Climate Flashcards
Weather
Condition of the atmosphere for a place over a short period of time
What do weather and climate describe?
The condition of the atmosphere
Climate
Average weather conditions of a place over a long period of time
6 elements of weather and climate
Air temperature, precipitation, wind, air pressure, sunshine, relative humidity
Air temperature
Amount of heat in the air
Precipitation
Water falling from the sky in the form of rain, fog, hail, snow etc
Wind
Movement of air: wind direction and wind speed
Air pressure
Weight of air over a unit area
Sunshine
Amount of light or heat received from the sun
Relative humidity
Ratio between the actual amount of moisture in the air and the amount when the air is saturated
Air pressure unit of measurement
hPa (hectopascal)
Wind direction unit of measurement
Compass points
Wind speed unit of measurement
m/s or km/h
Instrument use for measurement of air temperature
Thermometer
Instrument use for measurement of precipitation
Rain gauge
Instrument use for measurement of wind direction
Wind vane
Instrument use for measurement of wind speed
Anemometer
Instrument use for measurement of air pressure
Barometer
Instrument use for measurement of sunshine
Sunshine recorder
Instrument use for measurement of relative humidity
Wet and dry bulb thermometer or hygrometer
What type of climate does HK have?
Subtropical monsoon climate
Monsoons
Winds that change direction with the season
Which monsoon system is South China’s climate influenced by?
East Asian monsoon system
Describe winter monsoon in East Asia
Winter in Northern Hemisphere -> cold air sinks -> high pressure develops
Pacific Ocean is comparatively warmer than the Asian continent -> air pressure is lower
Summer in Southern Hemisphere -> hot air rises -> low pressure develops
Difference in air pressure causes winds to blow out from the interior of Asia to the Pacific Ocean and Australia
Does air temperature increase or decrease with increasing latitude?
Decrease
Is precipitation evenly distributed globally?
No, it is unevenly distributed
Does coastal or inland areas receive more precipitation?
Coastal areas
Is precipitation higher or lower at lower-latitude regions and higher-latitude regions?
Higher at lower-latitude
Lower at higher-latitude
Does the general amount of solar energy received at the earth’s surface increase or decrease from the equator to the poles? Why?
Decrease due to difference in the angle of the sun
Why is solar energy less intense near the poles?
The angle of sun is smaller, therefore the solar energy spreads over a larger area and is less intense
Why is solar energy more intense near the equator?
The angle of sun is larger, therefore the solar energy is concentrated on a smaller area and is more intense
Do the sun’s ray have to travel a longer or shorter distance through the atmosphere before reaching higher latitudes’ surfaces? What does that lead to?
Longer distance. More energy is lost due to reflection and absorption by the atmosphere
Why is there are greater loss of solar energy near the poles?
Sun’s ray travels a longer distance through the atmosphere
Why is there are smaller loss of solar energy near the equator?
Sun’s ray travels a shorter distance through the atmosphere
Describing trends
General trend (increasing/ decreasing)
Special trend (year-to-year fluctuation/ rapid increase since…/ slowed down since…)
Data (+ calculation)
Conclusion (this shows…)
2 main reasons leading to climate change
- more intense urban development
- affected by global warming
Why is there the urban heat island effect?
- more heat released from urban activities such as transport and air-conditioning
- high-rise buildings which reduce wind speed and prevent cooling
- dark (concrete) surfaces that reflect less sunlight but absorb and retain more heat
- less vegetation to trap rainwater and cool down the surrounding areas
Why has the urban heat island effect become more serious?
More tall buildings and more intense urban activities due to rapid urban development
Global warming
Result of intensified greenhouse effect cause by an increased amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Do the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb or release heat?
Absorb
Operation of greenhouse effect
- Sun’s energy passes through the atmosphere
- Some energy is reflected by the earth’s surface back to space
- Some of the energy is absorbed by the earth’s surface and then released back to the atmosphere
- Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb some of the energy released from the earth’s surface then release them back to the earth’s surface
- Heat is retained and the atmosphere is kept warm
What are greenhouse gases generated by?
- burning fossil fuels
- deforestation
- farming activities
- waste treatment
Why do we burn more fossil fuels?
Due to urban and industrial development, there is a rapid rise in the demand of power in the last century
Fossil fuels examples
Coal, oil and natural gases
What do fossil fuels emit?
Carbon dioxide
Why have trees been cleared?
For farming or urban development
Why does deforestation contribute to global warming?
- less trees available for absorbing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
- burning process of forests releases carbon dioxide
Why is there an increase in demand for food?
Rise in world population
What faming activities release greenhouse gases?
