Unit 9 Global Change

HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons)

lower alternative to CFC's that damage the ozone layer (still damaging).

The ozone hole is most prominent on the Earth over

Antarctica

Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)

Source: ~50% from transportation (exhaust), ~50% from industry

Effects: acidification of lakes, respiratory irritation, leads to photochemical smog & ozone formation in troposphere

Stratosphere

12 to 50 km, Ozone held here, absorbs UV radiation

Troposphere

0-17 km above Earth's surface, site of weather, organisms, contains most atmospheric water vapor. (temperature decreases with increasing altitude, pressure decreases)

Tropopause

The boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere.

Hadley cells are

convection cells in the atmosphere through which warm air rises, releases its moisture, and returns poleward as cool, dry air.

Greenhouse warming potential

An estimate of how much a molecule of any compound can contribute to global warming over a period of 100 years relative to a molecule of CO2.

invasive species

plants and animals that have migrated to places where they are not native

Montreal Protocol

phase out of ozone depleting substances.

Kyoto Protocol

controlling global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries

biological vector

disease-carrying organism, such as a rat, mosquito, or fly, that spreads infectious disease

ocean acidification

when CO2 dissolves in seawater, it reacts with water to form carbonic acid, which lowers ocean pH

Zebra mussels are

an introduced alien species in the Great Lakes

CITES

A 1973 treaty formed to control the international trade of threatened plants and animals

K species characteristics

Stable. long life, strong ecological competitor, parental care

R species characteristics

opportunistic, short life span, able to move into open areas very quickly, poor ecological competitor, no parental care

inbreeding depression

when individuals with similar genotypes - typically relatives - breed with each other and produce offspring that have an impaired ability to survive and reproduce

ecological fragmentation

form of habitat degragation- breaking a habitat into smaller habitats

edge effect

the condition in which, at ecosystem boundaries, there is greater species diversity and biological density than there is in the heart of ecological communities.

Cowbirds

brood parasites. They like open spaces and do well in edge habitats. they lay their eggs into another birds nest.

North American songbirds

migrate to the tropics in the winter

UV light can cause

skin cancer, cataracts, mutations

carbonic acid

H2CO3 (weak acid)

thermal expansion

an increase in the size of a substance in response to an increase in the temperature of the substance

Paris Agreement on Climate Change

-seeks to limit greenhouse gas emissions and funnel aid to developing countries

-Obama signed this

-PROS: represents progress, lowers max warming allowed, holding warming to 1.5 degrees Celcius may slow sea level rise and prevent losses of certain lands

-CONS: falls significantly short of solving issue, the previous warming may have already triggered irreversible loss, congress won't agree to back it up since we've already warmed earth, and there's no possible way to enforce that people will do what they say since it's not binding in any way

Albedo

Ability of a surface to reflect light

HIPPCO

Habitat destruction, Invasive Species, Population growth, Pollution, Climate Change, Overexploitations

*habitat destruction is #1 threat to animals

Lacey Act

A U.S. act that prohibits interstate shipping of all illegally harvested plants and animals.

Cowbirds

brood parasites. They like open spaces and do well in edge habitats. they lay their eggs into another birds nest.

Remember…. Ozone that is found in the __ is “bad” ground level ozone that causes respiratory illness

troposhpere

However, ozone in the __ is “good” because it forms a protective shield against the Sun’s radiation

stratosphere

The Sun releases three types of UV radiation.  Those are UV- _, _, and __. Which two of these are higher-energy and therefore more damaging? UV- __

1) A, B, C 2) B/C

In the first step of the formation of stratospheric ozone, which type of UV radiation is involved?

UV-C

Write the equation for the breaking of the molecular bond in O₂:

O2 + UV-C → O + O

In the second step, ozone is formed. Write the balanced equation for this step

O + O2→ O3

Then, the ozone can be broken down naturally by what??? Write the equation:

Sun’s UV light; O3 + UV-B/C → O2 + O

What are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used for?

Used in consumer items(aerosol spray cans) and products like styrofoam and refrigerants

CFCs introduce what element into the stratosphere?

Cl

Write the equation for this element attaching to an ozone molecule:

O3 + Cl → ClO +O2

Next, the chlorine monoxide from the reaction in c. bonds to a free oxygen atom. Write this reaction:

ClO + O → Cl + O2

Why is the Cl atom considered a catalyst?

Bc its a substance that aids a reaction but is not used up itself

Why is Cl breaking down ozone a problem if ozone gets broken down naturally anyway??

Bc a single Cl molecule can breakdown as many as 100k O3 molecules until a Cl mol finds another; in this process ozone mols are no longer available to absorb incoming UV-B radiation

Is ozone depletion constant throughout the year or seasonal?  During what months does the Antarctic ozone hole form?

Seasonal, Aug-Nov

Decreased stratospheric ozone has led to a rise in the amount of __ that reaches Earth. Summarize the impacts that this has on: Plants, Humans

UV-B; Plants: Up UV-B is harmful to cells and can reduce photosynthetic activity; Human:  increased risks of skin cancer, cataracts, and other eye problems(esp. w/ suppressed immune system)

In 1987, 24 nations (including the US!) signed the ___ to reduce CFC production by 50% by 2000.

