The consequences of global climate change Details Flashcards
Environmental impacts of global warming
-Melting of polar ice caps and glaciers
-Coastal flooding(due to increase in sea level)
-Increased flooding and more rapid circulation(in the water cycle)
-Change in biome distribution and species composition
Societal impacts of global warming
-Severe water shortages and possibly wars over supply
-Agriculture may shift towards poles(away from drought areas)
-Relocation of people living in coastal areas(due to flooding and storms)
-Increased disease(e.g. malaria)
Impacts of global climate change on the hydrosphere
-Flooding in low-lying areas due to a rise in sea levels
-Floods from melting glaciers(threatening available land and reliability of our water supply)
-Increased level of high tide
-Increased frequency of storm surges
Impacts of global warming on preglacial environments
-Increased net primary productivity(as long as there is a sufficient amount of nutrients)
-Increased methane emissions(due to melting of permafrost)
-Positive feedback loop involving decreasing snow causing increased albedo
Impacts of global climate change on the biosphere
-Increased plant growth(due to increased CO₂, and provided that there are no limiting factors like water)
-Soil erosion
-Desertification
-Salinization
-Animal migrations(usually poleward or to higher elevation)
The release of carbon from biomass and soils to the atmosphere is caused by…
deforestation
Impacts of global climate change in oceans
-Ocean acidification(due to higher carbon content)
-Destruction of coral reefs and mangroves(due to higher temperatures and ocean acidification)
-Creation of dead zones(due to reduced oxygen levels)
-Disruption of ecosystems(due to species migration towards cooler water)
How ocean acidification harms organisms like corals, mollusks, and some plankton species
-Some of the excess carbon dissolves in the ocean to become carbonic acid
-Carbonic acid reacts with carbonate in the water to form bicarbonate
-With less carbonate available, these organisms will struggle to build their shells and end up with thinner ones
Predictions/Characteristics of/for the global average maximum rise in temperature of 1°C
-(The increase only being this small) is vital for the survival of low-lying island states
-Believed to be virtually impossible to achieve
-Arctic sea ice would disappear completely in the summer months
-More frequent heatwaves and forest fires
-Worst-hit areas would be the Mediterranean region, southern Africa, Australia and the south-west United States
Predictions/Characteristics of/for the global average maximum rise in temperature of 2°C
-Severe heatwaves(like those that wreaked havoc in Europe in 2003) will occur annually
-The Amazonian rainforest will turn into desert and grasslands
-More than 60 million people will be exposed to higher rates of malaria
-Decreased agricultural yields
-The west Antarctic ice sheet will collapse
-A third of the world’s species will be at risk of extinction
Predictions/Characteristics of/for the global average maximum rise in temperature of 4°C
-Significantly increased levels of methane and carbon dioxide(due to the melting of Arctic permafrost)
-Ice cover at the Arctic will disappear completely
-All arctic animals will become extinct
-Many island nations will be submerged
Impacts of global climate change on biomesw
-Biomes will move to the polar areas(latitudinal shift relative to equator)
-Biomes will move up-slope(altitudinal change)
-Low-lying biomes(e.g. mangroves) may be lost(due to rise in sea level)
-High-altitude biomes may be lost(since they have nowhere to move)
-Reduced biodiversity
-Risk of extinction for many species(since current changes in temperature are happening too fast for many organisms to adapt)
Impacts of global climate change on agriculture
-Decreased crop yields(due to less freshwater)
-Crop-growing areas will move poleward
Impacts of global climate change on people
-Increased exposure to diseases like malaria(since mosquitoes can now grow in places that they previously couldn’t due to low temperatures)
-Increased human migration
-Tourism will skew towards more summer-based activites/places
Benefit of global climate change
New trade routes(since ice that was blocking certain paths would melt)
Why global climate change affects LICs more than HICs
LICs lack the technological resources and economic prosperity to cope as well as HICs can