IB Geo - Climate Change

something that speeds up or slows down a warming trend

accelerates temperature raise

slows down temperature raise

1. radiation

2. convection

3. conduction

the emission of electromagnetic waves such as x-rays, short waves, and long waves

the transfer of heat by he movement of a gas or a liquid

the transfer of heat by contact

the fraction of the sun’s radiation reflected from a surface

• lowest and warmest layer of the atmosphere

• includes nearly all water vapour, clouds, and pollutants

• most of the weather occurs in this layer

• the greenhouse effect occurs here

• second layer of the atmosphere

• ozone in this layer absorbs higher level UV radiation

• third layer of the atmosphere

• without ozone or other particles, the temperature decreases dramatically

• top layer of the atmosphere

• UV and X-radiation from the sun is absorbed, which breaks molecules apart into atoms (oxygen, nitrogen, helium, etc)

• temperature increases with height and can reach 2000 degrees celsius

the process where shortwave solar radiation passes through the gas molecules in our system (CO2, methane, and water vapour) because they are transparent to solar radiation, in absorbed by the Earth, and then reemitted (by entities in our system: the oceanic land surfaces, vegetation) as infrared radiation. the gas molecules are opaque to the IR radiation, so they absorb the IR and re-irradiate it in all directions, including back to Earth. the heat they send downwards is energy that the Earth has to keep it much warmers then it would be without the presence of GHG.

• the pattern that explained why the Ice Ages happened based on two key ideas

  1. the Earth’s climate is strongly affected by how much sunlight the northern latitudes receive during the summer

  2. the amount of sunlight varies based on changes in the Earth’s orbit and rotations

• eccentricity, obliquity, and precession affect the amount of sunlight (and energy) that is absorbed by the sun

a factor that drives climate change

the amount of sunlight reached has seen a slight decline throughout the years; this is called global dimming. dimming is caused by an increase in particles and surface aerosols which reflect sunlight back into space. water (from clouds) coalesces around the particles and form larger droplets with higher albedo.

human activity has increased the proportion of GHG in the atmosphere and there is no longer a balance between the incoming and outgoing energy because of additional GHG that trap extreme heat in the atmosphere

• industry and transportations and as a byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels

• electricity generation (fossil fuels, geothermal and nuclear power release large amounts of steam)

• irrigation from agriculture

• combustion of fossil fuels for heating, electricity, transportation

• removal of vegetation

• industry production: cement and petrochemicals

• agriculture: microbial process that breaks down nitrogen in inorganic fertilizers, manure, and urine

• combustion of fossil fuels

• industrial processes such as the production of adipic acid which releases nitrous oxide

the sensitivity and susceptibility to the adverse affects of climate change and the ability (or otherwise) to cope with them

the potential that the variables associated with climate change will reach such extreme levels that they will have an adverse impact on human life

a subjective judgement that people make about a particle risk (it’s severity, possible impacts, etc.)

• level of education

• gender

• culture

• rising sea levels could reduce land

• extreme weather: increase rainfall and more cyclones

• soil degradation and erosion

• food and water insecurity

• rainfall is becoming irregular and unpredictable

• thermal expansion is increasing flooding

• flooding is destroying infrastructure

• loss of fishing grounds is reducing food availability

• decreased ice could allow increased shipping through Arctic waters (risk of oil and chemical spills)

• unpredictable weather could cause more accidents

• changes in permafrost, sea ice thickness, and extreme weather could present more safety risks

• the mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth

• the majority of the air we breath is nitrogen

• contains all living organisms (plants, animals, microorganisms)

• all water in all three phases

• the oceans contain 97% of all Earths water

• two thirds of fresh water is currently locked up in ice sheets

• the part of the Earth where surface is frozen

• ex. ice sheets, glaciers, permafrost, and frozen sea ice

• overlaps with hydrosphere and lithosphere and influences biosphere and atmosphere

• the solid part of Earth - the rocky crust

• example: Tuvalu, Oceania

• sea levels have been slowly rising because of thermal expansion and ice sheets melting

• small pacific islands are slowly starting to disappear

• example: Great Barrier Reef, Oceania

• when carbon dioxide is absorbed by water, chemical reactions occur that reduce seawater pH (increases the acidity)

• excess hydrogen ions reach with carbonate to make bicarbonate which is bad because marine life uses carbonate to build their calcium carbonate exoskeletons

• example: Texas, USA, North America

• as average temperatures have risen because of climate change, the Earths water cycle has sped up through an increase in the rate of evaporation which dries out the Earth

• droughts cause a significant reduction in crops such as cotton in Texas

• 74% loss of crops in Texas due to drought

• example: Greece, Europe

• Greece experienced the largest forest fire ever recorded in Europe

• fast changing winds made the path of the fire hard to predict and extinguish

• animals will move to more colder places, but the ones that are already living the coldest places (ie. polar bears) have nowhere to go

• species that are already at the top of there thermal tolerance range will decrease band may become extinct

• long summers will spread insects and pests

• animals will shift poleward

• example: South America (Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Peru)

• a problem in various parts of SA due to poor land management practices deforestation, and extreme weather events

• more than 68% of SA is affected by soil erosion because of deforestation and overgrazing

• example: US, North America

• forms when warm over a warm ocean rises

• cool air fills in below and creates cyclonic action

• powerful hurricanes in recent years because of unusually warm waters

• hurricanes are moving north

• example: Brazil, South America

• deforestation will cause a reduction in carbon sinks

• more carbon to be released when fallen trees release them

• what usually replaces a forest, livestock and crops, generate massive amounts of GHG

• heatwaves and other heat related illnesses will increase

• vector-born diseases (malaria and dengue) will increase because the geographic range of vectors will expand

• reduced sea ice in the Arctic will open up new, faster shipping routes

• increase in severity and frequency of storms and disrupt shipping schedules

actions to reduce emissions that cause climate change

ex. sustainable transport, clean energy, energy efficiency

actions to manage the risks of climate change impacts

ex. disaster management and business continuity, flood protection, infrastructure upgrades

water conservation, local food, education, urban forests

1997/2005 - operationalizes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by committing industrialized countries and economies in transition to limit and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG)

didn’t work because some developing countries that were major GHG emitters (China and India) were exempt.

2015 - the aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise in this century to well below 2 degrees about pre-industrial levels

additionally, the agreement aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change

a carbon “tax” is a free that the government imposed on companies that burn fossil fuels. the money goes towards green technologies. additionally, taxes are lowered on non-fossil fuel products and most is refunded back to individuals.

government issue permits that are given or auditioned out ti companies. if the company curbs its own carbon, it can trade the excess permits for cash.

large scale manipulations of the environment to counteract climate change

planting trees and using soil conservation practices establishing new forests and restoring degraded land

planting trees in land that had not been previously forested

replacing trees in areas that have been deforested

restoring vegetation cover in areas where it has been lost

an organization or movement that works to negotiate matters of public concern

they include non governmental organizations, non profit organizations, labor unions, churches, and other service agencies