indicators and effects of climate change Flashcards
what is the most important indicators of global climate change in recent years?
the increase in temperature of the oceans and atmosphere
what is global warming?
when the average temperature of Earth increases
what are 3 impacts of melting ice?
rising sea levels
impact on animal habitats
impact on Canadian Inuit lifestyle
how does melting of ice affect polar bears?
polar bears hunt prey on large areas of sea ice– warmer temperatures melt the ice, preventing polar bears from hunting
how does the melting of ice affect Canadian Inuits?
the Inuit hunt and travel over sea ice; thin ice makes it difficult
how does global warming affect sea level?
as the Earth warms, glaciers and ice caps melt, causing sea levels to rise
how much has the sea level risen over the last 100 years?
10-15 cm
list and explain 2 factors contributing to global sea level rising
burning greenhouse gases (burning fossil fuels; gas emission from factories)
cutting down forests (less trees to absorb CO2)
what impacts rising sea levels?
tide
ocean currents
prevailing winds
name 2 impacts of rising sea levels
flooding of islands
displacements of people in the largest cities
why does any change in the oceans cause concern?
some areas around the world may eventually become submerged, displacing some populations
how are oceans gradually becoming more acidic?
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)
how does rising acidity affect corals, shellfish, and other marine dwellers?
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
which 5 types of extreme weather are caused by climate change?
heat waves tornadoes floods lightning strikes snowstorms
how might human health be affected by climate change?
outbreaks of disease (ex. lyme disease, malaria, plague) occur in high temperature periods
name 4 reasons how climate change may affect human health
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
what factor has led to changes in wind patterns
the distribution of heat over Earth’s surface
what wind characteristics have fluctuated unpredictably over the years?
wind frequency
wind direction
how have changes in winds affected the amount of polar ice
the amounts of polar ice has decreased
how can an increase in temperature lead to an increase in precipitation?
increase rate of evaporation
when moist air in the atmosphere rises and cools, it becomes precipitation
how have precipitation rates changed in Ontario since 1948?
10-20% increase of precipitation
what is an effect of the decline of precipitation?
desertification; land dries out until little or no vegetation grows (affects level of reservoir– groundwater used for drinking)
how might desertification impact human food supplies?
when vegetation cannot grow, farmable land becomes unfarmable (crops decrease)– causing famines
how do warmer temperatures relate to the intensity and frequency of storms?
warmer temperatures = more energy in seas to convert to hurricane speed winds – storms become stronger
describe the intense storm that affected Ontario in august 2005
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
what is the most violent storm on Earth?
hurricanes
as temperature and amount of energy stored in tropical waters increases, what happens to the storms?
strength and maximum windspeeds increase
how does climate change affect the biodiversity of a region?
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
how many species are threatened to become extinct because of climate change?
15-35% of the 1103 species are at risk of extinction by 2050
as temperatures, what will happen to pathogen-caused disease?
tropical disease (ex. malaria) will travel farther north
how does climate change relate to deforestation?
less trees = more CO2
more CO2 = more global warming
more CO2 = rising sea levels
how do some wetland plants regulate the climate?
returns water vapour back to the atmosphere
keeps forest soil moist
remove CO2 from air
why will wetlands around the Great Lakes shrink?
precipitation has decreased
