Global climate Flashcards
Thermosphere
Too much sugar troubles
A virtual vacuum, rise in absorbed energy due to energised SW radiation
Greenhouse effect
Short wave radiation (UV) passes directly through the greenhouse gases, coming from the sun to the earth
Some of this is absorbed by the earth’s surface, and heat is retained
The earth’s surface re-emits some of this radiation as long wave infrared radiation back into the atmosphere
Some of this is again re-radiated back to the earth’s surface
The rest of the long wave passes into the atmosphere.
Enhanced greenhouse effect
The increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of human activities trap an increasing proportion of long wave radiation from the earth, resulting in more warming
Impacts of global warming
Migration of animals
Increased sea levels
floods
climate changes - unpredictability
Factors affecting insolation
Volcanic eruptions Cloud cover Ice-albedo effect Sun spots Earth's orbit Earth's tilt
Short wave radiation
Energy from the sun that penetrates the atmosphere and reaches the earth’s surface
Long wave radiation
Radiation that is reflected off the earth’s surface back into the atmosphere
Convection
transfer of heat by movement of a gas or liquid
Global dimming
Decrease in intensity of insolation reaching Earth as small droplets reflect more sunlight back into space, preventing sun’s heat getting through to earth’s surface
Cause of global dimming
Increased presence of aerosol particles in the atmosphere - human action. Aerosols and other particulates absorb solar energy and reflect sunlight back into space. The pollutants can also become nuclei for cloud droplets. Water droplets in clouds coalesce around the particles. Increased pollution causes more particulates and thereby creates clouds consisting of a greater number of smaller droplets. The smaller droplets make clouds more reflective, so that more incoming sunlight is reflected back into space and less reaches the Earth’s surface. This same effect also reflects radiation from below, trapping it in the lower atmosphere (positive feedback).
Greenhouse gas
Any gas that absorbs and emits radiation in the thermal infrared range. The gases include: Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, water vapour and Ozone
Effects of global warming
- Sea levels rise, causing flooding in low lying areas e.g: Maldives
- Storm activity will increase due to more atmospheric energy
- agricultural patterns will change e.g: USA’s grain belt will shrink, production decline, but Canada’s growing season will get longer + more productive
- Less rainfall over USA and Northern Europe
- up to 40% of wildlife species’ exctinction
- some areas might get colder, north west Europe if Gulf stream shuts down
- ecosystems damaged, change in biome distribution and species composition e.g: poleward and altitudinal migration
- water shortages - wars over supply
- agriculture - may shift towards poles
- relocation of people living on coast
- increased disease e.g: risk of malaria
Possible solutions to GW
Renewable energies Hybrid transport Reduce, reuse, recycling of resources Afforestation + Reforestation Carbon sequestration (trapping) International agreements (Kyoto protocol
Adaptation
Initiatives and measures to reduce vulnerability of human and natural systems to climate change
Mitigation
Attempts to reduce the causes of climate change
Resilience
The degree to which people can cope with the impacts of climate change
Albedo
The amount of incoming solar energy reflected back into the atmosphere by the earth’s surface
Anthropogenic
human related processes and /or impacts
Global warming
The increase in temperatures around the world that have been noticed since the 1960s
Vulnerability
The degree to which a human or natural system is susceptible to the adverse impacts of climate change
Mesosphere
Temp decreases due to decreasing density preventing absorption of energy
Stratosphere
Lacks dust and water vapour
stable + thin
increase in temp with height is due to absorption of solar radiation
Troposphere
most weather processes take place here
fall in temp with height as atmosphere thins
Atmospheric energy balance
difference between incoming energy and outgoing energy, between insolation and re-radiation.
When it reaches the Earth, some is reflected back to space by clouds, some is absorbed by the atmosphere, and some is absorbed at the Earth’s surface.
The earth-atmosphere energy balance is achieved as the energy received from the Sun balances the energy lost by the Earth back into space. In this way, the Earth maintains a stable average temperature and therefore a stable climate.