Natural Disasters Week 10

CO2

  • Plant assemblages reflect climate

  • Changes in the plant species record climate shifts

  • Expectation of 43 billion CO2 released in 2025

  • CO2 has been increasing every year

  • Carbon cycle flows between the atmosphere, rocks, oceans, and biosphere

  • The long-term reservoir contains about 99% of earths carbon

  • Carbon reenters the atmosphere if rocks are heated or pressurized

  • Carbon can be stored for millions of years if locked away

  • The ocean is the primary regulator of CO2

  • It takes months to centuries to recycle CO2 through short term reservoir

  • The largest reservoir is in sedimentary rocks

  • When carbon is released, the natural control works very slowly

  • We are increasing the energy with the earth surface system which is the most important determinant in the number and magnitude of climate related hazards and disasters

  • Warmer air = more evaporation = more precipitation

Tornados

  • Recorded tornados have increased over 70 years in the US but mostly f1

  • Less one offs and more mega storms with multiple tornados

  • less days per year with tornados but more multiple tornadoes daily

  • We might have gotten better at finding tornadoes too