Climate Change Flashcards
Fluorinated (f) gas: GWP = 6500-9200, Persistence = 800-50000 years
PFC
Greenhouse gas: CH4, much is human caused (ag)
Methane
Fluorinated (f) gas: GWP = 23900, Persistence = 32000 years
SF6
Species like ____ are having reproductive troubles because they can’t reach breeding grounds, and if they do sometimes shifting ice makes it impossible for them to get back
penguins
GWP = 310, Persistence = 120 years
Nitrous oxides
Non-human influences: 11-year cycle of sun’s activity rising and falling (low impact)
Solar cycles
Non-human influences: source of NOx, COx, and SOx.
Volcanic Eruptions
Fluorinated (f) gas: GWP = 140-11700, Persistence = 1-270 years
HFC
There has been as many as ___ poles on Earth historically
8
Changing ___ ___ are posing severe issues for island communities
sea levels
Fish are dying because of ___ ___ in the ocean
dead zones
SF6, PFCs, and HFCs all replaced these
CFCs
scale for which carbon dioxide is the base (1)
Global Warming Potential (GWP)
“Good” volcanic eruptions release ___ which are aerosols that reflect solar radiation
SOx
Greenhouse gas: most abundant, not human caused
Water vapor
Type of event that killed 730+ in Chicago in 1995 and 35000+ in Europe in 2003
Heat wave
3 things we know for sure about climate change
the climate is changing, we are contributing to change, we are not solely responsible
cancels itself
Negative Feedback Loop
____ that haven’t dried in the past 100 years are starting to disappear
Wetlands
Over 8.5 million acres were ___ in 2005 in the US
burned
GWP = 21, Persistence = 10 years
Methane
Non-human influences: When the magnetic poles of the Earth shift over time, Period: 300,000 years (High Impact)
Polar drift
Greenhouse gas: SF6
Sulphur hexaflouride
Solution that involves find the difference in projected carbon emissions and the goal, and creating “wedges” equal to 1 billion tons that you eliminate one at a time with small lifestyle changes
Socolow’s Wedges
Greenhouse gas: N2O is an example (human caused, ag)
Nitrous oxides
predictions based on past performance and pending actions
trends
___ ___ are getting larger and more dangerous
Dust storms
Substance with an 8% reflectivity level
Open water
18% of the US was in moderate to extreme ____ drought in Nov 2005
drought
reinforces itself
Positive Feedback Loop
Non-human influences: Motion of earth’s axis and the shifting orbit of the Earth, Period: 22,000 years (High Impact)
Precession
how long the gas will last once it is released into the atmosphere
Persistence
Greenhouse gas: PFCs
Perfluorocarbons
GWP = 1, Persistence = 300-1000 years
Carbon Dioxide
Substance with an 85% reflectivity level
Snow
refers to the reflectivity of a material
Albedo
Non-human influences: group that includes solar cycles, obliquity, precession, and polar drift
Milankovitch cycles
4 examples equivalent to “one wedge”
Double fuel efficiency, produce current coal with 2X efficiency, increase wind electricity 50X, adopt conservation tillage worldwide
Greenhouse gas: HFCs
Hydrofluorocarbons
Non-human influences: the tilt of the Earth on it’s axis changes, Period: 41,000 years (High Impact)
Obliquity
“Bad” volcanic eruptions release ___ and ___ which are greenhouse gases
COx and NOx
Greenhouse gas: 2nd most abundant, human caused
Carbon dioxide
