ecology 1000 unit 4

Energy Star

"Green" systems that satisfy the EPA requirements to decrease the overall consumption of electricity.; a program which provides certification to buildings and consumer products which meet certain standards of energy efficiency.

Paris Agreement (2015)

Agreement made between the United Nations countries to cut down on the emissions of greenhouse gases in an attempt to slow down global warming. More wealthy and producing countries have to cut down more - The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, on climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance 1) holding the rise in global avg temp to below 2 degrees above pre industrial level and to limit temp increase to 1.5 degrees above 2) ability to adapt to adverse impacts of climate change and foster resilience to low GHGS without threatening (food) production) 3) making finance flow consistent with limiting GHGs - agreement would be ratified without at least 55 countries which between them produce 55% of global emissions ]- as of 2016 73 countries and EU joined and the agreement went into effect on nov 4, 2016 - the US withdrew from the pact under Trump Admin

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

An American marine biologist wrote in 1962 about her suspicion that the pesticide DDT, by entering the food chain and eventually concentrating in higher animals, caused reproductive dysfunctions. In 1973, DDT was banned in the U.S. except for use in extreme health emergencies. - effects of pesticides on the environment; changed way Americans viewed their impact on nature

global warming

An increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere (especially a sustained increase that causes climatic changes) - indicators that increase warming globally 1) air temp near-surface rises 2) sea-level rise 3) humidity rise 4) sea surface temp rise 5) temp overseas rise 6) ocean heat content rise 7) temp over land rise - indicators that decrease due to warming 1) snow cover 2) glacier mass balance decrease 3) sea ice decrease

milankovitch cycles video

As obliquity decreases, it gradually helps make our seasons milder, resulting in increasingly warmer winters, and cooler summers that gradually, over time, allow snow and ice at high latitudes to build up into large ice sheets - The three elements of Milankovitch cycles are eccentricity, obliquity, and precession (Figure 3). Eccentricity describes the degree of variation of the Earth's orbit around the Sun from circular to more elliptical.

sea level rise

Causes erosion of shorelines and rainforests, flooding of wetlands that house freshwater ecosystems. Caused by global climate changes that is melting sea ice - sea loevel has riseh 10-20 cm over last centiry - sea level rise is at up-per boundary - sea loevel almost certaini;uy will rise 3-6ft cm in oless than 100 years an d it could rise more feet if current rate of greenland and anartic ice cap meting cant be stopped - greenland alone would raise sea level 23 ft

Milankovitch cycles

Changes in the shape earth's orbit and tilt cause glacial periods and interglacial periods. - predictable variations in Earth's position in space relative to the Sun that affect climate - calculated that the angle of earths tilt varies between 22.5-24.5 degrees The three elements of Milankovitch cycles are eccentricity, obliquity, and precession (Figure 3). Eccentricity describes the degree of variation of the Earth's orbit around the Sun from circular to more elliptical.

Stages of Glaciation

Cyclic pattern of inter-glacial and glacial stages

solar forcing

Cyclical variation in the amount of solar energy received at Earth's surface

climate engineering

Deliberate large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment to counteract human-caused climate change

the great ice age

Extended period when glaciers covered most of the North American continent. The most recent glaciation period, often known simply as the "Ice Age," reached peak conditions some 18,000 years ago before giving way to the interglacial Holocene epoch 11,700 years ago. - When less sunlight reaches the northern latitudes, temperatures drop and more water freezes into ice, starting an ice age. When more sunlight reaches the northern latitudes, temperatures rise, ice sheets melt, and the ice age ends.

