indicators and effects of climate change

Question 1

what is the most important indicators of global climate change in recent years?

Answer 1

the increase in temperature of the oceans and atmosphere

Question 2

what is global warming?

Answer 2

when the average temperature of Earth increases

Question 3

what are 3 impacts of melting ice?

Answer 3

rising sea levels
impact on animal habitats
impact on Canadian Inuit lifestyle

Question 4

how does melting of ice affect polar bears?

Answer 4

polar bears hunt prey on large areas of sea ice– warmer temperatures melt the ice, preventing polar bears from hunting

Question 5

how does the melting of ice affect Canadian Inuits?

Answer 5

the Inuit hunt and travel over sea ice; thin ice makes it difficult

Question 6

how does global warming affect sea level?

Answer 6

as the Earth warms, glaciers and ice caps melt, causing sea levels to rise

Question 7

how much has the sea level risen over the last 100 years?

Answer 7

10-15 cm

Question 8

list and explain 2 factors contributing to global sea level rising

Answer 8

burning greenhouse gases (burning fossil fuels; gas emission from factories)
cutting down forests (less trees to absorb CO2)

Question 9

what impacts rising sea levels?

Answer 9

tide
ocean currents
prevailing winds

Question 10

name 2 impacts of rising sea levels

Answer 10

flooding of islands

displacements of people in the largest cities

Question 11

why does any change in the oceans cause concern?

Answer 11

some areas around the world may eventually become submerged, displacing some populations

Question 12

how are oceans gradually becoming more acidic?

Answer 12

oceans absorb half of all carbon dioxide produced fossil fuel emissions in 200 years
dissolved gas –> carbonic acid –> lower pH level of water (= more acidic)

Question 13

how does rising acidity affect corals, shellfish, and other marine dwellers?

Answer 13

marine life in environments with a lot of CO2 form poorly and are more unstable
acidity threatens the ability of corals and other organisms to build shells and hard skeletons and to reproduce

Question 14

which 5 types of extreme weather are caused by climate change?

Answer 14

heat waves
tornadoes
floods
lightning strikes
snowstorms

Question 15

how might human health be affected by climate change?

Answer 15

outbreaks of disease (ex. lyme disease, malaria, plague) occur in high temperature periods

Question 16

name 4 reasons how climate change may affect human health

Answer 16

increase of amount of dust in the air
increase of mould growth
increase of release of pollen in many plants
= trigger allergic reactions and asthma

Question 17

what factor has led to changes in wind patterns

Answer 17

the distribution of heat over Earth’s surface

Question 18

what wind characteristics have fluctuated unpredictably over the years?

Answer 18

wind frequency

wind direction

Question 19

how have changes in winds affected the amount of polar ice

Answer 19

the amounts of polar ice has decreased

Question 20

how can an increase in temperature lead to an increase in precipitation?

Answer 20

increase rate of evaporation

when moist air in the atmosphere rises and cools, it becomes precipitation

Question 21

how have precipitation rates changed in Ontario since 1948?

Answer 21

10-20% increase of precipitation

Question 22

what is an effect of the decline of precipitation?

Answer 22

desertification; land dries out until little or no vegetation grows (affects level of reservoir– groundwater used for drinking)

Question 23

how might desertification impact human food supplies?

Answer 23

when vegetation cannot grow, farmable land becomes unfarmable (crops decrease)– causing famines

Question 24

how do warmer temperatures relate to the intensity and frequency of storms?

Answer 24

warmer temperatures = more energy in seas to convert to hurricane speed winds – storms become stronger

Question 25

describe the intense storm that affected Ontario in august 2005

Answer 25

up to 153 mm of rain fell in 4 hours
caused $400M worth of damage
flooding, heavy rain, strong winds damage buildings, bridges, roads
electrical services disrupted; people put in danger

Question 26

what is the most violent storm on Earth?

Answer 26

hurricanes

Question 27

as temperature and amount of energy stored in tropical waters increases, what happens to the storms?

Answer 27

strength and maximum windspeeds increase

Question 28

how does climate change affect the biodiversity of a region?

Answer 28

threatens survival of plants and animals that have adapted, leading to risk of extinction
animal extinction + lack of biodiversity = lack of fish supply, more forest fires, rising sea levels, change in precipitation patterns, more tropical storms

Question 29

how many species are threatened to become extinct because of climate change?

Answer 29

15-35% of the 1103 species are at risk of extinction by 2050

Question 30

as temperatures, what will happen to pathogen-caused disease?

Answer 30

tropical disease (ex. malaria) will travel farther north

Question 31

how does climate change relate to deforestation?

Answer 31

less trees = more CO2
more CO2 = more global warming
more CO2 = rising sea levels

Question 32

how do some wetland plants regulate the climate?

Answer 32

returns water vapour back to the atmosphere
keeps forest soil moist
remove CO2 from air

Question 33

why will wetlands around the Great Lakes shrink?

Answer 33

precipitation has decreased