Unit 9 Flashcards
UV-C and UV-B may cause:
tissue damage, mutated DNA and cataracts
How does ozone absorb UV-B and UV-C radiation?
UV-C breaks O2 into two free oxygen atoms.
These oxygen atoms then combine with O2 to form Ozone (O3).
The continued formation and break down of O3 absorbs all UV-B and UV-C radiation.
What is the primary anthropogenic cause of O3 breakdown?
CFCs
Montreal Protocol
phases out and replaces CFCs with HCFCs
HCFCs
deplete O3, but to a lesser extent.
Still act as a green house gas
HFC
No ozone depletion
still acts as a green house gas
HFOs
No ozone depletion
do not act as a green house gas
What percent of solar radiation is reflected back into space by clouds and atmosphere
26%
What percent of solar radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere and clouds
19%
Darker surfaces __________ infrared radiation
release
How to Green House Gases heat the atmosphere
these gases trap heat from the sun and radiate it back to earth
*we need some green house gasses otherwise earth would be too cold
What releases methane into the atmosphere?
natural gas combustion and extraction, animal agriculture, anaerobic decomposition, permafrost thaw.
What releases Nitrous Oxide into the atmosphere?
denitrification of nitrates from overwatered or overfertilized soil
GWP
measure of how much a given molecule of gas can contribute to atmospheric warming over a 100-year period, relative to CO2.
How does climate change cause sea level rise?
thermal expansion, melting polar/glacial ice
What environmental impact does rising sea level have?
rising sea level causing flooding of costal ecosystems like estuaries.
rising sea levels can also disrupt the freeze-thaw cycle of glaciers, depriving surrounding ecosystems of fresh water
What are some economic impacts of rising sea level?
Destroyed property/flooding.
higher insurance cost
saltwater intrusion into wells, contaminating drinking water
How does climate change impact the spread of disease?
Climate change can increase the range of certain disease vectors, such as mosquitos, which increases the spread of disease (zika, west Nile, etc.)
vWhy has earth’s climate varied over geological time?
Earths obliquity (tilt) and Eccentricity (orbit) have followed Milankovitch Cycles. Which created predictable patterns in earths long term climate