Garret Hardin & The Tragedy of the Commons

Freedom to breed is bringing ruin to all. Global commons such as atmosphere & oceans are used by all and owned by none -recognized the damage that innocent actions by individual can have on the environment and strained on negative externalities

C02 Ice core records video

Ice cores provide direct information about how greenhouse gas concentrations have changed in the past, and they also provide direct evidence that the climate can change abruptly under some circumstances. - temperature was colder during ice ages and warmer during interglacial periods - temperature and carbon dioxide are closely related. we cant explain the large size of changes in temperature without the effects of C02 - the cycle of ice ages are changed by earths orbit

stable isotopic fractionation

Identifies biologically oxidized material - if the rise in atmospheric c02 is the result of burning fossil fuels the relative amount f of C13 to C12 will decrease. - rapid incr4ease in GHGS since industrial rev (C)@ < methane, and nitrous oxide)

Earth Day (1970)

International day of celebration and awareness of global environmental issues launched by conservationists on April 22, 1970 - a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment - 20 million Americans celebrated the first day in April 1970; speeches and demonstrations spotlighted such problems as thermal pollution, dying lakes, oil spills, and dwindling resources, introducing Americans to the idea of "living lightly on the earth." Organic gardening, vegetarianism, solar power, recycling, composting, and preventive health care were popular, like Zero population growth.

11,000 scientists CNN article

More than 11,000 researchers from around the world on Tuesday issued a grim warning of the "untold suffering" that will be caused by climate change if humanity doesn't change its ways. The group said that as scientists, they have the "moral obligation to tell it like it is." The scientists, who come from over 150 countries, said the climate crisis is "closely linked to excessive consumption of the wealthy lifestyle." Echoing the words of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg , the scientists have criticized policymakers for failing to take an action. "Despite 40 years of global climate negotiations, with few exceptions, we have generally conducted business as usual and have largely failed to address this predicament," they said. - They listed six key issues that need to be addressed if humanity wants to prevent the most catastrophic scenarios. These include replacing fossil fuels, cutting the emissions of climate pollutants such as methane and soot, eating less meat, restoring and protecting ecosystems, building a carbon -free economy and stabilizing population growth by investing into family-planning services and girls education

greenhouse effect

Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases - temp were cooler in 1st 1/2 of 20ty century and has been increasing ever since the low seen in 1910. since 1980 the temp has exceeded the 20th temp avg - there will be climate variability in some years with hotter avg temps or with colder temp, but more extreme cold and hot years/days occur - an increase of only a few degrees in avg temp shifts the entire curve to the right

what is the paris agreement and why did the us rejoin article

Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. Adopted by nearly 200 countries in the French capital on 12 December 2015, it came into force on 4 November 2016. The deal united all the world's nations - for the first time - in a single agreement on tackling global warming and cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. It went much further than the Kyoto Protocol of 1997. That agreement had set targets for cutting emissions for a handful of developed countries - but the US later pulled out and others failed to comply - The US has pledged to cut carbon emissions in half, compared with 2005 levels, by the end of this decade. The new target will be unveiled at a virtual summit of 40 global leaders What are the main aims of the Paris deal? 1) To keep global temperatures "well below" 2.0C (3.6F) above pre-industrial times and "endeavour to limit" them even more, to 1.5C 2) To limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity to the same levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally - beginning at some point between 2050 and 2100 3) Each country sets its own emission-reduction targets, known as national determined contributions (NDCs), reviewed every five years to raise ambition 4) For rich countries to help poorer nations by providing "climate finance" to adapt to climate change and switch to renewable energy scientists also say limiting the temperature rise to no more than 1.5C - rather than 2C - could: 1) prevent small island states sinking beneath the waves 2) help millions of people avoid the impacts of extreme weather 3) limit the chances of an ice-free Arctic summer President Biden has rejoined the Paris Agreement But President Biden pledged to return the US to the Paris Agreement and make the fight against climate change a top priority of his administration. His special envoy on climate change, John Kerry, tweeted President Biden was "restoring America's credibility and commitment" and the world "must and will raise ambition" to tackle global warming. And the US formally rejoined the agreement on 19 Feb, 2021

Photosynthesis

Plants use the sun's energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars - carbon comes from 2 stable isotopic forms - carbon 12 is more common and lighter than carbon 13 and bc carbon 13 is heavier is left behind during photosynthesis

EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. - an independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment - headquaters in washington DC with 10 regional officers ad 27 labs. it conducst reaerach and edu and had the respobibility of maintaining and enforcing national standards under nevion laws with state, local, and tribal gov - as of 2016, agnecy had 15000 full time employees and 2018 only 14000. - trump admin pop a 30% cut from EPA budget in 2020 to $6.1 billion and planned to eliminat e1/4 of all agency jobs

CASE STUDY: Flint Water Crisis in 2014

The Flint water crisis was a public health crisis that started in 2014 and lasted until 2019, after the drinking water for the city of Flint, Michigan was contaminated with lead and possibly Legionella bacteria. While the water quality of the Flint River was poor as a result of unregulated discharges by industries and municipalities (Leonardi & Gruhn 2001), the principal reason for the switch was to ensure a sufficient quantity of water for the growing population by late 2015 scientific research shows that flint water crisis caused lead poisoning in flints children - city and state officials acknowledged that lead levels were too high due to the water supply switch - city switched back t9 lake Huron water and is currently replacing lead water pipes - full impact of lead exposure will not be known for decades

Lynn White

The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis In 1967, medieval historian Lynn White Jr. published an article called 'The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis. He concludes that the modern technological conquest of nature that has led to our environmental crisis has in large part been made possible by the dominance in the West of this Christian worldview. - stated that because of the Christian bibles' beliefs it asserts domination over nature, a strong view of anthropocentrism - noted that Christianity makes distinctions between humans and rest of the living world (no soul or reason) and therefore humans are superior

CASE STUDY: Keystone pipeline

The Keystone Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States, commissioned in 2010 and owned by TC Energy and as of 31 March 2020 the Government of Alberta. List of the Cons of Pipelines Pipelines might contribute to climate change. ... We use pipelines to transport dangerous fossil fuels. ... Many of the employment opportunities for pipelines are temporary. ... Most pipeline jobs pay the minimum wage for the state in which they are located. On Oct. 29, 2019, a nearly 400,000-gallon oil spill was discovered in the Keystone pipeline system in North Dakota. The spill inundated a wetland with heavy crude oil mined from the Alberta tar sands - the pipeline would bisect the Oglala aquifi8er and tribal lands and poses a threat to human health and that living nearby

Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that global warming is occurring and that human-made CO₂ emissions are driving it. (2005) controlling global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries

Biodiversity

The amount of biological or living diversity per unit area. It includes the concepts of species diversity, habitat diversity, and genetic diversity. - more bgenfi9ci8al microbes in more biodiverse areas - ppl exposed t more biodiversity have a greater physical health (increase microbiome diversity) and better mental health (decrease in rumination behavior) - 50% of ppl live in urban areas by 2050

axial tilt

The angle that a planet's axis is tilted from vertical -earth's tilt is currently 23.4 degrees which give us cooler summer and warmer winters than we would have at 24.5 which was our position 9000 years ago. in about 32000 years we will be tilted at 22.1 degrees - The Tropic of Capricorn is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point at the December solstice. It is thus the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. It also reaches 90 degrees below the horizon at solar midnight on the June Solstice. - The Tropic of Cancer, which is also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun to its maximum extent.

CASE STUDY: gastric brooding frog

The gastric-brooding frogs or platypus frogs are a genus of extinct ground-dwelling frogs native to Queensland in eastern Australia. The genus consisted of only two species, both of which became extinct in the mid-1980s. - The cause for the gastric-brooding frogs' extinction is speculated to be due to the human introduction of pathogenic fungi into their native range. Populations of southern gastric-brooding frogs were present in logged catchments between 1972 and 1979. - The most unique characteristic of the Southern gastric-brooding frog was, however, its extraordinary method of incubating its young - in the mother's stomach. After eggs were laid and externally fertilized by a male, the female would then swallow them. - genome for the Frog has been revived and reactivated with cloning technology and implanting dead cell nucleus into fresh frog eggs

