climate change Flashcards
what was the carboniferous period and how is coal formed
the carboniferous period was a period where trees first evolved. due to their large trunks they are good at taking carbon out of the atmosphere. however when they died, decomposer had yet to evolve in order to decompose wood so these trees were buried and compression, turning into coal
how is oil and natural gas formed
oil and natural gas is formed when marine organisms die and are covered over by silt and sand, leaving them in an oxygen deficit location turning them into oil and natural gas over time
how does burning fossil fuels create electrical energy
fossil fuels contains bonds which have potential chemcial energy
when fossil fuels are burnt these bonds break and release thermal energy
this thermal energy is then used to heat up water, creating steam
this steam is then used to turn a turbine, turning thermal energy into mechanical energy
this mechanical energy is then used to turn magnets around a coil in a generator, creating electrical energy
why are fossil fuels bad for the environment
although carbon is a cheap and abundant resource, when fossil fuels are burnt, stored carbon from the geosphere is released back into the atmosphere. increasing the amount of atmospheric carbon
how does climate change affect sea levels
climate change increases atmospheric temperature, increasing ocean temperatures and leading to thermal expansion
how does climate change affect pressure centers
usually global winds move pressure centers, preventing areas from having super severe storms or extremely dry climate
however, with climate change the temperature difference between the poles and the equator would reduce, disrupting global winds and the movement of pressure belts. this leads to increased storms and drought
how does climate change affect thermohaline circulation
thermohaline circulation is driven by the sinking of cold saline atlantic water. however if this water warms, these density driven currents will be disrupted, affecting the climate of various areas, e.g. europe and the gulf stream
