ESS Topic 7 Flashcards
factors determining energy choices
availability of supply
technological developments
politics
economics
cultural attitudes
sustainability
environmental considerations
energy consumption
hydrogen economy
nuclear fusion
non renewable sources
difficulties in choosing renewable sources
TNCs (transitional corporations are committed to carbon economy - hard for change
cheaper to produce electricity from fossil fuels
most countries are locked into the resource they use
renewable sources are location dependant
weather
daily result of changes of temperature, pressure and precipitation in our atmosphere
varies from place to place
can fluctuate wildly - doesn’t indicate averages are changing
climate
average weather pattern over many years for a location on earth
shows long term trends and changes
comparison between weather and climate
difference - timescale on which measured
similarity both affected by circulatory systems
- clouds
-forest fires
- volcanic eruptions
- human activities
factors influencing climate change
fluctuations in solar insolation affecting temperature
changing proportions of gases in atmosphere released by organisms
Enhanced greenhouse effect
increased emissions of GHGs causing an enhanced greenhouse effect causing global warming and climate change
Global warming potential
relative measure of how much heat a known mass of GHG traps over a number of years compared to the same mass of carbon dioxide
water vapour as GHG
often not included in data
has largest effect in trapping heat energy - most potent GHG
usually not listed because concentration varies constantly condensed to water snow and ice - stops being GHG
how does climate change
changed temperatures or rainfall patterns
more severe storms
sheet thinning & thickening
sea level rises
5 distinct ways of climate change
direct relationship - follows linearly
buffering action - doesn’t follow linearly
accelerate - responds slowly at first then accelerates
reach a tipping point - climate makes no response but reaches a threshold that changes rapidly
stuck at new equilibrium
impacts of climate change
oceans and sea levels
polar ice caps
glaciers
weather patterns
food production
biodiversity and ecosystems
water supplies
human health
national economies
impact of ocean and sea levels
water expands as heats up - causing sea levels to rise
if sea levels increase - low lying states could lose land area or disappear completely
oceans absorb CO2 - as they warm they absorb less effectively (affects marine organisms)
polar ice caps impact
melting land ice - sea levels
floating ice caps wont cause displacement -glaciers will
melting could open trade routes - travel easier
allow for more exploitation of undersea minerals and fossil fuels
release of methane trapped at bottom of ocean - trigger rapid increase in temperature
glaciers impact
continue to decrease in size or melt
loss of glacier ice leads to flooding and landslides
may provide fresh water for people
weather patterns impact
weather becomes more violent and sporadic - more energy
global precipitation may increase = more soil erosion and lack of water means more irrigation and salinisation
food production impact
crop pests spread to higher latitudes
sea temperatures can kill plankton - key to marine food webs
heatwaves and drought kill livestock
biodiversity and ecosystems impact
melting of tundra permafrost releases methane trapped in frozen soils
animals can move to cooler locations but plants can’t
polar species could become extinct
droughts and wildfires could wipe out habitats and species
water supplies impact
increased evaporation rates - some rivers and lakes might dry up - populations have to move
human health impact
heatwaves kill people
insects spreading diseases increase as cold kills them off
algal blooms may be more common in warmer seas - can kill humans
could also reduce people dying of cold and reduce heating bills
national economies impact
some would suffer (water supplies decrease with drought) others gain - exploit mineral reserves
negative feedback loops of climate change
increased evaporation in tropical latitudes = increased snowfall on polar ice caps = reduced mean global temperatures
positive feedback loops of climate change
increased thawing of permafrost = increase in methane levels = increased mean global temperature