Fluxes

The rate of flow between the stores A carbon flux is the amount of carbon exchanged between Earth's carbon pools - the oceans, atmosphere, land, and living things - and is typically measured in units of gigatonnes of carbon per year (GtC/yr). ... These carbon pools contain enormous quantities of carbon and exchange this matter in various ways

heres what to say CNN 2019 article

There's a difference between weather and climate Weather is what happens today. Climate is what happens over the long run. Here's how NASA explains it: Weather is the condition in the atmosphere are over a short period of time. Climate is how the atmosphere behaves over relatively long periods of time While portions of the US might be mired in a deep freeze, many other parts of the planet are seeing record-breaking heat waves (like Australia last week). When you average these out over the planet, the hotter temps are tipping the scale. That's why the hottest 5 years on record for our planet have all occurred since 2014 The Earth's temperature has changed drastically in its 4.5 billion year history, from the Huronian Ice Age that covered vast portions of the planet in ice for nearly 300 million years, to a period about 50 million years ago, when scientists believe that palm trees and crocodiles were native above the Arctic Circle. Today, climate change is commonly used as a term to describe the effects of global warming that have occurred as a result of human activity following the industrial revolution in the 18th century

NY proposed EPA cuts article

Trump's proposed cuts to the E.P.A. include, clockwise from top left, reductions to the Superfund program, which is cleaning the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn; the monitoring of public water systems like the one in Flint, mich - The Trump administration's proposed cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency budget are deep and wide ranging. It seeks to shrink spending by 31 percent, to $5.7 billion from $8.1 billion, and to eliminate a quarter of the agency's 15,000 jobs 1) tap water - the Public Water System Supervision Grant Program has been critical in making sure communities have access to safe drinking water - flint Michigan water crisis 2) related coverage - much of the risk to the country's water supply stems from its crumbling public water infrastructure: a network of pipes, treatment plants and other facilities built decades ago. Although Congress banned lead pipes in 1986, between 3.3 million and 10 million older ones remain, primed to leach lead into tap water 3) criminal and civil enforcement - - sharp cuts in the agency's enforcement programs could curtail its ability to police environmental offenders and impose penalties. The budget proposal reduces spending on civil and criminal enforcement by almost 60 percent, to $4 million from a combined $10 million. It also eliminates 200 jobs 4)geographic programs - the agency is taking an equal opportunity approach to regional cleanup programs, proposing to virtually eliminate all of them: Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Champlain, Long Island Sound, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay, South Florida, the Great Lakes - The E.P.A.'s defunding of these projects could backfire. Much of the federal money has gone toward helping bring affected comm unities to the table to find solutions. Absent that route, communities could sue the E.P.A. for failing to act, ultimately running up the agency's legal bills and slowing remediation as cases wind their way through the courts 5) superfunds and brownfields - superfund is as high stakes as environmental programs get. It makes federal funds available for the cleanup of sites contaminated by hazardous substances and pollutants, like the now-defunct Wolff Alport Chemical Company in Queens, in New York City, which was designated a Superfund site in 2014. The site is heavily contaminated with thorium, radioactive metal with a half-life of 14 billion years that has been linked to a higher incidence of lung, pancreatic, and bone cancer. Superfund money is helping clean up the thorium - .P.A. officials call Brownfields, a program that helps towns and cities redevelop former industrial sites, one of the agency's most popular programs. Funding to states under the Brownfields program is set for a reduction of 30 percent, to $33 million from $48 million 6) endocrine disrupters - The budget eliminates a $6 million research and screening effort targeting the chemicals, which are found widely in pesticides, plastics, shampoos and cosmetics, cash register receipts, food can linings and other products. The chemicals have been linked t o breast cancer in women and hypospadias, a birth defect in boy 7) climate protection - take the Energy Star program for energy efficient televisions, washers, dryers, lights and other consumer goods. Companies say Energy Star helps give their products a competitive edge, and also helps them sell overseas, where the standard has been adopted by the European Union, Japan, Australia and Canada, among major markets 8) federal vehicles and fuel standards - the budget foresees getting automakers themselves to pay for testing through fees. But that takes time to set up, and any funding shortfall in the meantime would mean a significant paring back of the work at E.P.A.'s emissions testing labs 9) non point source grants - The $165 million Nonpoint Source Grant program helps states deal with pollutants from sources that are not directly regulated under the Clean Water Act - like the phosphorus that flows into Lake Erie from fertilizer, which feeds algae and weeds that starve the water of oxygen, harming fish and other wildlife. - Among other remedies, the nonpoint source grants have been used to help states create "buffer s trips" 10) radiation protection and response preparedness - The proposed budget would defund the agency's $3.3 million Radiation Protection program and eliminate 60 jobs. It would also remove four jobs from the Radiation Response Preparedness program; despite those job cuts, funding for that modest program would increase by $177,000, to just over $500,0000, to be used for "essential preparedness work only

