Environmental Stewardship and Climate Science

Climate

avg weather conditions in a given region over time

weather

atmospheric conditions in a given region over time

Greenhouse Gases

• carbon dioxide

• nitrous oxide

• methane

• water vapor

greenhouse effect

energy comes into earth and is absorbed by water and land, water and land re-radiate/ redirect back outward in atmosphere, greenhouse gases redirect energy back downwards again causing accumulation of heat

Methane vs CO2

Methane is a much stronger gas, having much more absorbent/reflective power, but disperses from atmosphere much more quickly than CO2 which has less reflective strength but lasts longer

Negative Feedback loops

negative reinforcer that keeps things in control, more common in nature

• ex. water vapor causes formation of clouds which has a cooling effect on the earth, keeping global warming more in check

Positive Feedback loop

positive reinforcer which causes an increase of nature or natural phenomenons, is a growth promoter

• ex. water vapor increases warmer temp, which increases evaporation in the atmosphere, which increases humidity

Representative Concentration pathway (RCP)

tells concentration of forcing factors (greenhouse gases) in watts per meter

bleaching coral

caused by heat which causes coral to expel algae that produces glucose that helps coral grow, so coral is unable to get nutrients it needs

Buffer

a naturally occurring phenomenon such as the ocean that protects the environment by absorbing that threat to the environment such as carbon dioxide

Types of buffers

• thermal- ocean absorbs heat, places near ocean tend to be warmer

• Acidity- CO2 dissolved in ocean turns to bicarbonate, which is acidic and makes ocean acidic

Why is acidity harmful to ocean life

when carbon dioxide enters the ocean it chemically combines with hydrogen to create bicarbonate which makes the ocean acidic and dissolves the materials which shellfish need to create shells (carbonate)

decreasing

Avg PH in oceans is….

Changes in CO2 over time

Co2 has been fluctuating within the atmosphere(within a range) for hundreds of thousands of years, but levels have shot up above range in past 50 years

Elements of an Ecosystem

formed by interaction of plants, animals, microorganisms, and physical environment (such as climate)

Native Species

species that naturally originate from location w/o human intervention

• endemic (one location)

• or indigenous (native to many regions, migrating species)

Invasive Species

created when humans accidentally (by lumber or shipping) or intentionally move a species to a new geographical range

• species don’t directly harm environment but can if competing for resources

Eutrophication

build up of excessive plant material growth in ponds/lakes from fertilizer seeping into pond water, which causes algae to grow over, making sunlight unable to reach pond bottom, building up dead plant life

Risk multiplier

climate change increases risk of destruction when it comes to hurricane and other natural disasters

Uncertainty

refers to the fact that nothing in science is absolutely certain , there is always some degree of chance that something could be disproven, but that doesn’t make it necessarily false

indicators of global warming

• heat waves more frequent

• cold snaps milder and shorter

• snow cover decreasing in northern hemisphere

• glaciers and icecaps decreasing

• plant and animals move to higher altitudes due to temperature change

Measurements of Historic Co2 concentration

scientists measure by studying air bubbles trapped in ice cores, and making estimates of how long layers formed and measuring CO2 concentration within bubbles

Forcing agent

element which can force earths temp up or down , push atmospheric temp towards heating or cooling

Tracking global atmospheric changes

scientists track global atmospheric changes by using satellite remote sensing to track changes in the global atmospheric temp

Commensalism

type of symbiotic relationship where one organism is benefitting and the other is neither harmed nor benefitted

Sucession

process by which structure of specific environment changes over time

pioneer plant

plant that grows in degraded soil where other plants are not growing and over time grows by collecting nutrients from the air and animal droppings, makes way for future life in an ecosystem

climax species

species of plant which can grow with limited resources and change very little over time within their ecosystem unless there is a major environmental change, such as deforestation

keystone species

organism that is central to the ecosystem in the sense that many other organisms depend upon it for survival

Causes of threatened species

• invasive species

• destruction and loss of habitat

• overfishing

• human settlements

Genus

group of organisms that are similar enough that they are not a distinct species

biodiversity hotspot

biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is under threat from humans

Endangered Species act

created in the 70s, makes it illegal to interfere/threaten endangered or threatened species and federally protects their ecosystems

about 1/4

How much of CO2 we produce is absorbed by the ocean

Mass extinction

when a large number of the earths species disappear in a relatively short period of time

flat valleys

what type of environment is best for beavers to make their dams

dichotomous key

poses series of yes or no questions to identify a species

Metabolic heat production

used by animals such as deer to regulate body temperature in cold environment, gets body back to normal temp by shivering, vibrating muscles to create heat, or thermogenesis which activates heat providing horomone when cold