Notes : 5.12 - 5.15 + 5.20 - 5.22 Climate Change

Question 1

Define the term climate change

Answer 1

gradual change in weather patterns in a region over a long period of time.

Question 2

What are the 4 evidence for Climate Change

Answer 2

• Record of Carbon dioxide levels
• Temperature records
• Pollen in peat bogs
• Dendrochronology

Question 3

How do records of carbon dioxide levels show evidence for climate change ?

Answer 3

Ice cores show evidence for climate change as Ice traps bubbles of air so ice cores contain ice from the pats.
- So we can analyse the greenhouse gas composition that happened in the past.

Question 4

How do temperature records show evidence for climate change.

Answer 4

• Thermometers can be used to measure air temperatures globally. They have been used since the mid 1800s (Which corresponds with the time during which humans have been burning fossil fuels and therefore releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere).
• These historical records show us how global temperatures have increased over time. Providing evidence for climate change.
• It is a reliable source of data but only concerns a relatively short time period.

Question 5

How does dendrochronology provide evidence for climate change.

Answer 5

• Dendrochronology is the study of tree rings.
• Each year a new tree ring is formed.
• Warm and wetter years = More photosynthesis = Thicker tree rings.
• . Scientists can take cores through the tree trunks and prove that climate change is happening by showing that the tree rings are getting thicker over time.

Question 6

How does Pollen in peat bogs provide evidence for climate change ?

Answer 6

• **Pollen grains are preserved in peat bogs.
• A plant species can be identified from its pollen.
• The climate affects the type of plants growing as
  different plants thrive under different climatic conditions**. Using a microscope it is possible to identify which plant it came from, scientists can then work out which climatic conditions were needed for the plant to grow and where they grew, which in turn reflect changes in climate overtime.

Question 7

Correlation vs Causation

Answer 7

• Correlation : refers to a relationship between two variables. When one variable changes, there is a corresponding change in the other variable. Correlation does not imply that one variable causes the change in the other. It only indicates a pattern or relationship.
• Causation means that one variable directly affects or causes a change in another variable.

Question 8

Define the term anthropogenic

Answer 8

Caused by humans

Question 9

Define the term global warming.

Answer 9

An increase in the earths mean tempurature.

Question 10

Name some green house gases.

Answer 10

• Carbon dioxide
• Methane
• Water vapour
• CFCs.

Methane has a greater effect than CO2

Question 11

Blur everything you know about carbon dioxide including how its releases.

Answer 11

• Carbon dioxide is a green house gas
• Burning fossil fuels releases CO2
• Deforestation increases the levels of CO2 in the atm as plants are needed to take in carbon dioxide in the air through photosynthesis. No plants = Nothing to take in carbon dioxide = Increase in CO2 levels

Question 12

Blur everything you know about methane including how its releases.

Answer 12

• Methane is a green house gas CH4
• It is released through the burning of fossil fuels.
• Releases from cattle farming and cow manure
• Methane is also trapped in ice so as the Earth’s temperature increases and icy ground and glaciers begin to melt, natural stores of methane are released into the atmosphere.

Question 13

Explain the greenhouse gas effect

Answer 13

1. Short-wavelength UV light is radiated from the sun and passes through the Earths atmosphere.
   - 25 - 30% of the radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere and some is reflected back by the atmosphere.
   Then Some more is absorbed by the earth.
2. Long-wavelengths (infrared radiation) is then reflected by the Earth and are trapped by gases such as Carbon dioxide and methane. Which leads to an increase in the mean temperature of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere.

Question 14

How do greenhouse gases actually trap heat ? (might not really need to know just helps with your understanidng).

Answer 14

Once GHGs absorb infrared radiation, they re-emits it in all directions, including back towards the Earth’s surface. This process traps heat in the atmosphere, contributing to the warming of the planet.

Question 15

Blurt everything you know about the climate change models.

Answer 15

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produced it.
• They used existing data relating to global warming to make predictions about global temperatures in the future. - This is known as extrapolating from data.

If humans manage to immediately begin reducing fossil fuel use, global temperature
change could be limited to around 1°C
If humans do nothing to change their fossil fuel use, global temperature increase may exceed 4°C

Question 16

Scenario 1

Answer 16

This is the best case scenario - greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced

Question 17

Scenarios 2 and 3

Answer 17

Greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase but eventually level off

Question 18

Scenario 4

Answer 18

This is the worst case scenario - greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase for the foreseeable future

Question 19

Limitations to green house gas models.