Surface Air Warming

Urban air temperatures are generally higher than rural temperatures. ... Urban materials are also darker and absorb a greater portion of the Sun's energy than vegetation-covered surfaces. The same is true for areas of barren or rocky soil surfaces, such as those of deserts. - Surface properties of terrain and vegetation—including color and texture, transparency, conductivity, specific heat, evaporation, and condensation—can dramatically affect surface and air temperatures. These properties influence the amount of heat energy absorbed and reflected by the surface. - by 2030 GA is expected to be 5-9 degrees warmer - by 2050 ATL will have an avg temp of Houston tx - number of days/years with peak temps over 90 degrees F will increase - positive feedback loop bc with more co2 emissions with AC - by 2080 - 2099 GA will be 105-165 degrees F - water scarcity will be an ongoing problem and drought will be way more common - ocean heat content will rise, serve storms more common, more extinctions

scientific journal

Where scientists publish their findings. In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. - Submitting scientific research for publishing is a key way for authors to validate their work, and in the wider scheme of things

EPA propsoed cuts 2019 articloe

White House also suggests cutting theEnvironmental Protection Agency's budget by at least a quarter, reducing the EPA to levels not seen since 1991, according to a budget blueprint proposed Monday. The budget request dovetails with an infrastructure plan also unveiled Monday that would pare federal environmental reviews and make it easier to put pipelines on federal loand. - the budget plan-which faces a highly uncertain future in Congress-would end several programs studying global warming, cut aid to countries on the front lines of climate change, and halve spending on government flood mapping. It mirrors President Donald Trump's previous budget-cutting proposals, many of which were rebuffed b y congress

Ogallala Aquifer

World's largest aquifer; underparts of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas (the Midwest). Holds enough water to cover the U.S. with 1.5 feet of water. Being depleted for agricultural and urban use.

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC)

a 1992 treaty calling for the reduction of fossil fuel emissions to 1990 levels by 2000The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international environmental treaty addressing climate change, negotiated and signed by 154 states at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992. - stabilizes GHGS in atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference and set no binding limit on GHGs for individ countirs - the treaty outlines how specuifc future international treaties may be developed

toxic wastes and race at Twenty (1987-2007)

a report prepared for the US church of christ justi8ce and witness ministries - rev M linda Jaramille (exec minister ) - neighborhood with high level of toxic rates were more commonly found in ppl, of color neighborhoods - Chester PA nations largest trash incinerator and burn 3300 tons of waste per day - race more of a factor of socioeconomic status in geigra0hy hazardous areas - current environmental justice issues are related to redlining

changes in poison ivy video

changes in the atmosphere are having an impact on plant growth and the leaves are growing much bigger. warmer temp and rising levels of c02 could cause this. larger leaves means more concentrated oil for worse allergic reactions

proxy data

comes from natural recorders of climate variability, such as seafloor sediments, glacial ice, fossil pollen, and tree-growth rings, as well as from historical documents - co2 concentration changed over time - global temp varies - sea level changes

biobanking

cryogenically preserving genetic material of imperiled species to maybe bring them back to life in the future! or use their genes in another species.

