Climate change blueprint

describe the effects increased carbon dioxide in the ocean can have on ocean life

-CO2 dissolves easy in water and interacts w/ water to form carbonic acid which which increases the hydrogen concentration which results a reduction of the pH of the aquatic environment -carbonate plays huge role in formation of shells; as ocean acidifies the organisms have hard time forming shells and other hard structures -these organisms are important to food chain which means the loss of carbonate causes a ripple effect on the ecosystem

define geoengineering and give example of such a project

-also called climate engineering, is the development of technology focused on altering earth's enviro. primarily to combat climate change -carbon removal (CDR) which centers on removing co2 from atmos.; includes reforestation efforts and attempts to create carbon sinks in the soil and ocean -solar radiation management (SRM) which focuses on reflecting a portion of solar energy before it reaches the earth and thereby preventing it from becoming trapped by the atmosphere's greenhouse gases and further heating the earth's environment (ex. space reflectors)

explain the evidence of how climate change has altered the weather patterns in the US

-av. temps. have increases between 1.2 and 1.8 degrees F over the past 50 years w/ majority in the 21 century -rate of regional heat waves in increasing across country -av. precipitation has increased by 4% in past century -central and northeast experiencing increased precipitation the rate of extreme precipitation events, and droughts, is also increasing

explain how climate change is related to the spread of vector diseases

-climate change has increased the temp. leading to less severe winters meaning the range of species has expanded -life cycle of ticks and mosquitoes involves reproduction in warm areas and access to the warm blood, as they move between hosts, they have the ability to spread disease to individuals and species

describe how molecules in the atmosphere create the greenhouse effect and list the 2 gases most responsible for this effect

-compounds trap heat near earth's surface -water vapor plays important role in maintaining the climate of the planet -carbon dioxide (carbon and oxygen) and methane

summarize the effects of climate change on biomes such as the amazon rain forest and the great barrier reef

-coral bleaching; algae are photosynthetic and provide coral w/ food in exchange for a place to live -> v/ temp. dependent -> when coral is stressed by factors like temp., it will expel the algae; w/o algae coral will die -almost 1/2 of worlds coral reefs have been lost to combo of coral bleaching and other human activities, like fishing -climate change changes rain patterns in the amazon which will affect the region's forests drastically

diagram the carbon cycle and identify carbon sources and carbon sinks

-elements like carbon. nitrogen, and phosphorous naturally cycle between non-living (abiotic) geologic and atmospheric reservoirs and living (biotic) organisms -oceans and underground in fossil fuels and the atmosphere are carbon sinks (also lots @ one time in living organisms like animals and plants)

trend of global warming and trend in past decades

-the gradual increase of the overall temp. of earth's atmosphere ; generally caused by greenhouse effect caused by the increase levels of carbon dioxide -planet has warmed over 1.8 degrees F -17 of the warmest years on record happened in the last 18 years

explain how future crops may be engineered to be more tolerant of climate change

-this goal could be accomplished by genetically engineering trees or other plants to increase the consumption of co2. thereby removing it in large quantities from the atmos. -to prevent potential famine, some scientists are dedicated to modifying plants or in some cases herd animals so they require less water and are better able to withstand temp. extremes

define the terms climate and biosphere

CLIMATE- the average weather patterns (rainfall and temp.) in a given area over time BIOSPHERE- the sum of locations where life exists on Earth is found

Summarize the role of the light-dependent and light-independent reactions in photosynthesis.

LIGHT DEPENDENT -to makes carbo. plants need water co2 and energy which comes from the sun for plants -> plants capture wavelengths using pigments like chlorophyll and carotenoids which converted into stored chem. energy LIGHT INDEPENDENT -chem. energy is harvested during light dependent reactions drives assembly of sugar molecules from co2

Outline the relationship between global warming and climate change in terms of: Land and sea temperatures; patterns of weather events: floods, droughts, hurricanes; and the extent of glacier and snow coverage.

OCEAN -carbon plays important role in formation of shells of organisms; these organisms play important part of the food chain, the loss of carbonate has ripple effect on ecosystem -surface temps. are increasing alarming rate; acts as heat sink SEA ICE / GLACIERS -loss of ice mass since 70s -artic ice cap is vulnerable to changes to global temps bc located in open water -since 2000 ice coverage in artic has declined and ice sheets have declined as well EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS -influenced by increase of glob. temps. -av. temp. in US increased 1.2 F -land and ocean temps. are contributing severity of hurricanes (indicate severity increase in future)

describe the pros and cons of alternative energy such as wind, solar, and nuclear

SOLAR +one of most readily available sources of clean energy +energy from sun is captured on panels and converted to electricity -does produce a little carbon +more solar used instead of coal or oil, less co2 in atmos. WIND +can be gathered nearly anywhere +energy generated mechanically using wind turbines +extremely clean method +entirely non-polluting -more expensive than traditional ways of converting energy NUCLEAR +create boiling and pressurized water to power turbines +process used to gather nuclear energy produces radioactive byproducts that are dangerous & need to be disposed of somehow -considered cleaner than fossil fuels but it is not without risk (accidents may lead to illnesses, hurt, or kill)

describe how invasive species disrupt community and ecosystem function

are able to cause extinction of plants and animals reducing biodiversity and compete for limited resources

Summarize the role of photosynthesis in the carbon cycle

carbon dioxide is pulled from the atmosphere to produce food from carbon for plant growth-> animals eat plants

understand how the processing and use of fossil fuels contribute to global warming

fossil fuels are the remains of organic material and when burned they release carbon dioxide into the atmos. which is where heat is trapped

define the term biome

general characteristics of similar ecosystems across the globe (includes climate and types of organisms living in area)

explain the main cause of the rise in carbon dioxide in levels in the atmosphere in the past several decades

human activity

list 3 reasons current human society could be considered unsustainable

modern society requires more energy per person than any time in history and majority of that energy is supplied by fossil fuels CARBON FOOTPRINT -measured by tonnes of co2 that is directly or indirectly released into atmos. by actions of a specific entity -often used for large-scale organizations like for companies or even entire countries 1) ENERGY CHOICES -electric cars/buses + carpooling over gas cars, buses, trains, airplanes 2) FOOD CHOICES -fruits and veg. contribute less carbon footprint than red meat and dairy products; veg.-based diet will help reduce a person's indirect carbon emissions 3) STAY LOCAL -buy locally -waste disposal or recycling