bio climate change

green house gases

• 2 most abundant gases in the atmosphere are oxygen and nitrogen

  • These are not greenhouse gases

• Greenhouse gases are gases in the earth’s atmosphere that have the ability to trap heat from the sun, contributing to the green house effect

  • Make up less than 1% of the armosphere

• 2 most significant greenhouse gases are methane and carbon dioxide

• Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere by cell respiration and combustion of fossil fuels

• Methane is emitted from marshes and waterlogged habitats as well as landfill sites, also released during extraction of fossil fuels and melting of permafrost

• Water vapour is most abundant, it's concentration is primarily regulated by natural processes such as rain and snow

green house effect

• Gasses released due to human causes are known as anthropogenic sources of climate change

• Increased concentrations of greenhouse gases have led to an enhanced greenhouse effect and subsequent climate change

global warming

• As the earth experiences the effects of global warming, we encounter feedback cycles that can intensify its effects

• Positive feedback is when the end product of a process results in the amplification of the process that created it

global warming positive feedback cycle: melting

• (layer of ice that stays frozen all year round).

• As global warming accelerates, permafrost (and waterlogged detritus) melts releasing methane and CO2. This will further accelerate global heating.

global warming positive feedback cycle: methane

• frozen methane can form a cap over a store of methane, keeping it from escaping.

• As the ocean warms, increased temperature of the seawater might dissolve the caps → sudden release of large amounts of methane → further  increase of greenhouse effect→more global warming

global warming positive feedback cycle: ocean CO2

• The solubility of Co2 in water decreases with temperature.

• As Co2 levels in the atmosphere rise, the global temperature also rises ocean temperature rises

• →more CO2 released  →further increase of global temperature.

global warming positive feedback cycle:peat decomposition

• Peat ( partially decomposed organic matter found in wetland areas) acts as an important carbon sink or reservoir. 

• As temperatures increase, microbial activity in peatlands becomes more active, leading to accelerated decomposition of organic matter.

• This process releases carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, further increasing the temperature.

global warming positive feedback cycle:melting of snow and ice

• Snow and ice reflect solar radiation. The amount of radiation reflected into space is known as albedo.

• As polar ice melts, open water  becomes exposed.

• Water is darker and absorbs radiation more→ This absorption intensifies the warming → accelerating the melting of snow and ice →  amplifies the effect of global warming

aquatic effects: ocean currents

•  The timing and extent of nutrient upwelling are influenced by ocean currents,

• changes in currents caused by climate change can impact the occurrence and intensity of upwelling events

• warmer surface water tends to prevent nutrient upwelling to the surface

• decreasing the availability of nutrients to many organisms that rely on them, like phytoplankton

aquatif effects: coral reefs

• H+ ions will lower the ocean pH (acidification) and will also combine with free carbonate ions to form more hydrogen carbonate

• With less free carbonate ions, marine organisms are less able to produce calcium carbonate

• Calcium carbonate is used to form the hard exoskelteton of coral and is also present in the shells of certain molluscs

• The disapearance of coral reefs could reult in a loss of shoreline protection and habitat, altering ecosystems

aquatic effects: Landfast ice in polar habitat

• Land fast ice is ice that doesnt move , is fastened to shore

• Provides a stable platform for penguin colonies to breed and raise their young

• Accelerated melting of landfast ice poses a significant threat, disrupting the penguins’ natural breeding cycle and potentially leading to a decline in their population 

terresterial effects

• Species whose habitat is on mountains are referred to as montane

• Poleward and upslope range shifts occur when species gradually shift their distribution towards higher latitudes due to changes in climate conditions  and significant effects  on the biodiversity of ecosystems

temperate species

• Temperate species are organisms that are adapted to live in temperate regions (modern climates with distinct seasons), examples that illustrate this shift

  • Montane bird species in new guinea: Researchers have observed up slope range shifts in several bird species that are typically found in tropical zones. With the warming climate, these birds have been moving to higher elevations in search of more suitable habitats (cooler)

carbon sequestration

• Capture of carbon and storing it

• Natural processes of carbon sequestration:

  • Growth in biomass storage

  • Carbon fixation in photosynthesis

  • Uptake of carbon by aquation environments

approaches for cabon seuqestration

• 2 main approaches for carbon sequestration stand out as effective methods

  • Aforrestation: planting trees which absorb CO2 during photosynthesis and store it in thehir biomass, as they grow they continue to accumulate carbon, removing it from air and storing it in their leaves, trunks, and roots

  • Restoration of peat forming wetlands: peat forming wetlands including bogs and swaps have significant carbon storage potential in tehir waterlogged soils