SC21c + d The Atmosphere Today Flashcards
greenhouse effect?
~energy from sun transferred to Earth by wave
~some energy absorbed by Earths surface, warming it up
~warm earth emits infrared waves
~some atmospheric gases absorb the energy from infrared waves
~gases re-emit energy, some goes to space, some goes back to Earths surface warming it up
greenhouse gases?
gases in atmosphere that absorb energy, e.g. carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour
how were historically CO2 levels measured?
ice cores taken from antarctica
why are the historical methods of measuring CO2 less accurate?
only taken from one place
how are modern measurements of temperature more accurate? 3
modern thermometers are less prone to errors and have a greater resolution, can be measured at many locations all around the world by satellites
why is the measurement of CO2 levels today more accurate then in the past?
measured at monitoring stations all around the world
causes of climate change?
increase in the amount of greenhouse gases
human activities that have caused an increase in greenhouse gases? 4
~burning fossil fuels, CO2
~livestock farming (bacteria in stomachs of cows) CH4
~extracting and processing oil and natural gas, CH4
~soil bacteria in landfill sites and rice ‘paddy’ fields, CH4
effects of climate change and problems?
~polar ice caps melting - sea levels rise = flooding
~animals move away as the cant cope with new conditions may cause extinction
~extreme weather conditions - affect wildlife and crop growth
~more carbon dioxide dissolving in oceans increase pH - harm organisms living in oceans
ways to limit effects of climate change?
~use renewable energy to reduce amount of CO2 released
~global engineering solutions - reflect sunlight back into space, capture CO2 from air and bury it underground
build flood defences
