APES Global Change

layers of atmosphere

troposphere → stratosphere → Mesosphere → Thermosphere → Exosphere

Tropospheric Ozone

• VOC’s + NOx

cause of Earth’s seasons

the Earth’s tilt and the angle of the sun

stratospheric ozone

• highly beneficial gas in the stratosphere

• shields Earth’s surface from harmful UV radiation

UV-C

• completely blocked by ozone layer

• constructs Ozone from oxygen gas & oxygen

UV-B

• majority absorbed by ozone layer

• breaks ozone back to oxygen gas & oxygen

UV-A

• UV that makes it past the ozone layer

• harmful to skin

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

• type of halocarbon

• nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals containing atoms of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine

• refrigerators, fire extinguishers, propellants for spray cans, and cleaners for electronics

halocarbons

synthetic compounds derived from hydrocarbons where hydrogen atoms are replaced by atoms of chlorine or bromine

polar stratospheric clouds

• clouds of ice crystals

• provide surface for chemical reaction that changes chlorine in molecules into more active forms that do destroy ozone

Antarctic Spring

• October

• when ozone depletion is most evident

polar vortex

region in pole with intensified winds and cold temperatures

Process of CFCs in atmosphere

1. rise into stratosphere over 11-20 yrs

2. break down under high-energy UV radiation (activator)

3. each CFC molecule can last 65-385 yrs

Montreal protocol

• allowed regulations on amounts of ODS’s (Ozone Depleting Substances) released

• successful

Copenhagen Protocol

aiming to address climate change and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, recognizing the need to limit global temperature rise to no more than 2 degrees Celsius

HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons)

• created to replace CFC’s

• saves ozone layer but acts as a greenhouse gas

• drastic warming of the atmosphere

Kyoto Protocol

• international treaty trying to reduce greenhouse gases

• stricter regulated on developed countries

Paris Agreement Accord

• international treaty trying to reduce greenhouse gases

• same thing as Kyoto Protocol but it is more even/fairer between countries

Albedo Affect

white/light colors reflect heat/light

Oceans Role in Global Warming

• oceans heating up =increased global warming

• hotter oceans absorb less CO2

Clouds Role in Global Warming

• warmer temps. create more clouds

• thick, low clouds decrease surface temp.

• thin, high clouds increase surface temp.

• absorption/reflection of solar radiation (albedo affect)

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

body that assesses the scientific basis of climate change, providing regular, comprehensive, and authoritative assessments on climate science knowledge for policymakers and the public

HIPPCO

• Habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation

• Invasive (nonnative) species

• Population and resource use growth

• Pollution

• Climate change

• Overexploitation

Ocean Acidification

• carbonic acid “steals” carbonate needed by marine organisms for their shells

• ocean absorbs heat & CO2

Colony Collapse Disorder

a phenomenon where the majority of worker bees in a honeybee colony disappear, leaving behind a queen, plenty of food, and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees

Bust meat

meat from poached animals

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

an international agreement that aims to ensure international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival in the wild

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

international legal instrument for "the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources" that has been ratified by 196 nations

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

A U.S. law passed in 1973 designed to protect species that are at risk of extinction and the ecosystems on which they depend. The ESA allows the federal government to list species as endangered or threatened, prohibits the harming or trading of these species, and requires the development of recovery plans to help populations recover.

Weaknesses of ESA

• mainly popular animals saved

• funding pays for bureaucracy, not recovery

Accomplishments of ESA

1. Species listed only when in serious danger

2. takes decades to help endangered species

3. conditions for more than half of listed species are stable or improving

4. 2010: spend only 9 cents per American

What ozone is created primarily by & equations

sunlight

O2 + UV-C → O + O

O + O2 → O3 + heat

ozone-oxygen-cycle

• A natural process in the stratosphere where UV radiation breaks down O₂ into individual oxygen atoms, which then combine with O₂ to form ozone (O₃), and ozone is later broken down again by UV light, maintaining a balance.

• continuous process because there is so much oxygen

“Leaky Bucket” of ozone creation

rate of creation = rate of destruction

long lasting effect of one atom of chlorine

one atom repeats reactions with all the oxygen, destroying many molecules of O3

when scientists started measuring ozone

1920’s

“ozone hole”

thinning of the ozone layer over the south pole

what happens when sun rises in Antarctic Spring (September)

light releases Cl atoms into stratosphere and ozone depleting begins

Primary Air pollutants

1. CO2

2. SO2

3. NOx

4. VOC

Secondary Air Pollutants

1. NOx + VOC →(sun) O3

2. SO2 + H2O → H2SO4 (sulfuric acid)

3. NO2 + H2O → HNO3 (nitric acid)

primary ozone depleting substances

• CFCs

• halons/halocarbons

  • bromide

  • chlorine

• in stratosphere

greenhouse gases

• gases that trap heat

• gases that absorb heat radiated by the earth and then emit Infared radiation that warms the atmosphere

1. HCFC/CFC/HFC

2. CO2

3. H2O (vapor) - short residence in atmosphere

4. CH4

5. O3

6. N2O

Positive Feedback Loop

effect that increases/worsens the cause

ex. ice melting → reduced albedo effect → heating of ocean/water absorbs more heat → leads to more ice melting

Negative Feedback Loop

effect negates the cause

ex. homeostasis in the body

cold —(shaking)→ normal

hot —(sweating)→ normal

Global Warming Potential (GWP)

the ability to trap heat

heat from sun

infrared radiation trapped/retained in troposphere

biosphere

living part of Earth (all living things)

aerosols

• causes global cooling

• They reflect sunlight back into space and increase cloud formation, both of which reduce the amount of solar energy reaching Earth's surface.