AS Climate Change Flashcards
Reasons for sea level rise
melting of land ice, thermal expansion of water
Acidification
A process in which the pH drops as the conditions become more acidic.
Albedo
A measure of the reflectivity of a surface. More reflective surfaces have high albedos. A surface that reflects all light has an albedo of 100%, while one that absorbs all light has an albedo of 0%. The albedo of an area can affect the local climate.
Anthropogenic
Adjective describing outcomes caused by human activities.
Atmosphere
The gases surrounding the Earth. Different layers are characterised by their temperature, density, turbulence and composition.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS)
A method to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, by removing the gases and storing them in underground geological structures.
Carbon footprint
An estimate of the total releases of greenhouse gases caused by the actions of an individual, group of people, an organisation or activity. The amounts of all greenhouse gases are expressed as the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide.
Carbon sequestration
Any process which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, such as afforestation or underground storage (carbon capture).
Catalytic converter
A device that reduces emissions of pollutant gases from petrol and diesel engines. Catalysts such as platinum, palladium and rhodium catalyse reactions with oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbons.
Cirrus cloud
Thin, wispy clouds, usually found at altitudes above 6000m. Cirrus clouds can reflect infrared energy emitted by the Earth’s surface and emit infrared produced from absorbed sunlight.
Cryosphere
All of the frozen water on Earth
Dendrochronology
The method of determining the age of a piece of wood using the characteristic sequence of sizes of growth rings in the wood.
El Niño
The name given to events when the wind and ocean currents in the equatorial Pacific Ocean slow significantly or reverse. It alters heat distribution and weather patterns around the Pacific area and elsewhere in the world. El Niño events are caused by natural processes but may be made more frequent by human activities. It is also called ENSO: El Niño Southern Oscillation.
Feedback mechanisms
A process where an action has consequences which affect the original process. Positive feedback mechanisms increase the rate of the original action while negative feedback mechanisms reduce it.
Greenhouse gas (GHG)
A gas that absorbs infra-red radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface and causes atmospheric heating. Carbon dioxide and water vapour are the main naturally occurring greenhouse gases. Anthropogenic greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, NOx, CFCs and tropospheric ozone.
North Atlantic conveyor (Gulf Stream)
An important ocean current that brings warm tropical waters north-eastwards across the Atlantic Ocean and makes the UK much warmer than it otherwise would be.
Ocean currents are driven by
water salinity, water density, winds, evaporation
Impacts of climate change on human society
health problems and disease vectors, water supplies, impacts on infrastructure (buildings, transport systems, bridges, tunnels etc)
Ecological impacts of climate change
range of tolerance, environmental triggers for mating/egg hatching etc, migration, hibernation, pollination, seed dispersal, absence of predator/ prey, increased/decreased competition
Physical impacts of climate change
changes in ocean currents, changes in the rate of cycles, loss of the cryosphere, changes in wind patterns, sea level rise
Ice core analysis
analysis of the colour, thickness, trapped greenhouse gases and oxygen isotopes to determine past climates
Insolation
Sunlight that reaches a particular location.
La Niña
The name given to events when the wind and ocean currents in the equatorial Pacific Ocean increase in strength.
Permafrost
A layer of soil in which the water is permanently frozen, often trapping bubbles of gases such as methane.
Pollen analysis
The use of the pollen present in environmental samples. This can be used to deduce the climate when historic sediments were deposited.
Proxy data
The use of data that can be collected to predict the values of a related factor that cannot be measured, e.g. data on tree rings, pollen, coral growth and plankton in marine sediments can be used to determine historic climates.
Testing computer models
Input the data collected before a previously know event/outcome and see if the computer correctly predicts the known event/outcome.
Thermal stratification
The changing temperatures in different layers of the atmosphere.
Thermohaline circulation
The movement of ocean currents caused by changes in temperature, salinity and density.
Tipping point
A tipping point is reached when the changes caused by human activities cause further changes such that the human activities are no longer needed to maintain the changes.
Difficulties in predicting climate change
lag time, difficulty differentiating between natural and anthropogenic changes, changes in data collection methods, many interconnected cycles and systems that are not fully understood, many different positive and negative feedback mechanisms.
Control of CO2
reduction in the combustion of fossil fuels, use of renewable energy generation, carbon sequestration, CCS
Control of Methane CH4
Reduction in landfill use, reduced livestock production, improved recovery of losses from oil and gas extraction
Control of NOx
Reduced use of internal combustion engines in vehicles, catalytic converters, use of urea
Control of tropospheric O3
All controls of NOx reduce O3 as O3 forms from NOx
Control of CFCs
alternative propellants eg butane, propane, alternatives for fridges eg HFCs, HCFCs, use of triggers sprays, pump action and roll on deodorants
Adapting to climate change includes
flood control, coastal erosion control, managed retreat, urban drainage control, raised and floating buildings
