Anthropogenic climate change Flashcards
Describe the major changes that have been observed over the last century in: a) Earth surface temperature
Earth surface temperature → warmed global average surface temp
Describe the major changes that have been observed over the last century in: b) upper ocean heat content,
upper ocean heat content → upper ocean has absorbed more therefore heat Heat content is increasing. Its affecting sea level and ocean ecosystem
Describe the major changes that have been observed over the last century in: precipitation
precipitation→ there is increase rainfall in some regions
Describe the major changes that have been observed over the last century in: snow and ice cover on land
snow and ice cover on land → there has been a reduction in snow cover and glaciers
Describe the major changes that have been observed over the last century in: sea ice,
sea ice→ sea ice has decreased in thickness
Describe the major changes that have been observed over the last century in: sea level
sea level.–> sea levels have risen, due to melting glaciers and ice sheets
How is stratification measured or quantified in the ocean?
Ocean stratification can be measured/quantified using density gradients.
How is anthropogenic climate change expected to alter ocean stratification over the coming century?
hanges in the measurements of temperature and salinity influence water density, and gradients in density tell us the structure of the water column . Anthropogenic climate change is expected to alter surface warming, changes in salinity, melting ice and rising sea level ect.
How might stratification change ocean net primary productivity, small and large phytoplankton abundance, and export production?
In highly stratified regions nutrient rich deep water may be less accessible to surface dwelling phytoplankton. small phytoplankton need more nutrients to dominate and large phytoplankton may benefit from limited nutrient supply.
How might polar and lower latitude ocean systems differ in their responses to future climate change?
Polar regions are more sensitive to temperature changes and they are occurring at a faster rate while temperature changes in lower latitude regions are more moderate (yet still very affected).
What is a representative concentration pathway, or RCP?
RCP are scenarios used to model and research climate. It helps inform the public, policymakers and stakeholders about the potential risks and impacts of different future climate predictions.
Briefly define each of the five principles of ecosystem-based management, in your own words.
1) Principle of management: conserve interactive controls.
2) Maintain and enhance stabilizing feedbacks
3)Landscape perspective:land water interactions, protecting sensitive fish populations and mangrove buffers ect.
4) Maximize resilience: ability to rebound following disturbance and maintain diversity
5) Adaptive capacity: flexibility to adjust management plans based on experiments and new information.
How is ecosystem-based management different from traditional single-species management approaches?
Traditional single species management is focused on one species and not really considering broader ecological interactions while ecosystem based management is a more comprehensive approach which considers the entire ecosystem.
Describe an example from the chapter or lecture regarding challenging management decisions because of trade-offs in ecosystem services.
An example could be trade-offs between human needs and ecosystem conservation. For instance when natural forests are replaced by agriculture industries.
Give an example of how stabilizing feedback could be leveraged in restoration.
Stabilizing feedbacks in nitrogen cycling contribute to the overall stability and health of ecosystems. So as N deposition increases N, stabilizing feedback brings a system closer to its original equilibrium which in turn can bring the system further than its equilibrium state.
