P.1 Section A (2) Flashcards
what is the definition of climate change?
a long-term change in the earth’s climate , especially a change due to
what are the glacial periods?
when ice covered most of Europe and North America
what are the inter-glacial periods?
when the temperature was warmer and the glacial retreat/ shrink
give 4 pieces of evidence for climate change.
The UK’s 10 warmest years have occurred since 1990
- 2018 was the hottest summer on record
- extreme cold events are becoming more severe: Dec 2010 was the coldest month ever
- major flooding event have become more frequent over past 10 years: Dec 2015 was the wettest month —> caused flooding in many areas
give 2 evidence for climate change
Tree ring and ice cores
How are ice cores used as evidence for climate change?
tests air trapped in the ice, higher CO2 = higher temperature
How are tree rings used as evidence for climate change?
Every year trees grows and leaves a ring,
- thicker ring = warmer and wetter climate as it was able to grow
- thin ring = drier and colder climate
what are the 3 natural climate change theories?
1.volcanic activity ( eruption theory)
2. solar activity ( sunspot theory)
3. orbital changes
how does the eruption theory affect the temperature?
When a volcano erupts ash and dust is produced —> they rise and spread in the stratosphere and are spread bu winds —> these particles increase the albedo which reflects solar radiation back into space —> this can have the cooling effect upon the earth.
what is albedo?
reflectivity
how long does the cooling effect last?
round a year until it stabalises
what is the cooling effect
what eruption happened in 1992? what did it cause?
Mt Pinatubo (Philippines)
- caused average global temperatures to decrease by 0.5 degrees celcius
a global warming impact can take place as a result of …
high amounts of greenhouse gases that are released during the eruptiom
what are sunspots?
small black dots/spots on the sun, that indicate a period of greater solar activity, where the sun is emitting more energy as light or heat than usual
how long does the sunspot cycle last for?
every 11 years
what are the Milankovitch cycles?
a cycle lasting over 100,000 years includes: Eccentricity, Axial tilt and Precession
- they alter the amount of sunlight received
what is eccentricity?
the earth’s orbit of the sun (the path is takes) changes between being circular and elliptical (oval shaped)
Orbital theory: what is axial tilt?
the earth’s rotational axis changes
- sometimes it’s vertical and sometimes it’s on a diagonal slant
Orbital theory: What is precession?
when sometimes the earth’s axis wobble like a spinning top
how long does eccentricity last for?
over 100,000 years
how long does axial tilt last for?
41,000 years
how long does precession last for?
19- 23,000 years
what does anthropogenic causes of climate change mean?
it means human causes of climate change
what are the 3 human causes of climate change?
fossil fuels, agriculture, deforestation
what are fossil fuels?
coal, gas and oil
How do fossil fuels effect climate change?
burning fossil fuels release CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere—> this causes more warming as more solar radiation is trapped in the atmosphere
what is agriculture?
farming and rearing cattle
what are fossil fuels used for?(5)
transportation, building, heating homes, manufacturing industries, burnt in power stations to generate electricity
what % do fossil fuels account for in majority of global green house gases?
over 50%
why are levels of fossil fuels and CO2 increasing?
as the worlds population and wealth increases people are demanding for more energy —> this increases the level of fossil fuels and CO2
how does agriculture effect climate change (2)?
1.contributes to approx 20% of green house gas emissions
2. produces large volumes of methane
produce 2 ways methane is produced?
- cattle produce methane during digestion
- microbes produce it as they decay organic matter under the water of flooded rice paddy fields
what is deforestation
the clearing of forests on a huge scale
how much acres/ hectares of forest is lost each year according to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organistion?
an estimated 18 million acres/ 7.3 million hectares
how does deforestation affect climate change?
during photosynthesis, trees absorb CO2 —> this reduces the amount of CO2 in atmosphere —> meaning enhanced greenhouse gases contribute to rapid climate change
- deforestation leaves fewer trees to absorb the CO2
what happens when trees are slashed or burnt?
the CO2 that has been stored in the tree is released which contributes to climate change
what is climate mitigation?
the efforts to cut or prevent emissions of greenhouse gases, limiting the magnitude of future farming
what is climate adaptation?
methods which adjust the way we live to deal with the consequences of climate change
give 4 mitigation strategies for climate change.
- alternative energy
- Carbon Capture and Storage
- Planting trees ( Afforestation)
- International Agreements
what is the method of using alternative energy?
using renewable energy sources such as: wind, solar, tidal and nuclear energy
- mitigation
what is an advantage of using alternative energy?
renewable energy doesn’t run out and is sustainable
what is a disadvantage of using alternative energy?
most renewable energy relies on climate and day to day weather e.g solar
what % does burning fossil fuels produce of CO2 emissions
87%
what does nuclear power uses to generate electricity?
Uranium
what % of electricity does the UK generate through renewable energy?
39%
what is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)?
uses technology to capture CO2 produced by burning fossil fuels and buries it underground
Explain the method of CCS?
1.Once CO2 is captured, the carbon gas is compressed and transported by pipeline to an injection well.
2. It is injected as a liquid into the ground to be suitable geological reservoirs such as sedimentary rocks as this prevents it from escaping
who is the world leader in CCS?
the UK
How much money could the UK save a year by meeting it’s climate target?
£30 billion
How much CO2 can CCS capture?
up to 90%
what are 2 disadvantages of CCS?
- it is expensive
- unclear if the CO2 remains underground
what % of electricity does China get from burning coal?
80%
what % of electricity does India get from burning coal?
70%
what % of electricity does USA get from burning coal?
50%
what is affroestation?
planting trees
How does afforestation help reduce climate change?
trees acts as carbon sinks by removing CO2 from the atmosphere by photosynthesis
how do trees have a cooling effect?
they release moisture into the atmosphere. This has a cooling effect by producing more cloud, reducing incoming solar radiation
how much money has the US invested into reforestation? between what years?
$40 billion between 2010 and 2015
- could increase forest carbon storage by 28%
what is an advantage of afforestation?
it reduces CO2 emissions
what is a disadvantage of afforestation?
it is expensive
what is international agreements?
world leaders coming together to form an agreement
what was the Kyoto Protocol the 1st to become?
the first international treaty to become law
-2005
what happened at the Kyoto Protocol
Over 170 countries agreed to reduce CO2 emissions by an average of 5.2% below their 1990 levels by 2012
Kyoto Protocol: which countries refused to sign the treaty?
USA and Australia
what was the Paris Agreement the first to become?
The first ever universal and legally binding global climate change deal
- 2015
what are 2 outcomes of the Paris Agreement?
- to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees celcius and limited to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels
- to review progress every 5 years
what is a disadvantage of international agreements?
not allow countries fulfill their promises or participate at all
