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Geo of Hazards > Lecture #6 > Flashcards

Lecture #6 Flashcards

1
Q

Climate is a function of the interactions of which 5 spheres?

A 
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Lithosphere
Cryosphere
Biosphere
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2
Q

Because climate change is nothing new, why are we so concerned?

A

Concern today is the rate at which the temperature is changing

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3
Q

What was the last ice age?

A

18 000 years ago

-Canada under 3km of ice

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4
Q

What is the hockey stick graph?

A

The rapid increase in temperature in the past 100 years

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5
Q

What are the 4 general causes of climate change?

A
  1. Variation in solar radiation
  2. Changes in composition of the atmosphere (this is the only one we can change)
  3. Changes in earths surface
  4. Variations in earths orbit
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6
Q

What is a sun spot?

A

A cool region of high magnetism on the sun

-cool areas on the sun that are surrounded by faculae (bright areas that emit high amounts of energy)

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7
Q

When does the sun tent to emit more energy?

A

During periods of high sunspot activity

-cycles of every 11 years

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8
Q

what is the residence time of CO2?

A

100 years

-effects will not be felt for decades

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9
Q

What are ice cores used for?

A

Can glimpse into the past climate as ice layers are formed every year, and air bubbles are trapped within
-we have climate data up to 600,000 years in the past

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10
Q

What is dendrochronology?

A

study of tree rings,

bigger the ring the better the year

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11
Q

As Pangea was separating what did it create at the same time?

A

new ocean currents

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12
Q

What is the Malankovitch Theory?

A

The theory proposes that 3 separate phenomena relating to earth orbit lead to climate change

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13
Q

What are the 3 Milankovitch Cycles?

A
  1. Eccentricity
  2. Precession
  3. Obliquity
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14
Q

What is Eccentricity?

A

Changes in the shape of earth orbit from circular to elliptical

  • 100,000 year cycle
  • accounts for ice ages
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15
Q

What is Precession?

A

The wobble of earth axis?

-23,000 year cycle

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16
Q

What is Obliquity?

A

Changes in the tilt of earths Axis

  • 41,000 year cycle
  • further the angle, the more ice you’ll get
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17
Q

Why does the Greenhouse effect exist?

A

GHG’s allow solar radiation to pass through but they absorb infrared radiation

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18
Q

What are the 3 main GHG’s?

A

CO2
H2O vapour
CH4

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19
Q

What is the concern with greenhouse effect?

A

Humans are enhancing the greenhouse effect by adding more gases to the atmosphere

20
Q

Does O3 occur naturally?

A

Yes it does in the stratosphere but there is a little bit towards the earths surface int h troposphere
-we need it to survive

21
Q

What chemicals destroy the O3 layer?

A

CFCs which were found in appliances, spray cans etc.

22
Q

How did we get rid of the CFCs?

A

Montreal protocol in 1987- worldwide agreement amoung countries to reduce the CFC concentrations

23
Q

How do CFCs destroy the O3 layer?

A

UV radiation breaks the CFC molecule apart and causing Cl to roam free

  • Cl rapidly destroys the layer
  • CFC molecule has a long residence time
24
Q

What does a decrease in O3 mean for us?

A

Increase UV radiation which causes skin cancer

25
Q

Acid rain definition

A

Precipitation the combines with pollutants that turn the precipitation acidic

26
Q

What are the elements that render rain acidic?

A

Sulfur and nitrogen oxides

27
Q

what is the normal pH of rain?

A

~5.5

-naturally acidic

28
Q

Positive feed back definition

A

A process in a system that encourages the continuation of the original process

29
Q

What is an example of a positive feedback?

A

Melting of the polar ice

30
Q

What are climate models?

A

Estimating how much eh earth will warm.

-Forecasts for the next 100 years, earth will warm by 1.5 degrees

31
Q

What protocol was meant to slow climate change?

A

Kyoto 1997

  • objective was to reduce GHG emission to 5% below 1990 levels by 2010
  • DIDNT WORK LOL
32
Q

What are some of the potential impacts of climate change?

A
  • Polar areas warm the most
  • Boreal forest extending North
  • Agriculture shifting north
  • Precipitation changing thus affected habitats
33
Q

What happen when the polar ice melts?

A

Sea levels rise

-Populated coastal cities are at risk here

34
Q

What can Island countries do to prevent sea level rising?

A 
Sea walls (not too much)
-poor island countries can't afford to do this
35
Q

What is the most serious impact of climate change that effects humans the most?

A

Sread of Malaria

-mosquitos thrive in warm and wet climates

36
Q

What impacts will CC have one biodiversity?

A
  • Species extinction
  • Coral bleaching
  • Loss of flora and fauna
37
Q

How many deaths has climate change caused?

A

160,000

-mostly due to malaria and malnutrition

38
Q

What are the 2 different philosophies on the relationship between humans and nature?

A
  1. humans are simply one component of the natural world (more egalitarian view)
  2. Humans are separated from nature (We are better than all other species)
39
Q

What are the 2 different philosophies that dictate our actions based on our relationships with nature?

A
  1. Living in harmony (sustainable development)

2. Exploiting nature for economic gain (ignoring the cost of resource extraction)

40
Q

What are the 2 realities of natural resources?

A
  1. Many natural resources are finite
  2. using resources creates waste products
    - but we’ve created a society and economy in which these 2 realities are neglected
41
Q

What is the Precautionary Principle?

A

When there is a risk involved, to either humans or the environment, we should still act even if there is some uncertainty about the risk. there is a social responsibility to protect the public and the environment from harm

42
Q

How does the Precautionary principle relate to climate change??

A

We want to be 100% sure the gases are causing the change but science isn’t 100% correct so we should try and fix our ways anyways just incase

43
Q

What are some renewable energies?

A

Solar
Wind
Hydro

44
Q

How much power can one wind turbine generate?

A

6 MW

-enough to power a lot of homes

45
Q

What are some issues with Wind energy?

A

Cost
Coise
habitat distribution
NIMBY

46
Q

Best places to put wind turbines in Ontario?

A

Southwestern because we can’t put them in the middle of the lakes

47
Q

Problems with hydroelectric?

A

Loss of land
Displaced population
Chemical leaching
destruction of habitat

Geo of Hazards (12 decks)

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