STS CHAPTER 12 : CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ENERGY CRISIS

climate change

any significant long-term change in the expected patterns of average weather of a region (or the whole Earth) over a significant period of time.

Direct impact.

Examples of this are heat waves, large-scale air pollution, natural disasters, etc.

Impact on ecosystems and environmental relationships.

Examples of this are damage to agricultural crops, over-abundance of mosquitoes, depletion of marine species, etc.

Indirect impact.

Examples of this are poverty, displacement, conflict over resources such as water, post-disaster epidemics, etc.

Global warming

is the slow increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere because an increased amount of the energy (heat) striking the earth from the sun is being trapped in the atmosphere and not radiated out into space.

Volcanic eruptions

discharge carbon dioxide, but they may also emit aerosols, such as volcanic ash or dust, and sulfur dioxide.

Volcanic aerosols

can block a percentage of sunlight and cause a cooling that may last for 1-2 years.

1816

often referred to as the "year without a summer, occurred after the violent eruption of Indonesia's Mount Tambora. This was possibly the largest known eruption in the history of human civilization.

sulfur dioxide

what is released into the stratosphere aside from ash particles when there are violent eruptions.

Currents

movements of ocean water in a continuous flow, created largely by surface winds and also partly by temperature and salinity gradients, Earth's rotation, and tides (the gravitational effects of the sun and moon). It act much like a conveyer belt, transporting warm water and precipitation from the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics. Thus, it regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface.

Precession

is the orientation of Earth's axis of rotation. it causes the seasons to occur at different locations in Earth's elliptical orbit. As the cycle progresses, Earth will be closest to the sun during summer and farthest from the sun in winter in the Northern Hemisphere-the opposite of what occurs today

True

True or False: Changes in the tilt of the earth can affect the severity of the seasons – more tilt means warmer summers and colder winters; less tilt means cooler summers and milder winters.

Eccentricity

changes in the shape of the Earth's orbit.

Obliquity

changes in the tilt of the Earth's rotational axis.

Precession:

wobbles in the Earth's rotational axis.

Sunspots

are darker areas on the sun's surface, it develops where an intense magnetic field weakens the flow of gases that transport heat energy from the sun's interior. It appear dark because their temperature is lower than the surrounding area.

True

True or False: The sun emits slightly more radiation during active periods of sunspots.greenhouse

greenhouse gases

gases in the Earth's atmosphere that trap heat. These are gases that absorb and emit radiant energy within the thermal infrared range.

Water Vapor

This is water in gas form. It forms clouds and rains back on Earth. This can cause a cooling effect, but also blocks heat from escaping the atmosphere, so it gets warmer and makes more water evaporate.

Carbon Dioxide

It is all around us naturally. It comes from decaying and living organisms, and from volcanoes. enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and other biological materials, and also as a result of certain chemical reactions (e.g., manufacture of cement).

Methane

made of carbon and hydrogen, is a normal gas released from wetlands, growing rice, raising cattle, using natural gas and mining coal. it reacts with the hydroxyl radical to create water vapor and carbon dioxide. It is a greenhouse gas that is much stronger than carbon dioxide.

Ozone

is a molecule that is made up of three oxygen atoms linked together. Because of its distinct chemical properties, it serves a dual purpose in the atmosphere. It serves as a layer protecting us from the sun, but in troposphere, it causes spikes in daily temperature and extreme heat waves.

Nitrous Oxide

has an atmospheric lifetime of 110 years. The process that removes this from the atmosphere also depletes ozone. So it is not only a greenhouse gas, but also an ozone destroyer. It is also released from bacteria in soil. So modern agricultural practices — tilling and soil cultivation, livestock waste management, and the use of fertilizers containing this element contribute to its emissions.

Hydrofluorocarbons

group of industrial chemicals primarily, used in refrigeration, air conditioning, foam blowing, aerosols, fire protection and solvents.

Deforestation

this is when trees are cut down and it releases carbon dioxide into the air as it rots or burn.

Coal Mining

the process of extracting coal from the ground. It requires a large expanse of territory. When this operation moves in, it invades and destroys sizable ranges of wilderness area, displacing the native fauna and removing habitat and food sources.

Fossil fuels

hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel oil or natural gas, formed from the remains of dead plants and animals

El Nino

a oceanographic/meteorological 12.4.2. Glaciers and the Global Sea Level There are two main factors responsible for sea level rise, and both are related to our warming climate: the melting of land-based glaciers and ice sheets, and the thermal expansion of the upper ocean caused by warming surface waters. large-scale phenomenon that develops in the Pacific Ocean, and is associated with extreme climatic variability i.e., devastating rains, winds, drought, etc.