- respiration from cattle ranching -> methane
- fertilizers -> nitrous oxide
- use of fossil fuels in farming machines -> carbon dioxide
Why does waste treatment release greenhouse gases?
- methane created during decomposition
- creation of landfills requires deforestation
- burning of waste -> carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide
Why does electricity and energy consumption increase?
Rapid economic development + rising living standards -> improvement in lifestyle -> increase of electricity and energy consumption
6 impacts of global warming and climate change
- rising sea levels
- changes in climate and more extreme weather events
- changes to ecosystem
- disruption to human life
- widespread of tropical diseases
- increasing extreme climate events increases damage to infrastructure
Why is there rising sea levels?
- temp rises -> ice snow in the polar regions and on high mountains melt -> meltwater run into oceans
- seawater expands with higher temp
Changes in climate
Changes in global temp and rainfall patterns (e.g. tropical areas and temperate areas will shift poleward)
Extreme weather events
Heat waves, cold spells, blizzards, stronger tropical cyclones, storm surges, droughts and flooding will occur more often
What changes to ecosystems will there be?
- animals and plants move and grow towards polar regions
- wildlife species will become extinct when they cannot adapt to climate change (e.g. polar bears and coral bleaching) -> reduce biodiversity and disturb the food chain
Examples of disruptions to human life
- rising sea levels -> flood coastal lowlands and cause more frequent coastal flooding/ low-lying island nations flooded, more climate refugees
- extreme weather conditions -> destroy farmland and reduce food production -> worsen shortage of food
- reduction in size of glaciers -> decrease in fresh water supply
Examples of tropical diseases/ diseases triggered by heat
Malaria, dengue fever/ heat stroke, heart diseases
6 benefits of changing climate
- increased ice melting -> ships travel by the shorter new routes -> save time and fuel
- extraction of natural resources beneath the Arctic Ocean is allowed
- longer growing season in high latitude areas
- reduced use of power for heating in cold regions
- health hazards related to cold weather will reduce
- increase in rainfall in certain areas may relieve the problem of water shortage
Reasons why the positive impacts don’t make up the problems created
- much of the environmental damage is irreversible
- economic benefits may not make up for the huge cost necessary for us to adapt to climate change (e.g. requires a lot of money to resettle climate refugees)
- benefits mainly found in polar countries and most of the rest suffer
- most benefits are economic but** not environmental** -> not sustainable
What China national securities are undermined by climate change?
Ecological, food, polar security
Mitigation
Reducing greenhouse gas emission
Mitigation measures at the international level
- set up intergovernmental org to gather experts from all over the world to discuss and conduct research on climate change
- sign agreements to set limits of greenhouse gas emission for each country
- set up funding to help LDCs to improve their infrastructure
Example of agreements for climate change
Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement
Mitigation measures at the national level
- regulations to meet targets agreed in international agreements
- develop renewable energy
- improve transport systems (mass transit systems)
- improve energy efficiency (encourage energy-saving electrical appliances)
- change laws to encourage less-polluting industries like high-tech industries
- improve waste management practices (facilities for recycling)
- protect forests and plant more trees (convert farmland back into forest)
- close/ require fines to be paid by factories and power plants that release too much greenhouse gases
Mitigation measures at the individual level
- reduce carbon footprint by changing habit and lifestyle
- care about the issue of climate change
How to reduce our carbon footprint
- save energy
- use public transport
- reduce, reuse and recycle
- eat less meat
- purchase locally produced products
Adaptation
Adapt to negative impacts brought by climate change
Examples of adaptation
- strengthen structure of buildings so that they are more resistant to storms and floods
- improve infrastructure to prepare for extreme weather events (e.g. better drainage systems or flood gates)
- plan cities carefully to avoid developing flood-prone areas
- develop and grow crops that are more tolerant to changing climatic conditions
- plan for alternative water sources to avoid water shortage (e.g. treated wastewater)
Reasons why international cooperation is often difficult
- different countries interpret the problem of climate change differently (some think it isn’t an urgent problem to them)
- international agreements are voluntary in nature (may refuse to ratify the treaties)
- countries reluctant to cooperate due to disputes about the issue of responsibility
What do LDCs believe in to make them think MDCs have more responsibility?
- current build-up of greenhouse gases are mainly cause by MDCs as their industrialisation started much earlier
- LDCs should not be deprived of the right to develop their economy like MDCs had in the past
- LDCs don’t have the tech and money to deal with the problems
What do MDCs believe in to make them think LDCs have more responsibility?
- carbon emissions of LDCs have increased significantly over the years -> unfair for them to take smaller responsibility
- emission per capita of many MDCs have reduced over the years
- measures to cut greenhouse gas emission will increase production cost and harm the economy
