Influence of Human Activities on Changes to Climate

Question 1

What is the Natural greenhouse effect?

Answer 1

natural process
that warms the Earth’s surface → allowing
life to exist 🐒 🌳 🌸 🐮 🦊

Question 2

What is the Anthropogenic greenhouse effect?

Answer 2

variation
in the climate that is caused by human
activity (fossil fuels, deforestation) ⛽ 🏭
🪓

• causes unusual warming of the
  atmosphere (ENHANCED
  greenhouse effect)

Question 3

Examples of human activity in regard to enhancing the greenhouse effect?

Answer 3

Agriculture 󰳎
Biomass burning
Waste
Methane

Question 4

What is Ocean Acidification?

Answer 4

refers to the increasing acidity of the ocean caused by the ocean’s uptake of
CO2from the atmosphere.

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of the surface ocean has increased
by 30%! (result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide)

Question 5

Process of ocean acidification

Answer 5

1. CO2 dissolves in seawater,
   forming carbonic acid
2. lowers pH, releases hydrogen
   ion
3. hydrogen ion reacts with
   carbonate ions in water to form
   hydrogen carbonate
4. reduced amount of carbonate in
   water
5. less calcareous organisms (+
   deformed shells) as many
   ocean organisms use calcium
   carbonate to build their shells
   and skeletons �

Question 6

What is the Albedo effect?

Answer 6

measure of light that is reflected by
a body or surface.

• Loss of ice reduces albedo effect
  → more visible light is absorbed, instead of
  being reflected by the ice → warmer global
  temp