ocean acidification

decreasing pH of ocean waters due to absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels ; when CO2 dissolves in seawater, it reacts with water to form carbonic acid, which lowers ocean pH - 26% absorbed by ocean - 46% stayed in atmosphere - 28% used up by plants

tree stories how tree rings reveal extreme weather cycles video

dendrochronology : the science or technique of dating events, environmental change, and archaeological artifacts by using the characteristic patterns of annual growth rings in timber and tree trunks. - cross dating rings of living and dead trees they can identity when the tree died - can give records of when natural disasters and major year events occurred

heat waves

extended periods of above-normal temperatures - heatwaves are increasing with climate change as the earth's surface temperature increases. heat stress cab exacerbate heart disease, diabetes whi8ch are more common among ppl of racial and ethical minorities - communities with older housing infrastructure are most vulnerable to power outages and water system failures during extreme weather events, which are becoming more common and more intense each year. - AA were 44% more likely to reside in areas. at risk for flooding than whites (charlotte to Atlanta)

positive feedback loop

feedback loop that causes a system to change further in the same direction

IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)

group created in 1988 by the UN and the World Meteorological Organization, consisting of over 3,000 scientists from the around the world working together to assess climate change. founded 1988 by WMO and UNEP; leading institution for the assessment of climate change - Aims to provide comprehensive scientific assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic info worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity - primary goal is to provide the field with clear scientific views on current stories of knowledge in climate change and potential environmental and socio econ impacts don't conduct any research nor does it monitor climate change-related data but reviews research conducted by scientists and is open to all members of UN and WMO. currently there are 19 members

Ocean Heat Content

in oceanography and climatology, ocean heat content is a term for the energy absorbed by the ocean, which is stored as internal energy or enthalpy. Changes in the ocean heat content play an important role in the sea level rise, because of thermal expansion.

environmental philosophy

is the branch of philosophy that is concerned with the natural environment and humanity's place within it

CASE STUDY: the mauna Loa Lab in Hawaii

long term experiments of co2 on the atmosphere - deals with the idea of the kneeling curve - 1960s-2010 data air processed with c02 and counted molecules and compared them to the annual cycle. carbon decreased (n hemisphere) and increases in winter / off growing season - 400 ppm for the first time (400 molecule of c02 for every 1 million molecule in the air) on May 9

sinks of carbon

oceans (dissolved CO2 and living and nonliving shells), old growth forests (terrestrial biosphere stores most of the above ground soil and carbon), plant matter (photosynthesis), sedimentary deposits (limestone rock and carbon trapped in fossil fuels)

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

one of the worlds premier center for achieving, processing and researching climate data - millions of temp obv have been made at thousands of locations around the earth over 2 centuries. these are processed and controlled to examine behavior over time. - northern hemisphere reconstructed temp changes since 200 AD since then the temp has risen and fallen but rose dramatically in 1900-200s - warmer when most elipti8cal (closer to the sun during summer season) and earths orbit is round - To understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. Dedicated to the understanding and stewardship of the environment.

how much c02 can the oceans take up article

recent estimates have calculated that 26 percent of all t The carbon released as CO2 from fossil fuel burning, cement manufacture, and land-use changes over the decade 2002- 2011 was absorbed by the oceans. (About 28 percent went to plants and roughly 46 percent to the atmosphere.) During this time, the average annual total release of was 9.3 billion tons of carbon per year, thus on average 2.5 billion tons went into the oceans annually - the oceans presently take up about one fourth of the excess CO2 human activities put into the air, that fraction was significantly larger at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. That's for a number of reasons, starting with the simple one that as one dissolves CO2 into a given volume of seawater, there is a growing resistance to adding still more CO2 - this slowing of ocean mixing may have another effect. It stifles the transport of nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate from deeper waters to the surface, which diminishes the growth of phytoplankton, which store carbon in their tissue as a product of photosynthesis. The sinking tissue takes the carbon with it to the deep ocean when the organisms die. It's another way that carbon can be removed from the ocean surface - A major factor governing the rate of uptake of CO2 by the oceans is pace at which global CO2 emissions are increasing over time. Over the past decades, fossil emissions (measured as tons of carbon) have grown at 2 to 4 percent annually, from around 2 billion tons in 1950 to 9 billion tons today. The oceans as a whole have a large capacity for absorbing CO2, but ocean mixing is too slow to have spread this additional CO2 deep into the ocean

