Contemporary sea level change from global warming or tectonics is a risk to some.

What is climate change?

The long term shifts in temperature and weather patterns

Can be accelerated by human activity

How much have global sea levels risen and how much more are they projected to by 2080?

• During the 20th century global sea levels rose by 20cm which is higher than any other time over the past 1,000 years

• They may rise another 41cm by 2080

• This is due to thermal expansion and melting land ice

What is the greenhouse effect sequence?

1 - solar radiation from the sun enters the earths atmosphere and some if reflected back into space by the atmosphere , clouds and the albedo effect

2 - the rest of the sun’s energy is absorbed, warming the oceans and the earth

3- some heat radiates from the earth back into space

4 - some is trapped by greenhouse gas, sustaining life

5 - Human activity is causing an increase in the amount of greenhouse gasses by burning fossil fuels and agriculture

6 - This trapping extra heat, causing global temperature rise

What is the Albedo effect?

• white surfaces do not absorb the radiation and reflect it back into space

What are the 5 carbon stores?

• biosphere - in plants + animals

• Lithosphere - in land + underground

• Hydrosphere - in water/oceans/seas

• Atheosphere - in the air

• Cryosphere - in ice

TEA in sea levels

T - Sea levels rose slowly between 1870 and 1940

E- melting glaciers drove 21% of sea level rise over the past 20 years

A - 1980 onwards has been faster

• accuracy has also increased since the development of tidal gauges and satellite imagery

What are 4 causes of climate change?

• rapid industrialisation

• Energy use

• Deforestation

• Pollution

What are 4 effects of climate change?

• Rising global temperatures

• Land degradation

• Unpredictable weather patterns

• Loss of biomass