ECEC - 8 Flashcards
climate change is a general term what does it cover?
1) global warming
2) changes in precipitation
3) changes in extreme events e.g. tsunamis
what is net radiative forcing?
difference of insolation (sunlight) absorbed by the Earth and energy radiated back to space
what are the 3 main greenhouse gases?
CO2 (carbon dioxide) • CH4 (methane) • N2O (nitrous oxide) and CFCs
what is the greenhouse effect?
- Short wave radiation is absorbed and re emitted as long wave radiation
- Long wave radiation is then reabsorbed and reflected back by the greenhouse gases
- Greenhouse gases are essential for functioning life on the planet but not too much
what is global warming potential (GWP)?
compares the integrated radiative forcing over a specified period (e.g., 100 years) A measure of how much energy the emissions of one ton of a gas will absorb over a given period of time, relative to the emissions of one ton of carbon dioxide
what do anomally graphs show?
they have bass lines and show fluctuations around it
how is methane produced, what is its bigger producer and what percentage of global emissions is it?
biologically produced (biogenic sources) - mostly by methagonoic bacteria in the soil or guts of termites 70 % of total emissions
what is el nino?
an irregularly occurring and complex series of climatic changes affecting the equatorial Pacific region and beyond every few years, characterised by the appearance of unusually warm, nutrient-poor water the effects of El Niño include reversal of wind patterns across the Pacific, drought in Australasia, and unseasonal heavy rain in South America
what was the misconception throughout the global warming hiatus?
the oceans were in-fact still warming
what is the IPCC and what do they do?
the intergovernmental panel on climate change -conservative estimate that has to be decided on by 100s of scientists – unlikely to be exaggerating things to be alarmist
what is the keeling curve?
cornerstone piece of evidence for increasing atmospheric co2 concentrations
what is the dominant sector for nitrous oxide emissions?
agriculture- particularly arable crop production where a lot of fertiliser is added
what is the biggest CO2 contributor?
fossil fuel production
which greenhouse gas can cause most damage per mass?
nitrous oxide
climate is not weather what is it?
Climate refers to the average conditions experienced in a region over a long period
