env finals ch 18 climate change
carbon offset
A voluntary payment to another entity intended to enable that entity to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that one is unable or unwilling to reduce oneself. The payment thus offsets one's own emissions.
what is the main driver now
CO2
How are the citizens of the Maldives in trouble?
Eighty percent of their land area is less than 1 meter above sea level. right answer feedback: The Maldivians are worried about sea level rise, a consequence of climate change related to global warming, the thermal expansion of seawater, and melting ice sheets.
Why are over one-sixth of the world's people at risk for running out of drinking water?
Glaciers in many areas are melting. right answer feedback: Over one-sixth of the world's population live in areas dependent upon runoff from glaciers and global warming is depleting this water source.
Why are warming temperatures causing a vicious cycle that leads to more warming?
Ice and snow reflect light and as they melt, the Earth absorbs more of the sun's rays. right answer feedback: As Earth warms and ice and snow melt, Earth's albedo, or ability to reflect light, decreases, allowing Earth to absorb more energy from the sun and perpetuate global warming.
How is global warming most significantly affecting coral reefs and sea life?
Increased concentrations of carbon dioxide are being absorbed by the oceans. right answer feedback: As carbon dioxide is absorbed by the oceans it acidifies the water and disrupts the balance of nature in the oceans.
Which of the following is an example of mitigation?
Making legislation to reduce our use of fossil fuels right answer feedback: Mitigation involves heading off a problem before it becomes too large to deal with.
What is the value of using models in science?
Models have predictive capabilities and can forecast different scenarios. right answer feedback: Models provide us with an opportunity to see the effects of global warming into the future.
US reaction
One of the reasons US leaders opposed the Kyoto Protocol was because it required developed nations to reduce emissions at a much faster rate than rapidly developing nations such as China and India
Milankovitch cycles
One of three types of variations in Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun that result in slight changes in the relative amount of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface at different latitudes. As the cycles proceed, they change the way solar radiation is distributed over Earth's surface and contribute to changes in atmospheric heating and circulation that have triggered glaciations and other climate changes.
what has driven climate change on earth before man
The 3 main natural factors that influence our climate are: sun, atmosphere, oceans.
What is the role of the Energy Star program in energy conservation?
The Energy Star is given for electrical appliances with energy efficiency that meets certain standards for low energy consumption. right answer feedback: The Energy Star allows consumers to make informed decisions on, for example, which brand and size of refrigerator to purchase. There are short-term costs and long-term costs to consider.
Which of the following statements about the United States is correct regarding the Kyoto Protocol?
The United States is the only industrialized nation to refuse to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. right answer feedback: Economic concerns and lack of political will has left the United States alone among industrialized nations unwilling to sign the accord.
radiative forcing
The amount of change in thermal energy that a factor (such as a greenhouse gas or an aerosol) causes in influencing Earth's temperature. - Positive forcing warms Earth's surface - negative forcing cools it.
carbon footprint
The cumulative amount of carbon, or carbon dioxide, that a person or institution emits, and is indirectly responsible for emitting, into the atmosphere, contributing to global climate change. Compare ecological footprint.
How can the actions of packrats serve as proxy indicators of climate change?
The packrat middens preserve plant parts for centuries. right answer feedback: Packrat nests (called middens) found in arid climates can be used to interpret the flora of the area (and thus the climate) centuries ago.
greenhouse effect
The warming of Earth's surface and atmosphere (especially the troposphere) caused by the energy emitted by greenhouse gases. ex: carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases
GHGs
a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range ex: co2, nitrous oxide, methane, water vapor, ozone, halocarbons. (anything with more than 3 atoms?)
A substance that contributes to atmospheric cooling is _______.
aerosols (particularly sulfur compounds) and dusts right answer feedback: Both aerosols of water and sulfur dioxide and smoke and volcanic dusts cool the atmosphere.
Which is a predicted impact of climate change in the United States?
an increase in the rate of melting permafrost in Alaska right answer feedback: The warming will be greatest near the poles.
The predominant greenhouse gas produced by human use of fossil fuels is __________.
carbon dioxide right answer feedback: The combustion of hydrocarbons and carbon-based fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide.
Paleoclimate
climate of the geological past
Which phenomenon causes the greatest amount of radiative forcing expressed as a cooling effect?
increased evaporation right answer feedback: Increased atmospheric water vapor has the potential to create more cloud cover and reflect solar energy (cloud albedo).
