The consequences of global climate change Details

Question 1

Environmental impacts of global warming

Answer 1

-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

Question 2

Societal impacts of global warming

Answer 2

-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)

Question 3

Impacts of global climate change on the hydrosphere

Answer 3

-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

Question 4

Impacts of global warming on preglacial environments

Answer 4

-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

Question 5

Impacts of global climate change on the biosphere

Answer 5

-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)

Question 6

The release of carbon from biomass and soils to the atmosphere is caused by…

Answer 6

deforestation

Question 7

Impacts of global climate change in oceans

Answer 7

-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)

Question 8

How ocean acidification harms organisms like corals, mollusks, and some plankton species

Answer 8

-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

Question 9

Predictions/Characteristics of/for the global average maximum rise in temperature of 1°C

Answer 9

-(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

Question 10

Predictions/Characteristics of/for the global average maximum rise in temperature of 2°C

Answer 10

-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

Question 11

Predictions/Characteristics of/for the global average maximum rise in temperature of 4°C

Answer 11

-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

Question 12

Impacts of global climate change on biomesw

Answer 12

-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)

Question 13

Impacts of global climate change on agriculture

Answer 13

-Decreased crop yields(due to less freshwater)
-Crop-growing areas will move poleward

Question 14

Impacts of global climate change on people

Answer 14

-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

Question 15

Benefit of global climate change

Answer 15

New trade routes(since ice that was blocking certain paths would melt)

Question 16

Why global climate change affects LICs more than HICs

Answer 16

LICs lack the technological resources and economic prosperity to cope as well as HICs can