tundra melt video

releasing methane and c02 gases with the melting of ice caps (positive feedback) - new methane releases coming from frozen ice caps hydrate at the bottom of shallow polar seas - Emelliana are a single-celled photosynthetic plankton that drift in upper layers of the ocean and form basis of virtually all marine food webs 1) absorb c02 during photosynthesis 2) replace solar radiation 3) releasing vapor methyl sulfate which scatters incoming radiation and forms nuclei for greater cloud cover (negative feedback loop) - if something causes Emiliana pop to decrease then it could act as a positive feedback loop pop could dedras3 by 1) warner ocean temp 2) high levels of dissolved c02 that inhibit growth 3) acidification of the ocean from c02 addition on the shells of Emiliana (calcium carbonate)

tar sands/oil sands

sand or clay formations that contain a heavy-density crude oil (crude bitumen); extracted by surface mining - oil is too thick to pump from ground, but can be "mined" at the surface

US and China Emissions Agreement ABCnews Article

seoul, South Korea -- The United States and China, the world's two biggest carbon polluters, agreed to cooperate to curb climate change with urgency, just days before President Joe Biden hosts a virtual summit of world leaders to discuss the issue - a is the world's biggest carbon emitter, followed by the United States. The two countries pump out nearly half of the fossil fuel fumes that are warming the planet's atmosphere. Their cooperation is key to the success of global efforts to curb climate change, but frayed ties over human rights, trade and China's territorial claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea have been threatening to undermine such efforts - biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, to the April 22-23 summit. The U.S. and other countries are expected to announce more ambitious national targets for cutting carbon emissions ahead of or at the meeting - biden, who has said that fighting global warming is among his highest priorities, had the United States rejoin the historic 2015 Paris climate accord in the first hours of his presidency, undoing the U.S. withdrawal ordered by his predecessor Donald Trump. Major emitters of greenhouse gases are preparing for the next U.N. climate summit taking place in Glasgow, U.K., in November. The summit aims to relaunch global efforts to keep rising global temperatures to below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) as agreed in the Paris accord - xi announced last year that China would be carbon-neutral by 2060 and aims to reach a peak in its emissions by 2030. In March, China's Communist Party pledged to reduce carbon emissions per unit of economic output by 18% over the next five years, in line with its goal for the previous five-year period. But environmentalists say China needs to do more. -Biden has pledged the U.S. will switch to an emissions-free power sector within 14 years, and have an entirely emissions-free economy by 2050. Kerry is also pushing other nations to commit to carbon neutrality by the

Paleoclimatology

study of past climates. scientific reliably reconstruct past climatic conditions - useful proxy data which have recorded natural climatic variability can come fro rings, ice cores, fossil pollen, ocean sediment, coral, and historical data

urban heat island effect

the heat that cities generate as a result of having many buildings and few trees or other vegetation - Albina portland housing ex - AA vulnerability place 55% of AA in S. and the south is more prone to more climate change-related disasters

Albedo

the proportion of the incident light or radiation that is reflected by a surface, typically that of a planet or moon. - as ice melts, more water is exposed which absorbs more heat (positive feedback bc an increase in temp increase meltage and changes the albedo)

weather

the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc. measured in a short period of time

environmental ethics

the study of our various beliefs about what is right and wrong with how we treat the environment - the application of ethical standards to relationships between humans and their environment 1) air and water pollution 2) global climate change 3) pop growth 4) effects of war 5) genetic engineering 6) spirituality 7) indigenous ppl

Deextinction

the use of genomic and cloning technologies to create organisms with high levels of genetic similarity to individuals of a species that has gone extinct

climate

the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period. - aspect of the physical environment that influences particular system by placing the greatest constrain on organism

