BIOL 122: Climate Change (Exam 4) 5th

The accumulation of what is causing global climate change?

The accumulation of greenhouse gases.

_______________ _____ are airborne chemicals that capture and hold heat within Earth's atmosphere.

Greenhouse gases.

What are the Greenhouse Gases?

1) Carbon dioxide (CO2)

2) Methane (CH4)

3) Nitrous oxide (N2O)

4) Water (H2O) vapor

Atmospheric greenhouse gas levels are higher now than at anytime in the past ____________ years.

800,000.

***Since 1880, global surface temperatures have increased.

What human activities contribute the most CO2 to the atmosphere?

-Power Generation.

-Industry.

1) Power Plants (26%)

2) Industry (19%)

3) Forestry (17%)

4) Agriculture (14%)

5) Transportation (13%)

6) Residential Resources (8%)

7) Waste Disposal (3%)

____________ _____ act as an atmospheric blanket, trapping heat.

Greenhouse Gases.

***The more greenhouse gases there are the more heat is trapped.

What effect is vital to life on Earth and makes it the perfect temperature for life?

The Greenhouse Effect.

What is the scientific consensus regarding the effect of human-made greenhouse gas accumulation on Earth's climate?

The consensus among scientists is that the atmospheric accumulation of human-made greenhouse gases is gradually warming the Earth, causing global climate change.

The Greenhouse Effect:

1) Solar energy enters atmosphere as sunlight:

2) Much of this solar energy is reflected back into the atmosphere as heat energy.

3) Some the heat energy escapes into space.

4) Some heat is reflected back downward by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

What are the effects that Global Climate change has on ecosystems?

-Rising Temperatures --> many species are shifting toward the poles or higher elevations.

-Polar Habitats are melting away.

-Warming oceans --> coral to lose their symbiotic algae --> coral death --> loss of entire reef.

-Earlier snow melt --> dry conditions --> increase in devastating wildfires.

***Ecosystem effects also impact human life.

What is Surface Albedo?

How much sunlight a surface reflects.

-Bright surfaces (like snow) reflect a lot → high albedo.

-Dark surfaces (like forests or asphalt) reflect little → low albedo.

______ ______ is rain (or snow, fog, etc.) that has become more acidic than normal because of pollution in the air.

Acid Rain.

__________ ______________ is the process by which the ocean becomes more acidic because it absorbs extra carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air.

Ocean Acidification.

What is thermohaline circulation, and how does sinking cold water in the North Atlantic drive global ocean currents?

1) Cold water melts from glaciers in the North Atlantic.

2) Cold water sinks, driving the water down and away -- generating currents that move throughout the oceans.

3) Currents then carry water and nutrients throughout the ocean.