Climate Change Extended Response

Question 1

Intro

Answer 1

• Landcover changes on Earth impact and interact bi-laterally with climate, often creating positive feedback loops.
• Landcover changes result in changes to surface reflectivity, the amount of solar energy reflected into space, and natural carbon sequestration.
• These changes result in imbalances of both the Earth carbon cycle and its heat budget and greenhouse effect which will have long term implications for our environment and population.

Question 2

Body 1

Answer 2

as albedo, amount of radiation that a surface reflects. albedo of surface ranges from 0 to 1. Earth, the average albedo is 0.31, means that one-third of the incoming radiation from the sun is reflected into space. Some surfaces, like snow and ice, have high albedo of up to 0.85, making them highly reflective.

Changes in land cover affect the Earth’s albedo and disrupt the heat budget, leading to global temperature changes. Some surfaces have high albedo such as, because they are highly reflective, with up to 90% of the sunlight being reflected to space.

Deforestation, involves clearing land for activities such as agriculture, mining, and urbanization, increases surface reflectivity, causing less heat to be absorbed by the Earth’s surface and resulting in a temporary cooling effect. However, deforestation and biomass burning also release a significant amount of CO2 into the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change by disrupting the carbon cycle.

Surface ice and glaciers reflect a large amount of sunlight back into space (Up to 80%). global warming has caused a decrease in snow and ice cover= less radiation being reflected and more heat being absorbed, leads to melting and a positive feedback loop.

Urban heat islands factor that can affect albedo. Dark materials used in roads and buildings have low albedo = absorb and store solar radiation. This, combined with reduced air circulation and vegetation, leads to increased temperatures in urban areas, causing stress to trees and vulnerability to pests (Dieback disease, attacking Jarrah forests in Western Australia, ultimately dying. trees die, less CO2 is absorbed and our climate warms further).

The reflectivity of a surface important factor in Earth’s heat budget contributes to the positive feedback loop of global warming. Surfaces with higher albedo reflect more sunlight, helping to cool the Earth’s surface and mitigate the warming effects of greenhouse gases. However, as the Earth’s albedo decreases due to melting ice and snow and urbanization, more sunlight is absorbed, leading to further warming and melting, exacerbating the problem.

Question 3

Body 2

Answer 3

• process that captures and stores atmospheric carbon dioxide for long periods through the biogeochemical cycling of carbon.
• impacted by human activities such as urbanisation, deforestation, and agriculture.
• Forests and soils important in the carbon cycle storing large amounts of carbon. maintain a balance in the carbon cycle, which is crucial for regulating the Earth’s climate.
• However, deforestation, primarily in regions such as Brazil and Indonesia, is causing large amounts of greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere.
• This is often a two-part process, where carbon is first released through deforestation and then again through the tilling of soil. For example, in Brazil, slash and burn practices are being used to clear land, releasing carbon stored in trees and soil.
• Agricultural practices such as ploughing also release carbon into the atmosphere.
• However, modified farming practices can promote carbon sequestration, soil offsetting as much as 20% of annual CO2 emissions.
• once carbon is released into the atmosphere, it can remain there for 50-100 years, contributing to imbalances in the Earth’s carbon cycle.

Question 4

Conclusion

Answer 4

land cover change have significant impacts on climate through changes to surface reflectivity (albedo) and natural carbon sequestration.

Deforestation and urbanization can lead to decreased albedo, which results in increased absorption of solar radiation and contributes to local and regional warming.

Additionally, land cover change can affect the ability of ecosystems to sequester carbon, lead to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide exacerbating climate change. Managing land cover change is therefore critical for mitigating the impacts of climate change.