climate change evidence Flashcards
areas of high rainfall
x2
- Cherrapunji (India) is one of the wettest regions, 10k mil per year
- New Zealand receives cold fronts with 1600 mil a year
areas of low rainfall
x2
- Sahara Desert (subtropic) 250 mil a year
- Antarctica (driest continent)166 mil annually
areas of high temperature
- Forests have low albedo of 15%. Amazon year-round average of 25 degrees, frequently reaches 40 in dry season
areas of low temperature
x2
- Antarctica average annual temp is -49 degrees
- Ice areas have high albedo of 40-90%. Greenland has an average annual temp of -3.9
heatbudget and greenhouse effect evidence?
x1 about greenhouse
human activities results in a warming influence on the climate, that is largely attributed to carbon dioxide accounting for around 64% of the total warming effect.
hydrological cycle evidence?
x1 point
In 2022 warmer ocean temps off east coast (due to El Nino) led to a catastrophic flooding event in QLD and NSW.
solar variation evidence?
x1
natural causes
- Maunder minimum (1650-1715) was a minor ice age influenced by absence of solar activity
volcanic eruptions evidence?
x1
anthropogenic cause
- Mount Pinatubo eruption cooled global temp by 0.5 degrees for 1-2 years
urban cause evidence?
x1
anthropogenic cause
- Urban cities contribute an estimated 76% of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions
deforestation cause evidence?
x2
anthropogenic cause
- In 2021 the amazon rainforest was reported to emit more CO2 than it absorbs. It is now a carbon source and no longer a carbon sink
- Deforestation accounts for 10-20% of global anthropogenic gas emissions
climate change rate indicator evidence?
one for carbon dioxide, one for global temp
carbon dioxide - Since beginning of industrial revolution, anthropogenic activities have raised atmospheric concentrations of CO2 by 50%
global temp - 1810 – increase in temp of 0.08 degrees Celsius per decade, whereas 1981 – increase temp of 0.18 degrees Celsius per year
evidence for ice cores?
1 point
- Vostok ice-core, drilled at research station in antarctica, drilled 3190 meter ice core which dated 800,000 years back, revealing 8 previous ice ages
evidence for atmosphere?
x1
- At the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, Atmospheric CO2 levels surpassed 420 ppm in 2023 which is the highest in 800,000 years
natural carbon sequestration evidence
x1, feedback loop
- Deforestation reduces carbon sequestration, increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, which raises temperatures and leads to further land degradation
natural projected impacts evidence
x1
- Models suggest that under current emission levels, the west Antarctic ice sheets could potentially collapse by 2300
evidence for albedo surface reflectivity
x1 feedback loop
- Deforestation results in more greenhouse gasses in atmosphere, which raises temperatures, contributing to heat melting ice sheets, albedo decreases, and more solar radiation is absorbed.
natural present impacts evidence
x1
- The Fox and Frans Josef Glaciers in NZ have retreated 2.5 km in the last 100 years
anthropogenic present impacts evidence
x1
- Australia’s warmest year on record was 2023, with a national mean maximum day temp of 29.89 degrees, which was 1.34 degrees warmer than the 1990 average.
anthropogenic projected impacts evidence
x1
- In 2050, there is an estimate of 1.7x increase of heavy rainfall frequency, meaning more floods