Montreal Protocol

Summarize the result of the efforts to reduce CFC production

The concentration of Cl has already peaked and is decreasing

What is the IPCC and what work have they accomplished since 1988?

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and they have accomplished the understanding that CO2 is an important GHG that contributes to global warming

Figure 63.1 shows CO₂ levels by year. What explains the “annual cycle” of rising CO₂ during fall/winter and falling CO₂ during spring/summer?

during spring plants begin to absorb CO2 and do photosynthetic stuff while come winter time plants begin to stop doing that

Approximately how much have global average surface temperatures risen since 1880?

1.1ºC

WHERE has most of the increase in mean annual temperature occurred?

Northern latitudes(near north pole; east and west if it)

How can scientists use foraminifera to gain insight into past climate conditions?

foraminifera: tiny, marine organisms with hard shells that resist decay after death; since their shells resist decay, scientists are able to examine the shell and predict what the average temperature of the ocean was at the time of death

Briefly describe the process of ice coring and how it can be used to gather information on climate history.

scientists drill deep into the ice and extract long tubes of ice called ice cores; when a piece melts, air bubbles are released and concentration of GHG is measured from when the bubble were trapped + help determine the temp from distant past

What is the range of estimates among the most common models for expected global average surface temperature increase by the year 2100? How does this compare with the change since 1880?

1880-now(1.1ºC), now-2100(1.8-4ºC)

Describe one positive feedback system related to climate change

soil holds twice as much  CO2 than the atm so if temp increases the biological activity of decomposers increase which releases more CO2 to atm

Describe one negative feedback system related to climate change

plants use CO2 to grow so an increase of CO2 causes more plants to grow which removes more

What is the difference between global climate change and global warming?

GCC: refers to the changes in the average weather that occur in an area over a period of time; GW: refers to the specific aspects of climate change-warming of the oceans, land masses, and atm

Explain how the greenhouse effect works

solar radiation from the sun is mostly absorbed by the earth, but some is reflected into the atm where much is reradiated back down in all directions due to GHG mols

Do all greenhouse gasses have the same warming effect on the Earth system? Explain

 No, bc they differ significantly in their heat-trapping ability and how long they last in the atm

When is ice cap data collected for the North Pole?  Why is it consistently collected at that time?

September each year because it's the time that the sea ice has reached its minimum extent

Briefly summarize the effect(s) that climate change is having/will have on polar ice

drastic reduction in size of the ice caps along with the ice getting considerably thinner making it more vulnerable to future melting

How can melting permafrost become a positive feedback for global warming?

When permafrost melts it releases methane(bc org matter is able to decompose stuff now that its exposed) which warms the atm which causes more permafrost to melt

What are the two ways that sea levels rise due to global warming?

land ice caps melting and warm water expands

Describe two of the specific examples given of how global climate change is affecting organisms.

temperature-induced changes in the timing of the plant flowering an animal behavior to the ability of plants and animals to disperse to more hospital habitats

Please read the entire section on “International agreements address climate change”.  What did the Kyoto Protocol attempt to achieve, and why has it not been very successful?

It attempted to set a goal for all industrialized countries to be reduced by 5.2% below their 1990 levels by 2012 and there were many different restrictions for different countries/unions(ex. US 8%) and other major developing countries that have been producing as large/if not larger amounts of CO2 that developed nations were exempt from the protocol

Explain how carbon capture/sequestration works to reduce global warming

methods of storing atmospheric CO2 and storing it in the land; after CO2 is captured it can become compressed and pumped into abandoned oil wells or the deep ocean(ex. Let agriculture lands turn into forests)

Did the US ever sign the Kyoto Protocol?

No

What is the Paris Climate Agreement?

a pledge by 195 countries to keep global warming less that 2ºC above pre-industrial levels

Is the US, under the current administration, in the Paris Climate Agreement?

No, in 2017 they announced they would pull out of it

According to your textbook and several scientific sources, how much uncertainty exists regarding global climate change?

Theres still speculation between government and advocates, but major of scientists believe that GHGs are causing global climate change

Which of the above(HIPPOC) is the greatest cause of species loss?

Habitat loss

In marine systems, there has been a sharp decline in the amount of living coral in the Caribbean Sea. What percent in living as of 2012, why is this a huge concern, and what are the causes?

8% left living; major concern bc coral reefs are major areas of biodiversity and without the living coral/habitat destruction, these organisms need to find new areas to live

Describe an example of harm done by taking a species from its native area (indigenous/native species) into a new area (now an exotic/alien species)

rats accidently transported on boats to hawaii and when they arrived they found ground nests and eggs as easy sources of food resulting in a high rate of extinction in ground-nesting birds

At what point does an exotic (alien) species become an invasive species?

when exotic species spread rapidly across large areas and cause harm

Describe one of the examples of invasive species and the problems it is causing

cowbirds lay eggs in other species nests causing the other birds to raise the eggs(blood parasitism)

What is the purpose of the Lacey Act?

prohibited the transport of illegally harvested game animals(primarily birds and mammals) over state lines and interstate shipping of these animals/plants

What is the purpose of CITES and what does it stand for?

Convention on INternational Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; its purpose is to control the international trade if threatened plants and animals

How is the good intention of replacing water-demanding grass with desert plants in dry areas having potentially negative impacts?

It increased the demand for cacti and other desert plants that are collected from the wild