IB Geography Consequences of Global Climate Change

Hydrosphere

The world's water cycle and stores

Atmosphere

Gaseous mass or envelope surrounding the earth

Biosphere

The world's ecosystems

Cryosphere

Portions of the earth where water is solid, most under threat of change

Rising Sea Levels

Melting land ice and thermal expansion. If all glacier ice was to melt = 80m rise. If all temperate glaciers were to melt = 0.3-0.6m rise. If all Greenland glaciers melted = 6m rise. If Antarctica melted = 72m rise. Shanghai, Miami, Osaka, almost all coastal cities would flood with 3° of warming. Maldives, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati are all at risk of disappearing.

Extreme Weather Events

Droughts, fires, flooding, storms all caused by rising temperatures

Ocean Acidification

CO2 dissolving on the surface + rain bringing in carbonic acid, dissolves limestone(building block of ocean life)

Coral Reef Loss

Bleaching due to increased temperatures + other stresses(ocean acidification, dynamite fishing, etc). Rejects zooxanthellae

Health Hazards

Heatstroke, respiratory issues, skin cancer, spreading tropical diseases, viruses melting. West Nile virus has been found in Europe since 1996.

Human Migration

Changes in crop yield, flooding+other natural disasters(Syrian war)

Shipping

North West Passage + Northern Sea Route opened up

Increased Tectonic Activity

Melted ice no longer holds ground or cools movement

Agriculture

Climatic zones changing, some yields improved while others destroyed

Sequestration

The process by which carbon is removed from the atmosphere and stored in liquid or solid form.

Thermokasts

Mounds formed where surrounding soil is sucked down as permafrost thaws

AMOC

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, thermohaline current

Biome Shift

Changing temperature patterns will change biome borders. The tree line is migrating north + to higher altitudes.

IUCN

International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Discovered that humans have increased natural extinction rates by 1000x

Tipping Points

Greenland Ice Sheet, AMOC, Monsoons, Amazon(2021 carbon source), Antarctic Ice Sheets, Permafrost, Coral Reefs

Spring Tides

Highest tides of a year, 'spring' high quickly