ATMS Exam 3 Flashcards
Where (geographically) is the greatest increase in average temperature projected?
Polar Regions, Artic and Antarctic
(The arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet)
What does a fire triangle consist of?
Oxygen, Heat, & Fuel
Types of Fuels
Fine Fuels and Course Fuels
Types of Distribution
Continuous Fuels
Discontinuous Fuels
Ladder Fuels
Fuel moisture
Continuous Fuels
fuels that are closely packed and in direct contact with one another over a horizontal area
Discontinuous Fuels
a situation where flammable materials (like vegetation in a wildfire scenario) are not evenly distributed
Fuel Moisture
the amount of water in a fuel, expressed as a percentage of the fuel’s dry weight
Natural ignition sources
Lighting
Human ignition sources
- Campfires
- Vehicles
- Fireworks
- Electrical lines
- Target shooting
- Prescribed fire
Fire weather:
More precipitation
less fire
Fire weather:
lower relative humidity
more fire
Fire weather:
higher temperature
more fire
Fire weather:
more wind
bigger fire
How are increases in the heaviest precipitation related to temperature?
Warmer air holds more moisture- as temperature rises, the atmosphere can hold more water, providing more fuel for heavier rain fall.
(tropics, some sub-tropics, & polar regions)
2.5% of water
is readily available
0.5% of water
is considered “useable” freshwater
Primary human uses of water resources
- Domestic
- Industrial application
- Irrigation and Agriculture
- Hydropower
- Water disposal
- Recreation
Drought
“insufficient water to meet needs”
Flooding and Water Quality
- Results in damage to infrastructure, especially sewer systems and water treatment plants
- Increase pollutants, trash, animal waste, etc. into water supply (rivers and lakes)
- Making them unusable, unsafe, or in need of extensive water treatment
Climate change impacts water quality
Higher temperatures:
- More algal blooms
- More pathogens
- More drought
Climate change impacts water quality
Heavier precipitation:
- More flooding
- More flood = more gross water
Consumptive use
use of water that renders it no longer available because it has been removed from water supplies
Non-Consumptive use
goes down a drain or goes back into the water system directly
In areas where snowmelt is an important contributor to runoff, what responses due to warming are expected?
- Earlier peak stream flow
- Earlier runoff
- Water availability
- Decreased water storage
- Risk of flooding
- Disruption of ecosystem and agriculture
What is aridification and what societal and physical impacts can it have?
“the gradual change of a region from a wetter to a drier climate.”
Societal Impacts:
- water scarcity/ shortage
- impact on agriculture
- migration and displacement
- economic impacts
Physical Impacts:
- Reduced water availability
- increased evaporation
- change in ecosystems