Which lifestyle choice would cause the greatest reduction in greenhouse emissions?
riding a bike
If the scientific community is convinced of the evidence for global climate change, why is there still debate?
the debate continues over how to address climate change in political and economic arenas right answer feedback: The effects of solutions for global warming have economic implications that will require political will by all parties before action is taken.
carbon neutrality
the state in which an individual, business, or institution emits no net carbon to the atmosphere
Which is the main reason that sea levels have risen recently?
thermal expansion right answer feedback: When water warms it expands. This has been responsible for most of the rising levels of the sea in recent years.
When a forecaster predicts that the entire week will be sunny and 70 degrees, he is predicting the __________.
weather right answer feedback: Weather pertains to conditions over several hours or days.
Positive and negative feedback loops of climate change
- As oceans warm, gases like CO2 are less soluble, creating a positive feedback loop that accelerates warming. - neg feedback: water vapor ....
Which of the following statements about the sun's energy is true?
30% of the sun's energy is reflected off the Earth and back into space. right answer feedback: The Earth only absorbs 70% of the sun's energy while the rest is reflected back to space.
why is climate change important?
(1) Impacts to humans and ecosystems. (2) Climate affects distribution and intensity of surface processes.
climate models (and its complexity)
A computer program that combines what is known about weather patterns, atmospheric circulation, atmosphere-ocean interactions, and feedback mechanisms, to simulate climate processes. challenges: there are still uncertainties about feedback processes and a lot of complex computer work
Kyoto Protocol
An international agreement drafted in 1997 that called for reducing, by 2012, emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels lower than their levels in 1990. It has been extended to 2020 until a replacement treaty can be reached. An outgrowth of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. -US was the only developed nation to not consent with the international efforts -Was intended to recue emissions of greenhouse gases to levels lower than 1990
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
An international panel of climate scientists and government officials established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization. The IPCC's mission is to assess and synthesize scientific research on global climate change and to offer guidance to the world's policymakers, primarily through periodic published reports.
history of earth climate
Before earth's climate was affect by human activities and the use of fossil fuels, natural changes impacted the climate: -milankovitch cycles -solar output -ocean absorption ( of carbon) -ocean circulation: exchanges heat with the atmosphere and ocean currents move energy from place to place.
The greenhouse effect is defined as __________.
a warming of Earth's atmosphere by greenhouse gases that trap reflected heat rather than allowing it to escape into space right answer feedback: Solar energy is reflected off Earth's surface in the form of infrared waves (heat). The greenhouse effect occurs when these waves are absorbed by greenhouse gases and then re-emitted, warming the atmosphere.
Which of these would be an example of mitigation rather than adaptation for global climate change?
building more wind turbines to generate energy from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels right answer feedback: Mitigation in global climate change would be any change that would slow or stop global climate change, such as reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses being added to the atmosphere. Switching from fossil fuels to wind power would be mitigation.
What is the justification that the proponents of the Kyoto Protocol offer for developing countries having different requirements than developed countries?
developed countries created the current problems, so they should make the sacrifices necessary to clean them up right answer feedback: The problem of carbon dioxide emissions is related to the extent of industrialization and many developing countries feel they should be able to pursue the same level of resource availability as the industrialized nations.
The concentrations of greenhouse gases present in the past have been evaluated using __________.
gas bubbles trapped in ice right answer feedback: We have hundreds of thousands of layers of ice in Greenland and Antarctica.
According to Pacala and Sokolow, which of these strategies will be enough to stabilize carbon emissions?
implementing at least 7 of the 15 they recommend right answer feedback: Pacala and Sokolow came up with 15 strategies that are possible with today's technology. Seven of these would need to be implemented to stabilize carbon emissions.
proxy indicators
indirect evidence that serves as a proxy, or substitute, for direct measurement and that sheds light on past climate. Examples include data from ice cores, sediment cores, tree rings, packrat middens, and coral reefs.
Which greenhouse gas is produced by the raising of cattle?
methane right answer feedback: Methanogen bacteria live in the guts of most animals, but domestic livestock, especially cattle, emit large amounts of it.
The first document that called for voluntary reductions of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000 was __________.
the 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change right answer feedback: By the time of the Kyoto Protocol (1997), it was apparent that a voluntary approach to slowing greenhouse gas emissions was not likely to succeed. Between 1990 and 2000, for example, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (in CO2 equivalents) increased by 12.4%.
Adaptation vs. Mitigation
• Adaptation is finding ways to live with the effects of a problem. • Mitigation is finding ways to change the cause of a problem.