Answer 19

• No idea to which one of the scenarios are correct.
• Unsure of how much global temperatures will increase
• We do not know whether future technologies will be successful at removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere e.g. carbon capture technologies may or maynot be effective
• Global climate patterns are complex and therefore predictions are difficult
• It is unknown exactly how atmospheric gas concentrations might affect global temperatures

Question 20

Name the effects of climate change on plants.

Answer 20

• Changing rainfall patterns
• Changes in Seasonal Cycles

Question 21

Blurt everything you know about *Changing rainfall patterns**

Answer 21

• Changing rainfall patterns may lead to an increase or decrease in rainfall :
  • Drought - Reduced rainfall
    = less water for
    photosynthesis, nutrient
    uptake, and plant health,
    = wilting, stunted growth,
    and potentially plant death
    This is called drought stress
    in plants.
• Flooding - This can damage plant roots and caused them to become waterlogged. Which reduce the oxygen content. This causes conditions to become anaerobic therefore less aerobic respiration by plants

Question 22

Blurt everything you know about *Changing seasonal cycles**

Answer 22

• Changing seasonal cycles, such as prolonged drought may cause shifts in phenology (the timing of life cycle events).

Question 23

Name the effects of climate change on plants.

Answer 23

• distribution of species
• development
• life cycles

Question 24

Blurt everything you know about distribution of species

Answer 24

• Increasing global temperature will also affect the distribution of different species. As temperatures around the world change, organisms will move to where the conditions are most suited to their survival. If they are unable to move (e.g. plants), they may become at risk of extinction.

Question 25

Blurt everything you know about development and life cycles

Answer 25

• The sex of many reptiles is determined by the temperature this is known as temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) e.g (turtles, crocodiles and lizards). Therefore an increase in temp would have an effect on the sex ratio for certain species which will potentially lead to extinction.

Question 26

How does temperature affect living organisms-

Answer 26

At high temperatures plants carry out a reaction called photorespiration at a faster rate; this reaction uses the enzyme rubisco and so slows down photosynthesis
This can reduce crop yields as temperatures rise

Question 27

Q10 principal

Answer 27

The idea that as you increase the temp by 10 degrees the rate of reaction should double until you get to optimum temperature.

Question 28

How do you work out Q10

Answer 28

Question 29

Climate change consequences

Answer 29

• Pathogens may be more suited to warmer temps, so some plants may die from those pathogens,
• Rising sea temps

Question 30

The carbon cycle

Answer 30

Carbon stores:
- Sedimentary Rocks
- Coal
- Ocean
- Forest and trees(carbon sinks)

Reeases into the atmosphere:
- Respiration and anaerobic respiration
- Feeding ( Carbon is also passed from primary consumer to secondary consumer
Biomass transfer always includes the transfer of carbon, the main element in biomass)
- Decay and decomposition
- Burning of fossil fuels
- Combustion

Removed from the atmosphere :
- Photosynthesis

Question 31

How can we reduce carbon dioxide levels ?

Answer 31

• Reforestation (planting more trees so CO2 is removed via photosynthesis)
• Using biofuels instead of. Fossil fuels
• Increase the use of renewable energy ( wind tidal and solar energy - solar panels)
• New carbon capture technology

Question 32

why are biofuels good ?

Answer 32

they are carbon nueutral Carbon

Question 33

1st gen biofuels vs 2 gen biofuels

Answer 33

1st gen -
- You have to clear land or grow crops this causes a conflicts between food and biofuels. Clearing land (deforestation) also releases CO2
2nd gen -
- Using food waste this is the best as you don’t have to clear land and the food is already available.

Question 34

Blurt what you know about biased in climate change

Answer 34

• the conclusions research scientists reach may be biased
  towards the goals of the organisation funding their work:
• A scientist working for an oil company may be more likely to say humans
  aren’t causing climate change — this would help to keep oil sales high.
• A scientist working for a renewable energy company may be more likely
  to say humans are causing climate change — this would increase sales
  of energy produced from renewable sources, e.g. from wind turbines
• The conclusions scientists reach can be affected by how good the data is
  that they’re basing their conclusions on (i.e. how reliable it is), how much
  evidence there is for a certain theory, and also sometimes by bias.
  6) Biased conclusions aren’t objective — they’ve been influenced by an
  opinion, instead of being purely based on scientific evidence