Climate Change Flashcards
Describe how carbon is transferred among Earth’s spheres in the carbon cycle, especially the lithosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.
How carbon moves through the carbon cycle: Atmosphere & Biosphere The magical “plant diet”: * Green plants take in atmospheric CO2 and combine it with water to make carbohydrates through photosynthesis – this is how plants grow and gain mass.
How does the carbon return to the atmosphere? * Plants (and the animals who eat them) can break the carbohydrates down into carbon dioxide and water: the CO2 is released back to atmosphere through respiration. * When plants die, bacteria and fungi can break down the carbon and convert it to CO2 through decomposition * Combustion (burning) can also transform the carbon in plants back into CO2
Lithosphere & Atmosphere * Young fast carbon: found in plants and other living things, can move easily into and out of the carbon cycle * Old slow carbon: found in fossil fuels; has been trapped in a form (natural gas, oil, and coal) that makes it more unlikely that the carbon will enter the carbon cycle naturally. * When humans dig up and burn fossil fuels for energy production, this “old slow carbon” is added to the atmosphere as CO2 .
Describe changes in fossil-fuel carbon emissions from 1959 to 2014.
Fossil-fuel carbon emissions have increased significantly from 1959 to 2014, driven by human activities such as industrialization, transportation, and energy production.
Describe changes in the uptake of carbon by the atmosphere, oceans, and terrestrial biosphere from 1959 to 2014.
Over the same period, the atmosphere, oceans, and terrestrial biosphere have absorbed varying amounts of carbon, influencing atmospheric CO2 levels.
Explain why atmospheric CO2 concentrations changed over the past 50 to 60 years.
The increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations over the past 50 to 60 years is primarily due to human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels
Describe how greenhouse gases affect Earth surface temperatures.
Greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, leading to a greenhouse effect that warms the planet.
Rising greenhouse gas concentrations contribute to elevated Earth surface temperatures.
Explain the natural and human-enhanced greenhouse effect.
The natural greenhouse effect is essential for maintaining Earth’s habitable temperature.
The human-enhanced greenhouse effect results from increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities, causing additional warming.
Identify the control variable and planetary boundary for climate change.
The control variables for climate change are atmospheric CO2 concentration (with a boundary of 350 ppm) and energy imbalance at the top of the atmosphere (with a boundary of +1 W/m² relative to pre-industrial levels).
Explain the evidence that supports the claim that human activities are to blame for recent global warming, and use this evidence to debunk common climate change “myths”.
Temperature records, satellite observations, and computer models.
Common climate change myths can be debunked using this evidence.
Identify evidence for a changing climate.
Evidence of a changing climate includes observations of rising air and ocean temperatures, melting glaciers and sea ice, and shifts in ecosystems and weather patterns.
Identify the actions that we need to take to reduce future global warming.
Mitigating future global warming requires personal changes, such as energy conservation and efficiency.
Systemic changes include transitioning to non-fossil fuel energy sources and advocating for policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
