Marine-Climate change

what is the greenhouse effect

 a natural process where certain greenhouse gasses in the Earths Atmosphere warm the Earths surface. The suns energy reaches the earths atmosphere as shortwave radiation and reflected back to space as longwave radiation and some is reabsorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gasses due to it being to hard to escape atmosphere.

discuss differences between greenhouse effect, global warming, and climate change

• Greenhouse effect is the natural effect of trapping hear near earths surface to warm the planet

• Global warming is the increase in Earths average temperature due to human activities increasing the concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

• Climate change is the shifts of temperature and weather patterns and includes global warming and the implications it has on the planet.

what is meant my the term anthropogenic enhanced green house effect? and what activities cause it.

the human induced (anthropogenic) intensification of greenhouse gasses which leads to the increased warming of our planet. Activities like burning fossil fuels, deforestation of land and agriculture, waste management energy changes.

difference between enhanced greenhouse gas effect and greenhouse effect

• greenhouse effect is naturally occurring caused by volcanoes, respiration, fire and decomposition. it is a gradual process that takes millennia to centuries to increase.

• enhanced greenhouse effect is the increased warming of the planet caused by human induced reasons like burning fossil fuels, deforestation and agriculture. it is a faster process but still takes decades to occur.

what are common types of greenhouse gases

• Water vapor: water cycle, influenced by temperature

• Carbon dioxide: combustion of fossil fuels, industrial processes and deforestation.

• Methane: fossil fuel production, agriculture, landfills

• Nitrous oxide: fertiliser application, fossil fuel/biomass combustion industrial processes.

explain how coral bleaching will be affected by enhanced greenhouse effect and describe 2 global impacts with evidence.

• coral bleaching events increase in intensity and frequency due to rising ocean temperatures and ocean acidification which causes coral to expel the zooxanthellae making it white. 2 global effects;

  1. decline in biodiversity: coral reefs support an abundance of marine life, studies show a 60% decrease in catch/unit since 1950 where coral has bleached and a 63% decrease in biodiversity with loss of coral extent

  2. reduced coastal protection: coal reefs act as a natural barrier and protect the coast from waves and erosion. bleaching weakens/kills the coral reducing the effectiveness of the barrier. Research shows degraded reefs lose capacity to buffer coasts from weather events and those near degraded reefs experience more erosion during storms and increased storm surge heights.

explain how global sea levels will be affected by enhanced greenhouse effect and describe 2 global impacts with evidence.

• as enhanced greenhouse effect increases the ocean temperature due to absorbing excess heat from the atmosphere and causing it to melt glaciers and ice burgs/sheets which causes an increase in sea levels. 2 global effects:’

  1. land loss: the rise of sea levels lead to increase flooding due to higher tides and increased storm surges. this leads to the inundation of coastal communities and infrastructure. this is evident in in the East Coast and Gulf of America which are very vulnerable with increased flooding and storm surges.

  2. salt water intrusion: as sea levels rise salt water can intrude freshwater sources (aquafirs/rivers) and contaminate drinking water and impact agriculture. some regions, the rising sea levels infiltrate fresh water wells making them unsuitable for drinking and irrigation.

explain how thermohaline current will be affected by enhanced greenhouse effect and describe 2 global impacts with evidence.

• it will be weakened by enhanced greenhouse gas effect due to increased surface temperature and added freshwater. the warmer surface water reduces the density difference between surface and deep water meaning water wont sink. 2 global affects are:

  1. regional climate regulation: circulation plays a role in distributing heat around the globe which helps regulate regional climates. evidence of this is in the Young dryas period, a cold snap that occurred when circulation was disrupted by the melting of glacier Lake Agassiz.

  2. potential abrupt climate change: circulation is generally unstable that can change in strength and direction causing rapid climate shifts. studdies show that global warming with increase, with increase in freshwater from ice, can weaken circulation which leads to dramatic changes in climate changes like sudden rainfall or cooling.

explain how marine habitats will be affected by enhanced greenhouse effect and describe 2 global impacts with evidence.

• the greenhouse effect impacts marine life through ocean warming which causes marine heatwaves which damages coral and leads to depletion of O2 and ocean acidification, which makes it difficult for marine organisms like coral to build and maintain shells, sea levels rise which inundate and erode coastal structures. 2 global effects:

  1. destruction of ecosystems: the rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, more frequent extreme weather events, and ocean acidification cause the marine ecosystems like coral, and seaweed, and other habitats to be damaged by the adverse weather systems.

  2. tourism decline: with the damaged ecosystems and biodiversity decrease, tourists will visit area that are more preserved and will stay on land rather than the ocean sites that will be damaged.

explain how coastal communities will be affected by enhanced greenhouse effect and describe 2 global impacts with evidence.

• coastal communities face significant impacts due to the rising sea levels and increased storm surges caused by melting glaciers, and ice sheets. the rising sea levels lead to increased coastal flooding and the inundation of low lying areas due to the erosion of shorelines while the increased storm surges also increase the intensity and frequency of coastal flooding. 2 global impacts:

Outline different actions you, local and federal governments can do to reduce overall caron emissions

• Individuals: reduce energy consumption at home by using energy efficient appliances and only using what is required (turning off lights, LEDs), choosing public transport, walk or cycle to reduce overall emissions, reducing food waste and overall waste by reduce, reuse, and recycle.

• Local governments: promote renewable energy by investing in solar panels, wind turbines and other renewable energy sources, investing in energy efficient programs in buildings and promote energy audits and incentives for energy efficient practices, promote sustainable urban planning to plan for compact walkable communities, and investing in public transport and green spaces, and improve waste management systems and waste reduction systems.

• Federal governments: invest in research and development of clean energy technologies, implement carbon pricing mechanisms like carbon taxes to encourage clean energy usage, public awareness campaigns being launched to educate citizens about climate change and encourage individual action, set reduction targets and implement regulations to phase out fossil fuels.

Describe the following mitigation strategies for reducing emissions and outline the key differences: (emissions trading scheme, direct action policy, carbon pricing)

• emission trading policy: it works by setting an overall limit on total emissions then issue permits to participants that represent to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gases. companies can trade excess permits and those that reduce emissions below limit can sell surplus, if they go over then penalties apply.

• direct action policy: is the actions taken by individuals/groups to achieve a certain goal using tactics outside traditional methods that generally focus on government funding of emission reduction projects from businesses.

• carbon pricing: is a tool that aims to reduce greenhouse greenhouse emissions by putting a tax or cost on carbon emissions making it more expensive to pollute as it makes emitters pay a fee/ton of CO2 emitted. the funds from it can be used to fund more climate related initiatives.

what are the global impacts are predicted for the future of world oceans.

the climate change impacts will cause rising sea levels, increased ocean acidification, and changes in ocean currents and extreme weather events. these changes threaten coastal communities, marine ecosystems and industries reliant on the ocean.