Kiribati video

*33 islands in middle of Pacific in between Australia and Hawaii *size of 3 Alaskas - majority salt water *livable land could fit inside NYC limits *will be gone in 50 years *climate change refugees -literacy rate above 90% , main export is coconuts - some areas along the Atlantic coast and gulf coasts saw a dramatic increase greater than 8 inches in over the past 50 years of sea rise - 2005 217 square miles of land and wetlands are lost to open water during hurricanes rita and Katrina

pollen fossils reveal past climate video

- ice eroded continental shelves and removed a lot of sediment - used shallow drilling devices to collect data - fossil pollen that come from vegetation that used to live on the continent. about 35 million years ago Antartica used to be covered with mass vegetation.

tracking climate change with caliche video

- landscape has a recoded of climate preserved in it. - looks at carbon isotopes that are recorded and accumulated in different layer with the help of a mass spectrometer - when climate changes vegetation changes, then vegetation changes, the layers of caliche should record it all

TED Talk: David Roberts

-climate change is simple -2 degrees Celsius margin... but we're going higher than that margin -4 degrees Celsius (highest temps in 30 million years, sea level 3-6 feet decrease, drought, millions of refugees, mass extinctions) -BUT right now we are currently on track to 6 degrees Celsius temp rise this century... ***climate change may become irreversible*** -if 12 degrees increase, half our land would become inhabitable - there has been obvious warming since pre-industrial age _0.8 degrees celsius - 2 degrees is almost too high to be safe and too low to be possible for the way humans are behaving now - positi8ve feedback systems will be irreversible and by 2300 we are headed for 12 degrees Celsius warmer - to stabilize the temp, global climate change needs to peak and fall within the next 5-10 years and every delay is +500b dollars ton investment

IPCC ways to lower temp and limit emissions

1) energy supply - switch from coal to gas to renewable power - carbon capture and storage for gas and biomass 2) transportation - mko0re fuel efficient vehicles - less perosnal transpoirt and more publinc trasnpirt 3) buildings - more efficient lighting, appliances 4) industry - more efficient equipment and tools with more tech advancements 5) agriculture - improved crop and grazing land management - better cultivation and treatment of animals (eat less meat) - better technologies 6) forestry \ - reforestation, bioenergy to replace fuel - improved tech - mapping land use 7) waste - land methane recovery - controlled waste treatment - to stabilize emissions in the next 50 years the world must reduce emissions by 7 gi8gtaoins of carbon. 15 stabilization wedges could reduce emissions by 1 gigaton for each wedge.

multiple billion dollar weather disasters 2019 article

2019 has been another active weather year across the United States. The National Centers for Environmental Information (a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Associaton, aka NOAA) has determined that 2019 has already produced 10 billion-dollar weather disasters as of October 8 All of these disasters are either related to severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail, flooding, or tropical storms and hurricanes. So far, we haven't had any winter weather events crack the billion-dollar threshold yet, but that could quickly change as we head into November and December

Redlining

A discriminatory real estate practice in North America in which members of minority groups are prevented from obtaining money to purchase homes or property in predominantly white neighborhoods. The practice derived its name from the red lines depicted on cadastral maps used by real estate agents and developers. Today, redlining is officially illegal. - fai8r housing act of 1968 - discriminatory practice f denying services to residents of ethnicity and race

negative feedback loop

A feedback loop that causes a system to change in the opposite direction from which it is moving

environmental justice movement

A movement focused on exposing and fighting against racial and class inequalities in exposure to pollution, started in the United States in 1982 - emerged to challenged the unfair distrib of toxic, hazardous, and dangerous waste located in low-income communities - framework has been adapted to evaluate the distribution of resources

environmental justice

A recognition that accesses to a clean, healthy environment is a fundamental right of all human beings. - it combines social justice and environmental ethics. it will be achieved when everyone has: 1) the same degree of protection from environmental and health problems, 2) equal access to decision-making process to have a healthy environment to which to live/work/learn - elected officials chosen by the community themselves rather than appointed