✅🟢Climate Change Flashcards
Evidence for climate change from the beginning of the Quaternary period to the present day
Glacier retreats Thermometer readings Early spring Ice cores Rising sea level
Thermometer readings explained
Earths average global air temp increased from 1900s by 1°C. Artic is warming rapidly compared to variations in weather patterns in the past.
Glacier retreat explained
Over the past 50/100years photographic evidence shows glaciers are melting causing them to retreat.
Rising temperatures causes glaciers to discover and melting of sea ice.
Ice cores explained
Ice cores detect changes in temperature. When snow falls it traps air into the ice. When scientists take a core of ice it reveals the atmospheric gas concentrations at the time the snow fell.
Overall rapid increase in air temperature on the past decades.
Early spring explained
Seasonal shift - spring arrives earlier and winter is less severe
Seasonal shifts affect nesting and migration patterns of wildlife.
Rising sea levels explained
Between 1900 and 2018, average sea level rose by 0.21 m
Name some human factors causing global warming
Burning fossil fuels
Deforestation
Dumping waste in landfill
Agriculture
Name some natural factors causing global warming
Orbital changes
Volcanic activity
Solar output
What’s the greenhouse effect?
The atmosphere allows the heat from the Sun (short-wave radiation) to pass through to heat the Earth’s surface.
The Earth’s surface then gives off heat (long-wave radiation).
This heat is trapped by greenhouse gases (eg methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide), which radiate the heat back towards Earth.
This process heats up the Earth.
What’s burning fossil fuels?
coal, gas and oil - these release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
What’s deforestation?
trees absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. If they are cut down, there will be higher amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
What’s dumping waste in landfill?
when the waste decomposes it produces methane.
What’s agriculture?
agricultural practices lead to the release of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere.
What are orbital changes?
the Earth has natural warming and cooling periods caused by Milankovitch cycles or variations in the tilt and/or orbit of the Earth around the Sun (Wobble, roll and stretch theory).
What’s volcanic activity?
during a volcanic eruption carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
What’s solar output?
there can be fluctuations in the amount of radiation from the sun. If there is high amount emitted there will be an increase in Earth’s temperatures.
Effects of climate change in the UK
sea levels could rise, covering low lying areas, in particular east England
droughts and floods become more likely as extreme weather increases
increased demand for water in hotter summers puts pressure on water supplies
industry may be impacted, eg Scottish ski resorts may have to close due to lack of snow
Impacts of climate change around the world
sea level rise will affect 80 million people
tropical storms will increase in magnitude (strength)
species in affected areas (eg Arctic) may become extinct
diseases such as malaria increase and migrate up north, an additional 280 million people may be affected
Mitigation meaning
People reduce the causes of a hazard to their life
Adaptation meaning
People respond to a change to limit its impacts or to take advantage of the change
Adaptation - Reducing risk from rising sea level
Construction of 3m walls around low lying areas eg. Maldives. This prevents costal flooding and prevents crop loss. Helps with storm surges
Housing raised on stilts - prevents them being affected by floods / high tides.
Restoring costal mangrove forests, their tangled roots trap sediment / offer protection from storm surges
Adaptation - Managing water supply
quality / quantity of water declining.
India - Water conservation and recycling used. Also use fake glaciers and use canals to transport clean water to more vulnerable population.
Adaptation - Changes to agriculture
Food security is low and there’s unreliable water sources (not clean) + illnesses and pests.
Gambia - Shade trees are brought to protect soil making sure it stays fertile. Also people have adapted to crop patterns to reduce crop loss and increase income.
Mitigation - carbon capture
excess CO2 in atmosphere causing global warming to occur faster.
Canada - Carbon can be caught and stored. It’s then liquified and put into rocks.
Mitigation - planting trees
Canada - trees photosynthesise and absorb carbon dioxide they also release oxygen making more clouds which absorbs the sunlight therefore keeping the atmosphere cool
Mitigation - alternate energy production
renewable energy can be used or nuclear energy can be used as no carbon dioxide is let off during energy production process
UK - 30% of its energy is wind power meaning it’s renewable energy. This works as it’s clean and green energy reducing the carbon dioxide emissions.
Mitigation - international agreements
Global issue - hard to manage
2015 Paris agreement / 2005 Kyoto (Japan)
Paris - keep CO2 levels low and each country reaches its goal for renewable energy - proven to work well as each country follows their own rules. It also helps LIC’s with their renewable energy development.
