Final Flashcards
How much CO2 is in the atmosphere and what is the tipping point for it
415.31 ppm; 350 ppm
How do CO2 levels change
They fluctuate throughout seasons depending on vegetation
What is the Ruddiamn hypothesis and does it hold true
That ancient agrarian ancestors may have started gas contributions to the atmosphere; no becuase measurable affects on the climate weren’t seen until the industrial revolution
When was the industrial revolution what started it
1750-1850 and was caused by coal shifting from an organic to a fossil economy releasing accumulated energy from millions of years of photosynthesis
What are the consequences of burning coal
Stored energy is released as heat and gas (methane and CO2) which escapes into the atmosphere and traps heat
What is the great acceleration
most recent period of the proposed anthropocene during which the rate of impact of human activity upon the earth’s geology and ecosystems is increasing significantly
When the great accerlation start
after the second world war
When did scientists discover the CO2 abosorbed radiation and what prediction did they make off of that
As early as 1859 and they predicted by the 1930s that burning fossil fuels would warm up the planet
What is the keeling curve
represents the measured concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere at the Mauna Loa Observatory since 1958. undulations of the curve show annual cycles of growth and decay on the land masses on the Northern Hemisphere, as plants fix and then release CO2 in their life cycle
What was the kyoto protocol
adopted in 1997 and took force in 2005 with 192 parties; committed parties were only asked to adopt policies and measures on mitigation and report periodically
What was the paris agreement
Legally binding international agreement meant to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees celcius
What is an interglacial
minimum of ice age, glacial minimum
When was Earth covered in 30% ice and was that a glacial minimum or maximum
About 18,000; glacial maximum when the oceans were a lot lower
What is the ice age fluctuations
between 10 and 30% of the Earth covered in ice and there are glacial maximums every 100,000 years
What is the evidence for widespread glaciation
Large boulders that are genetically unrelated to the underlying bedrock and when glaciers melted there was a large amount of water created sand
How do we know when the ice age began
Plankton record the oxygen isotope compistion of the ocean where they live which is controlled by how much continential ice exists
What are the two O isotopes and which ones predict glacial max or minimums
H2O 16 and 18 and higher amounts of H2O 18 in the ocean indicate glacials (glacial maximum)
High ice correlates to high or low dust and why
High dust since glacials are usually very windy and they dig sediment up creating dust making it colder since it blocks light; cold causes wind to glide across top of glaciers creating even more wind
What do CO2 and methane levels oscillate between and what is their relationship
CO2 oscialltes between 180 and 280 while methane switches between 700 and 300; they have a direct relationship
What are Milankovitch cycles and what are the three of them
Cycles of the Earth that affect Earth’s temperatute; Earth’s orbit of the sun, Earth’s tilted axis, and tilt wobbles
How does Earth’s orbit of the sun affect the Earth’s temperature
orbit changes from an oval to a circle and back every 100,000 years which is a direct correltaion with glacial max and minimums
How dos Earth’s axis affect Earth’s temperature
Tilt oscillates between 21 and 24 degrees every 41,000 years and affects how harsh season will be
What is an albedo
When Earth is covered in ice causing more solar energy to reflect off the ice and go into space. This causes the earth to cool more growing more glaciers
How do GHG create a feedback loop
Decomposition of organic material puts CO2 in the atmosphere and when it’s warmer the organic material decomposes faster
By how much is the sea rising
On average thye are rising by 3mm/year but in some places the sea is decreasing like Alaska or CA but rising is Maryland and Louisiana
What was the rate of sea level rise in the late 1800s and what is it currently
.9 mm/year but is now 3 mm/year
what is causing sea level rise
45% due to melting of mountain glaciers, 38% thermal expansions, 13% melting of antartic ice sheets and 4% ice loss from Greenland
What is energy coupling, what is coupling, and when they start to increase
Direct correlation between energy, CO2, and GDP; Energy and CO2 increased around the 1960, and CO2 and GDP increase around the 1850s
When did CO2 emissions start to rise and what is the biggest contributor to these emission
around 2000 and coal
What type of countries have increased their emissions lately and why
developing countries due to a shift in economy
How does demand side management work
Provide the same management with less energy consumption by using more efficient cars, motion light switches… this could be done by incentivizing people with reduced prices for less flexibility with the AC and thermostat
What is a negative effect of the demand-side management
Rebound effect in which people save energy thus use that energy elsewhere
How does the supply side management work
Taxing everything based on carbon intensity of fuel so if something is more carbon intensive then a higher tax
Where has supply side management been employed
British columbia in Canada, they have witnessed a decrease in CO2 emissions and was revenue neutral so taxes wasn’t raised
what did the kyoto protocol call for
use of flexible policies and transfers of CO2 reduction tech to developing countries where the carbon credit would flow back to country donating tech
What countries were required to make reductions under the Kyoto protocol
Japan, Canada, Australia, Turkey, the EU, Russia and the UK; The US would have been in it but did not sign on
What were the main differences between Kyoto and paris protocols
paris included less developed countries, had countries make specific plans for decrease in emissions, wanted a change that allowed the Earth to decrease temperature by 1.5 degrees celscius while Kyoto just called for countries to reduce C levels from 1990
What are the four sphere of Earth
Hydrosphere (water), biosphere (green of Earth), atmosphere (clouds), and lithosphere (major plates of Earth)
What is residence time and the equation to calculate it
Average time a substance spends in a reservoir. Equation is the reservoir divided by flow in OR out. Only meaningful if the flow in is about equal to the flow out
What is a non-excludable resource
A resource that you can’t stop people from over consuming even if barriers to entrance are put in place
What is a rival resource
when use by one person makes less of the resource available to others
What does a rival and non-excludable resource make and what is an example of one
Makes a common property open access resource like fisheries
What is the tragedy of the commons
When conscientious users get less, while those exploiting the resources get more resulting in a lack of incentive to conserve thus, the resource is over-exploited
What is a non-rival resource
When use by one person does not take away from someone else’s use of the resource
What are the features of a public good
Non-excludable and non-rival
What are the features of a common good
Non-excludale and rival
What are the problems associated with a public good
people over use the public good because they benefit from it but don’t help create it because it is too costly
What are externalities
The “bad” behavior that degrades the common or public good
What are some ways to sovle externality problems
Educate public so they voluntarily avoid bad behavior and attach a cost to the “bad” behavior
How are aerosols removed from the atmosphere
rainfall
What lead to pattersons discovery that tetraethyl lead was dangerous
Was trying to date the Earth but kept getting the wrong answer leading him to discover that there was excess lead everywhere. Found that humans had 600x more lead in their bodies than normal
How does acid rain affect the environment
Causes damage to native vegetation and declines in native fish as well as displacing essential plant nutrients (Ca+2, K+2) from soil and mobilizing aluminum killing fish
