Present and future climate change (14&15) Flashcards
Does Earth have an ideal temperature and hydroclimate?
No, however global warming causes problems because humans have adapted to the current climate e.g. by building many settlements at coasts.
What temperature increase do we want to prevent global warming going over?
2°C.
Where do we measure temperatures from?
Air above land (weather stations), ocean surface via ships and buoys, satellites.
What year was the warmest year on record?
Either 2015 or 2016 (difficult to tell).
What is the global average temperature increase so far?
1°C.
What are ‘instrumental records’ recorded by?
Thermometers.
Why have people in more recent years been unable to adapt to climate change?
The change has been too rapid.
The 20th century was the warmest of the what?
Millennium (Mann et al., 1999).
Why does the northern hemisphere absorb more CO2 than the southern hemisphere in summer?
It has more land and forest – the leaves absorb CO2.
Do all parts of the world warm at the same rate?
No.
What would the earth’s average surface temperature be if there were no greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
-20°C.
What are aerosols? Give an example.
Particles suspended in the air e.g. dust released from burning coal (Mayhew, 2015).
How do aerosols affect temperature?
They increase cloud cover and reflect some of the suns rays back into space (causes cooling).
What has happened to solar energy in recent decades?
It has been declining – in the absence of atherogenic activities climate would be getting colder.
When did CO2 emissions significantly start increasing?
In the mid-19th century.
