Greenhouse effect Flashcards
What does the term greenhouse effect mean
- process through which heat is trapped near the earth’s surface by substances known as ‘greenhouse gases’
What does the term enhanced greenhouse effect mean
- human activities particularly burning fossil fuels etc - increasing the concentration of greenhouses gases
What does the term anthropogenic mean
- environmental change caused or influenced by people, either directly or indirectly
What are anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide
- burning fossil fuels
- industrial activities
- deforestation
What are anthropogenic sources of methane
- agriculture
- landfill waste
- coal mining
What are anthropogenic sources of nitrous oxides
- agriculture
- fuel combustion
- industrial processes
What are anthropogenic sources of CFC’s
- air conditioners
- fridges
- aerosol cans
What are anthropogenic sources of ozone
- pollutants emitted by cars, power plants and industrial boilers
How could you personally reduce your contribution to greenhouses gases
- recycle
- eat less red meat
- solar panels
- solar lighting
How could the UK reduce contributions to greenhouse gases
- renewable energy initiatives e.g wave
- changing packages
- solar panels
- COP meetings
Why are sea levels likely to rise if average global temperatures increase
- ice melts - volume of liquid water increases
- warm water expands - thermal expansion of water
How does the earth climate system redistribute heat at the equator
- convection cells - warm air rises and cold air sinks
- ocean currents - created by temp and saltiness
What aspects of the climate might be changed if world temperatures increase
- reduce ice and snow cover
- influence patterns and amount of precipitation
- raise sea level
What four factors are ocean currents largely driven by
- temperature of water
- salinity of sea water
- prevaling winds
- evaporation
As warm water moves away from the equator towards cooler areas what happens to it
- water contracts and becomes denser
- this causes it to sink
As water warms, density and salinity decrease, as water cools what happens to density and salinity
- increases
What is thermohaline circulation
- circulation is driven by temperature and salinity
- determines density of the water
Explain how the gulf stream works and where it moves to and from
- brings water to european water
- flows in 3 parts
- warm water flows from the equator to the poles
What do some people also call the gulf stream
- a heat pump
What happens to wind direction, warm water, cooler water and current flow in a normal year
- upwelling of cold water
- warm surface water is pushed to the west
- warm humid air rises
- eastelies trade winds (wind direction E-W)
What happens to wind direction, warm water, cooler water and current flow in an El Nino year
- little or no upwelling of cold water
- warm water is now central
- weakened or sometimes reversed wind direction
What happens to wind direction, warm water, cooler water and current flow in a La Nina year
- large area of upwelling of cold water
- warm water pushed further away
- wind direction has increased in strength
What are some changes that may take place in the cryosphere if average temperatures rise
- can cause sudden flooding
- reduce rainfall
- lowers albedo
- sea level rises
What are the impacts of climate change on living things
- changes in precipitation
- change in migration patterns
- habitat loss
- intense droughts
- change in hibernation patterns
What does range of tolerance mean
- a set of behaviours that are considered within a socially acceptable boundary
What factors may hinder species trying to change their geographical range
- availability in resources
- soil conditions
- relationship between predators and prey
What are impacts of climate change on humans
- damage cities
- damage infrastructure
- increase crop failure from droughts
- some areas become too hot for humans to live in
What are the difficulties in predicting global climate change
- hard to differentiate between weather and the climate
- earth systems have many positive and negative feedback mechanisms
- climate change can be natural and difficult to differentiate from anthropogenic causes
Define the term: positive feedback mechanism
- a process that occurs in a feedback loop which exacerbates the effect of a smaller disturbance
Define the term: negative feedback mechanism
- occurs when some function of the output of a system, process or mechanism is fed back in a manner that tends to reduce the fluctuations in the output
What is meant by the term ‘tipping point’ associated with climate change
- critical thresholds in a system that, when exceeded, can lead to a significant change in the state of the system, often with an understanding what the change is irreversible
What does per capita mean
- per person
What is a carbon footprint
- the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by our actions
Strategies to control carbon dioxide
- afforestation
- renewable energy
- carbon capture
Strategies to control methane
- eat less red meat
- reduce landfill sites (recycle)
Strategies to control oxides of nitrogen
- use low-nitrogen fuels
- use of electric cars
- stop diesel and petrol cars
Strategies to control CFC’s
- pump actions or trigger sprays
- recycling products that uses CFC’s
Strategies to control tropospheric ozone
- reduce nitrous oxides
Strategies to solve the problem of agriculture with climate change
- drought resistant crops
- better waste management - drip irrigation
Strategies to solve the problem of
building design with climate change
- low carbon heat sources
- raised buildings
- increase use of solar panels
Strategies to solve the problem of flooding with climate change
- buildings on stilts
- improvement to drainage system
Strategies to solve the problem of coastal erosion with climate change
- plant mangroves
- artificial reefs
- manage retreat
Strategies to solve the problem of storm damage with climate change
- build flood defences
- storm shelters
- reinforced concrete
What is the kyoto protocol and what were its aims
- reduce amount of harmful chemicals being released
- adaption fund given so rich countries pay in so poorer countries can pay for adaptions
What is the paris agreement and what were its aims
- international treaty on climate change
- wealthy and developing countries brought together
- gives financial and technical support to those countries that need it