Drought

is defined as three (3) consecutive months of way below normal rainfall condition (greater than 60% reduction from average rainfall)

Dry spell

is defined as three (3) consecutive months of below normal rainfall condition (21-60% reduction from average rainfall)

La Niña

a weather occurrence brought by the changing temperature over the Equatorial Pacific Ocean. It is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. originates from Spanish, meaning "the little girl", analogous to El Niño meaning "the little boy"

floodplain

this is the adjacent land of the river or body of water.

Haiyan

Considered as the deadliest Philippine typhoon of the modern era, Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) claimed more than 6,300 lives in the Philippines

Thelma

started out as a tropical disturbance in north-northeast of Palau, but eventually escalated into a tropical storm on November 4, 1991 as it got near to the Philippines.

Ike

known in the Philippines as Typhoon Nitang, was the deadliest typhoon of the 1984 Pacific typhoon season and crossed the Philippines in September. A total of 200,000 to 480,000 were left homeless.

Fengshen

known in the Philippines as Typhoon Frank, made a direct hit on the Philippines and China, causing severe damage and resulted in at least 1,371 deaths and leaving 87 people missing.

Washi

known locally as Sendong, swept across the Mindanao region from 16 to 18 Dec 2011, bringing strong winds and heavy rains that caused massive flooding, flash floods and landslides. More than 1,250 people had been killed, over 6,000 had been injured and almost 432,000 were served inside and outside 56 evacuation centers, as reported by the National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council

Durian

known in the Philippines as Typhoon Reming, was a violent tropical cyclone that wreaked havoc in the Philippines in late-November 2006, causing massive loss of life when mudflows from the Mayon Volcano buried many villages.

Bopha

ocally known as Pablo, passed to the south of the larger islands in the Palau archipelago in the early morning of 3 Dec 2012 with winds of up to 250 km per hour, damaging and destroying buildings and infrastructure. It made landfall three times as it passed through northern Mindanao, central Visayas, and Palawan on 4 Dec, affecting over 6.2 million people.

Amy

intense and deadly tropical cyclone that struck areas of the central Philippines in December 1951. Impacting the archipelago during the 1951 eruption of Mount Hibok-Hibo, it exacerbated the effects of the volcano, greatly increasing the number of resulting deaths. the typhoon disrupted volcanic relief operations and forced the displacement of victims already displaced by the volcano

Agnes

A little over a month after Nitang ravaged the Visayas and Northern Mindanao, This entered the country as a very strong typhoon and reached almost "super typhoon" status ravaging Southern parts of Samar Island by early morning of November 5, 1984.

Nina

known in the Philippines as Typhoon Sisang, was the most intense typhoon to strike the Philippines since Typhoon Irma in 1981. This originated from an area of convection near the Marshall Islands in mid-November 1987. It gradually became better organized, and on November 19, was first classified as a tropical cyclone.

True

True or False: Climate change affects the living world, including people, through changes in ecosystems, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.

Ecosystem Services

the benefits that the biodiversity and ecosystem produce.

Energy

the capacity for doing work. It may exist in potential, kinetic, thermal, electrical, chemical, nuclear, or other various forms. Energy can be converted from one form to another in various öther ways.

electricity

secondary energy source

heat

primary energy source

Renewable Energy Resources

energy resources that are available in unlimited amounts in nature. They can reproduce themselves in nature over a relatively short period of time and can be harvested continuously sustained proper through planning and management.

Non-Renewable Energy

energy resources that are available in limited amounts in nature and develop over a long period of time. As a result of their limited nature, they are likely to be exhausted one day.

Solar energy

used as a source of energy in the Philippines through industrial sized photovoltaic plants in the country.

Geothermal Energy

comes from the heat beneath the Earth's surface.

flash steam and the binary cycle

two methods of extracting geothermal energy used in the Philippines

flash steam

extracts water with a temperature greater than 182 °C using steam pipes

binary process

extracts water at a lower temperature than flash steaming. The extracted water is then used to boil a working liquid with a lower boiling point that will power the turbine. The water is also released back into the ground.

Wind Energy

Moving air generates energy through wind turbines that supply kinetic energy through mechanical power. The turbines then power a generator to produce energy. Wind power plants in the Philippines are located in Ilocos Norte, Rizal, Guimaras, and Aklan.

Biomass Energy

similar to fossil fuel in that it is combusted in order to boil water to produce steam that will drive a generator. Being an agricultural country, the Philippines is rich in natural resources like bagasse, rice husks, and coconut husks are used instead of fossil fuel. Biomass power plants in the Philippines are located in Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Laguna, Isabela, and Metro Manila.

Hydroelectric Power

Moving water is a powerful source of energy. The power harnessed from moving bodies of water. The Philippines make use of two methods in order to harness power; dam storage or impoundment, and run-of-river.

energy crisis

defined as the price rise of the energy resources or a great shortage in the supply of the resources of energy, here he supply of energy is far less than its demands and it can affect the whole of mankind.