Climate Change

Question 1

Weather Vs. Climate

Answer 1

The weather is the current conditions of the atmosphere. The climate is long term, average conditions(determined by latitude, ocean proximity)

Question 2

Greenhouse Effect

Answer 2

-Greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere will radiate heat energy out to space and back toward Earth.(this back radiation to Earth warms the planet’s surface)
-Without the GE, Earth would not be warm enough for humans to live

Question 3

Greenhouse Gases

Answer 3

-Gases in Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat
-Let sunlight pass through the atmosphere
-without them Earth would be too cold(they prevent heat that the sunlight brings from leaving the atmosphere)
-Main greenhouse gases:
Water vapor
CO2
Methane
Ozone
Nitrous Oxide
Chlorofluorocarbons

Question 4

Photosynthesis/Combustion

Answer 4

Combustion: CO2+H2O (Fuel + O2)
Photosynthesis: 6CO2+6H2O

The combustion gives off CO2 and H2O which is consumed by plants during photosynthesis which gives off O2 which helps fuel combustion.(it is a cycle of combustion to photosynthesis and back to combustion)

Question 5

Carbon Footprint

Answer 5

-Different for everybody
-It is the amount of greenhouse gas that is generated in our actions

Question 6

Carbon Cycle

Answer 6

-the process when carbon is released and consumed (Movement of CO2)

CO2: Factories, people, cars, decaying organisms, burning fossil fuels, cows, soil(tillling)

Consuming CO2: Trees, plants

Question 7

Melting Ice

Answer 7

-Melting sea ice does not result in a rise in sea level (because the ice already takes up the space in the water)
-Melting land ice results in a rise in sea level (flows into the sea)

Question 8

CO2 Data

Answer 8

Looking at graphs

Question 9

Kiss the Ground

Answer 9

Solutions, what to do to draw down carbon.

Question 10

Water vapor

Answer 10

-Greenhouse gas
-H2O
-water in gas form
-high in the atmosphere, condenses, then rains

Question 11

Carbon Dioxide

Answer 11

-Greenhouse Gas
-CO2
-Carbon + Oxygen
-Decaying & living organisms naturally release CO2
-Volcanoes, burning fossil fuels(manually release CO2)

Question 12

Methane

Answer 12

-Greenhouse Gas
-CH4
-Carbon+Hydrogen
-released from wetlands
-Growing rice
-Raising cattle
-Using natural gas
-Mining coal
-Best at trapping heat
-agriculture(Cattle, Rice)

Question 13

Ozone

Answer 13

-Greenhouse gas
-O3
-Up in the atmosphere
-Blocks sunlight’s radiation
-helps protect us from powerful rays
-Good ozone layer
-Bad trap heat

Question 14

Nitrous Oxide

Answer 14

-Greenhouse gas
-N2O
-Natural part of nitrogen cycle
-Bacteria in soil/fertilizers & ocean make it

Question 15

Chlorofluorocarbons

Answer 15

-CFCs
-Greenhouse gas
-Fluorinated gases (not natural)
-Damage protective ozone layer
-Powerful greenhouse gases
-Synthetic

Question 16

Carbon Sink

Answer 16

Forest, oceans, or other natural environments that are viewed in terms of its ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.

Question 17

Carbon sequestration

Answer 17

A natural or artificial process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in solid or liquid form.

Question 18

Horticulture

Answer 18

-the art or practice of garden cultivation and management.

Question 19

Tilling

Answer 19

-Damages the soil and releases a lot of the CO2 stored in the soil into the atmosphere

Question 20

Why we should cover the ground

Answer 20

-Protects soil from erosion and drought
-absorbs more CO2

Question 21

Food waste

Answer 21

Food loss and waste also exacerbates the climate change crisis with its significant greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. Production, transportation, and handling of food generate significant Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions and when food ends up in landfills, it generates methane, an even more potent greenhouse gas.

-Most common in landfills

Question 22

Landfills

Answer 22

-places where waste material is buried
-waste kept relatively dry, does not contact the air (does not break down well)
-landfills fill up quickly
-they pose environmental hazards
-Leachate leakage(when what passes through trash in the landfill and picks up contaminants)
-landfills emit CO2, CH4 (compounds that contribute to climate change)

Question 23

Waste to Energy Facilities

Answer 23

-Many cities/towns send municipal solid waste to waste-to-energy facilities
-where garbage is combusted(burned) and the energy is used to generate electricity
-remaining ash is treated and sent to a landfill
-significantly reduces amt of municipal waste sent to landfills (however, it can release harmful toxins into atmosphere, dioxins, mercury, lead)

Question 24

Recycling

Answer 24

Process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products

-paper, glass, plastic, metals
-considered best way to manage waste because it helps conserve natural resources and reduces overall waste to landfills

Question 25

Composting

Answer 25

-natural process of recycling organic matter
-leaves, yard waste, food scraps (into fertilizer)
-speeds up process of decomposition by providing ideal env. for bacteria, fungi, and other decomposing organisms (worms, sowbugs)
-decomposed matter is called compost
-composting bin

Question 26

Biodegradable Waste

Answer 26

-can be broken down by microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi
-food, paper, wood, rubber, leather, textiles, yard waste

Question 27

Combustion

Answer 27

-burning waste

Question 28

Consequences of melting sea/land ice

Answer 28

Flooding and disrupting aquatic ecosystems (Bacteria, E-coli), gasses being released, without glaciers. land is exposed to direct sunlight and it will heat up. (Albedo-reflectiveness, Light will be absorbed and not reflected since ice reflects but it is melted)

Question 29

Ice Core Data

Answer 29

-Glaciers form when years and years of snow accumulate on top of each other creating layers
-Each year’s layer is a little bit different
-Bubbles of trapped air and particles (such as pollen and dust, captured by the falling snow) become part of the ice
-These layers create a record of climate conditions over Earth’s history (snowfall accumulations, temperatures, and levels of different gases in the atmosphere)

Question 30

Ice Core Data (2)

Answer 30

-Scientists can analyze this record by obtaining ice cores (cylinders of ice drilled from ice sheets and glaciers)
-Can determine what gases were in the atmosphere and in what amounts, what the climate was like when snow fell, how the ice and glaciers have changed due to different climate conditions)