues.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is an international panel of scientists and government officials. By releasing its Fourth Assessment Report it represents the consensus of scientific climate research from around the world, documenting and addressing impacts of current and future climate change.
Compared to past global warming in earth history, why is the current warming of the earth causing so much concern?
The current warming of the earth causes many concerns because of the potential impacts that filmmakers demonstrate. In the blockbuster scenario in 2004, "The Day After Tomorrow", filmmakers chose entertainment value over science and grossly exaggerated the potential impacts of global warming.
What was the impact of the 2007 "Fourth Assessment Report" from the IPCC?
The release of the 2007 report from the IPCC confirmed and cleared information of the scientific consensus that climate is changing because of us and is already exerting impacts that will
What is one of the best ways to decrease the use of fossil fuels for transportation?
The use of public transportation is the single most effective strategy for conserving energy and reducing pollution
Explain how warming bodies of water affects global climate change?
The warming of the oceans could trigger Greenland's ice sheets to melt, diluting surface water and making them less dense which could potentially stop the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation causing Europe to cool rapidly.
Describe how deforestation contributes to global climate change.
There were high reports of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Scientists agree that this increase in greenhouse gases results primarily from our combustion of fossil fuels for energy and secondarily from land use changes, including deforestation and agriculture.
How does the warming of the oceans affect the environment?
Thermohaline circulation, a worldwide current system in which warmer, fresher water moves along the surface and colder, saltier water moves deep beneath the surface. The Gulf Stream is another thermohaline circulation pattern carrying heat to high latitudes and keeping Europe warmer than it would otherwise be. This releases the heat energy and cools, sinking and creating the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW)
Describe the major flaws in the Kyoto Protocol.
U.S. would not participate because they believed it was unfair due to requiring industrialized nations to reduce emissions but not the same of other nations. Even if every nation complied with the treaty greenhouse gas emissions would continue to increase.
Which Greenhouse gas is most abundant in the atmosphere?
Water vapor
Examine the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on page 517 and list an indicator from each category that you think is of extreme importance or one you were surprised to learn about.
a. Global physical indicators: The average surface temperature of the Earth has increased 1.33F in the past 100 years b. Regional physical indicators: Droughts and flooding will increase, leading to agricultural losses c. Social indicators: Melting of mountain glaciers will reduce water supplies to millions of people d. Biological indicators: Species ranges are shifting toward the poles and upward in elevation
List 5 ways climate change causes environmental harm.
a. Precipitation differences causing wet areas to be wetter and drier areas to be drier b. Droughts become longer, more intense and spread farther c. Droughts and flooding will increase, leading to an agricultural loss d. Timing of seasonal phenomena such as breeding and migration, shifts e. Species interactions and ecosystem structure and function could change greatly, resulting in biodiversity loss.
Describe the Milankovitch cycles and explain their significance to global climate change.
alter the way solar radiation is distributed over Earth's surface and describe three types of periodic changes in Earth's rotation and orbit.
Compare market solutions of Carbon Offsets and Cap and Trade. Explain how they work and discuss their limitations.
cap-and-trade emissions puts a cap on the Carbon emissions by giving sources a certain amount of permits. They are enabled to buy or sell excess permits from or to other sources. Carbon Offsets is a voluntary payment to another person of their emission permits.
What is the Keeling data and what is its significance?
data collected from four air samples from five towers every hour from a monitoring station in Hawaii. data shows atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. significant because Keeling's colleagues are continuing these measurements, building upon the best long term dataset.
Describe how you would identify your carbon footprint.
from our decisions and activities
How do scientists know that the Earth's climate has been changing throughout history?
proxy indicators(indirect evidence that serve as substitutes for direct measurement and that shed light on past climate)
How do volcanic sulfate aerosols affect the earth's climate?
slow global warming temporarily but may result in acid precipitation. Black carbon aerosols (soot) can cause warming by absorbing solar energy, but most tropospheric aerosols cool the atmosphere by reflecting the sun's rays
Which part of the world will see the greatest temperature changes?
south-eastern United States
Describe "Radiative Forcing"
the change in energy that a given factor causes. Positive forcing warms the surface and negative forcing cools it.