biol251 exam 2

climate change measurements

global temperature, CO2 concentrations, sea level

glacial climate state

“ice age” ; low sea levels, ice caps over entire continents

interglacial climate state

ice caps in polar regions, large temperature zones, moderate sea levels

greenhouse climate state

no ice caps, high sea levels, very hot (dinosaurs)

climate change

weather conditions in an area over a long period of time (no shorter than 30 years)

global warming

implies warming happens all the time (people dont experience it day-to-day; outdated)

global (climate change)

whole planet; ecosystems are interdependent and interconnected

(global) climate (change)

not just surface temperature, but global processes; 30+ years

(global climate) change

not moving in all one direction; ripple effect, unforseen interaction and consequences

paris climate agreement

international treaty; main objective is to limit global warming to under 2 degrees celsius

requirements for paris climate agreement

must report (transparency, must be measuring); NOT legally binding (not required to hit targets)

nationally determined contributions (NDCs) (FACT)

1. finances/fairness

2. ambition

3. credibility

4. transparency

greenhouse gas effect

greenhouse gases (list)

CO2 (carbon), CH4 (methane), N2O (nitrous oxide), H2O (water)

montreal protocol (1987)

reduce ozone-depleting substances (Chlorofluorocarbons aka CFCs); major sucess but still ongoing

kyoto protocol (1997)

legally binding; goal to reduce GHGs, did not include major emitters (US, China); unsuccessful

greta thunberg

activist whose goal was immediate action to mitigate climate change and the effects of it; “how dare you” speech at UN, fridays for the future (school strike)

evansville climate action plan

1. reduce GHG emissions and reduce contribution to climate change

2. strengthen economy (sustainable development)

3. significantly reduce waste

4. improve air quality

H2O

highest percent of a GHG in atmosphere

CO2

highest percent man made GHG

global warming potential (GWP)

atmospheric lifetime; amt of long wave radiation each molecule can absorb

4 distinct zones in atmosphere

land → space

troposphere → stratosphere → mesosphere → thermosphere

• tropo pause separating each part

atmosphere

gas molecules, relatively densely packed near the surface and thinning

seasonal rhythm

photosynthesis in northern hemisphere; happens because CO2 rises in winter (no photosynthesis), and decreases in spring/summer because trees grow and take in CO2

convection currents

heat-driven cycles that occur in the air and ocean, redistributing heat and moisture around the globe

• warm air/water rises

• at altitude, air cools and sinks

• region weather patterns defined where convection currents meet

troposphere

gravity holds air molecules close to earth’s surface = denser than other layers

stratosphere

ozone layer

mesophere

middle layer, where meteors burn up due to friction

thermosphere

heated layer, produces northern lights

exosphere

outermost atmospheric layer

global ocean currents

heat/warm water changes climate

la niña

cold water hits south american and has strong upwelling current; brings nutrients via fishing

el niño

leads to more extreme weather conditions due to warmer weather; natural disasters

GHGs are in

troposphere

albedo effect

reflective heat (snow/ice) (positive feedback loop) ; reason why arctic is warming faster

convection

cold air gets pushed to edges, then circles back to the poles as warm air

hydrocarbons

materials made of strands of hydrogen and carbon materials

oil/gas formation

come from phytoplankton that existed millions of years ago. they die, sink to the bottom, and are transformed into ______ after millions of years

coal formation

comes from old swamps/bodies of waters(not oceans), buried under layers with heat/pressure, plant matter is formed into ______ after millions of years

are oil/gas/coal considered natural resources

no, since they cannot be renewed in our life time

coal (usefulness)

generate electricity

ways to mine coal

1. underground mines (E coast)

2. mountaintop removal (E coast)

3. surface area mines (W coast)

partially decomposed organic material (PEAT)

accumulates in small amounts, which is why it takes a long time for plant matter to be buried and eventually turn into coal

reserve of coal can get…

bigger or smaller depending on new technology, new discoveries, etc.

environmental issues from coal usage

• climate change: dust particles/methane

• water pollution: acid mine drainage

• biodiversity loss/habitat loss

• human health risks

clean air act of 1963 / clean water act 1972

3 goals

1. improve air quality

2. protect public health

3. reduce environmental pollution

envionmental protection agency (EPA)

1. set standards

2. monitor emissions

3. regulate industry

top oil countries

venezuela, saudi arabia, iran, canada, iraq

refined oil/gasoline

most consumed oil in the world

why do we trade oil?

not all oil is the same

primary extraction of oil

drilling and pumping, forcing oil to the surface; verticle process

secondary extraction of oil

after flow of oil stops, water/steam is injected to increase pressure, forcing more oil to the surface; verticle process

fracking

breaking subsurface underground, cracks open up oil/natural gas reserves; horizontal drilling; very high pressure; TERRIBLE for environment

tar sands

northern canada; oil bonded w/ loose-grained rock; uses steam to liquify and separate oil

natural gas is primarily…

methane; fastest growing fossil fuel energy source

methane provides…

biggest chunk of our electricity

pros of methane

produces less waste, and GHGs

cons of methane

gas pipelines can leak GHGs and cause fires

cost of fossil fuel dominace

non renewable and will be difficult as resources decline, international conflict from competition for fossil fuels, resources are not evenly distributed

alternative energy

wind/solar/geothermal reduce air pollution and climate change effects, but its cheaper to extract

cap and trade

• limit on total emissions that companies can produce each year; if a company doesn’t use all of it, it can sell it to another company

• companies have to pay more if they dont stay under the number of emissions

• caps emissions but still putting same amt in atmosphere

carbon tax

• tax on companies based on how much carbon they produce

• companies hesitant bc reforms to avoid this tax is expensive (would rather just pay the fine)

• there are exceptions from the tax (defense, agriculture, safety)

carbon capture and storage

• capturing CO2 from natural gas plants or factories, transporting it via pipelines, and stored into rock formations deep under the surface

• has been successful at reducing current emissions

• risks come with storage (leaks can be deadly)

• expensive and hard to implement in smaller countries

weather

Current or short term state of the atmosphere

how we get energy from coal

energy transferred as heat → water/steam store of heat energy → energy transferred as movement → turbine → energy transferred as movement → generator → energy transferred as electricity

environmental issues from coal plants

• air pollution: carbon dioxide

• water pollution: thermal pollution, acid/rain

• land degradation: where to put all the waste?