Ecology - quiz 1 Flashcards
what is climate change?
the change in the average temperature and cycles of weather over a long period of time.
why is climate change a problem?
-unstable adaptation. if the climate changes quickly, organisms don’t have enough time to adapt to new conditions and may no longer be able to survive.
-natural disasters. climate change disrupts weather patterns and causes extreme weather events to become more common. these include hurricane activity, droughts, and floods.
what does rising temperatures do to seas?
what will the water cover, destroy, and displace?
-rising temperature increase sea levels.
-the rising water can cover coastal areas, destroying habitats and displacing whole populations from low lying areas
what are the two main processes sea levels are driven to?
ice melt - ice sheets and glaciers melt, resulting in the addition of fresh water to the ocean
thermal expansion - ocean water expands as it gets warmer
further examples of consequences of climate change? (5) think about.. animal resources, coral, food resources, species and human habitat
-loss of costal mating/hunting area for animals
-coral bleaching
-drought/famine
-species lost
-impact on human habitat
what is the greenhouse effect?
*how the radiation turns into short to long
*what happens when the long wave radiation interacts with greenhouse gases
*what does it cause in terms of climate
the sun emits short wave radiation that travels to the earth surface. the sun does not interact much with greenhouse gas molecular compounds, but the short wave radiation that reaches the surface of the earth reflects as long wave radiation. this long wave radiation interacts with greenhouse gas molecules trapping some of the energy in the earths atmosphere. higher amounts of greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere causes a slightly higher temperature which drives climate change.
what natural processes cause climate change? (2)
volcanos and massive meteorite strikes.
what human processes cause climate change? (3)
-burning fossil fuels for heating, cooking, generating electricity and powering vehicles releases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
-deforestation releases carbon dioxide and reduces the number of trees able to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
-reduction of biodiversity creates an unstable ecosystem. nature loss causes ecosystems to capture less carbon from the atmosphere and less resilient to rising temperatures.
what regions cause the most and least amount of climate change?
-the 50 least developed regions have caused the least amount of climate change (1%). the suffer the worst because of lack of development and wealth.
-the 50 most developed regions have contributed the most clime change. (USA, EU, China). they suffer the least because of their greater wealth.
what does social justice relate to?
fairness within a society.
what is the idea of social justice?
-equal access to wealth, health, and opportunities within a society.
-the right to a certain standard of living, including a healthy diet, access too clean water, shelter, clothing, education and healthcare
which people are most likely to be left behind by development?
those that face inequalities are most likely to be left behind by development.
what does it mean by people facing inequalities? give examples of groups that experience inequity due to climate change?
this is people who face exclusion or discrimination because they fall into multiple disadvantages groups.
ex.
-less developed countries
-pacific ring of fire
-women
-LGBTQ+
-people with disabilities
-maritime regions
-countries at war
how do governments fix climate change?(4)
-governments can make laws and policies that reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. speak to your MP or MPP.
-businesses can change their processes to run more sustainably
-reduce our carbon footprint
-use our voices to let businesses and governments know our want for them to reduce their impact on climate change
what is the process of tuning an idea into a solution that solves the problem
innovation
what does sustainable development mean?
to reach this vision of the world without preventing future generations from also being able to meet their needs. we need to continue each action without running out of resources or causing damage that stops us from being being able to carry on.
what is the atmosphere?
the layer of gases surrounding the earth.
what does the atmosphere consists of? (2) what does it also include small amounts of? (4)
-78% nitrogen (n2), and 21 percent oxygen (o2)
-it also includes small amounts of argon, water, carbon dioxide, methane and other gases
what does the atmosphere do for the surface temperature? UV radiation?
-moderates the surface temperature preventing overheating and cooling
-without it our average would be -18*C.
-filters UV radiation
what is the lithosphere?
-the rocky outer shell of the earth, made up of rocks and minerals
-the mountains, ocean floors, and other solid structures make a layer between 50 and 500 km thick
what forms the hydrosphere?
all of earths water in solid, liquid, and gas forms the hydrosphere
what percent of water is found in the ocean? where is the rest?
97% of the water is found in the ocean
the remaining 3% is found in the ground, in lakes, ice and clouds
what is the biosphere?
-the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere
-where life can exist
-most is found on land or water, but some micro-organisms are below earth’s surface
-the biospheres layer is very thin compared to the diameter of the earth.
who introduced the Gaia Hypothesis? what is it? what did he suggest?
-James Lovelock introduced the Gaia Hypothesis
-interactions between the biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere cause earth to behave like a living organism.
-he suggest that the earth could adapt to changing environmental conditions to maintain consistent internal temperature.
producer + ex
an organism which provides its own food using the suns energy (autotroph) . ex. plants
