Climate Change and Global Warming Notes

Climate Change and Global Warming

Definitions

  • Weather: The state of the atmosphere at a specific place and time, described by precipitation, temperature, humidity, wind, and pressure.
  • Climate: The long-term prevailing weather conditions in a particular area.

Key Definitions

  • Climate Change: A change in climate measured over several decades or longer, potentially due to natural causes (e.g., volcanic eruption) or human causes (e.g., factory emissions).
  • Adaptation: Actions taken to cope with the actual or anticipated impacts of climate change (e.g., cooling public transportation).
  • Mitigation: Efforts to stop or slow climate change (e.g., buying an electric car).
  • Resilience: The combined strategies of mitigation and adaptation that minimize the adverse effects of climate change.

Water Cycle

  • Evaporation: The transformation of water from liquid to gas (water vapor) as it moves from land or bodies of water into the atmosphere.
  • Transpiration: The release of water vapor from plants into the air.
  • Condensation: The transformation of water vapor into liquid water droplets in the air, forming clouds and fog.
  • Precipitation: Condensed water vapor that falls to the Earth’s surface, including rain, snow, hail, fog drip, and sleet.
  • Freshwater Storage: Sources of freshwater like wetlands, lakes, ponds, large rivers, and storage in ice and snow.
  • Snowmelt Runoff: Snow melts into streams.
  • Ground Water Storage: Water present beneath the Earth’s surface in soil pore spaces and rock formations.

Facts About the Water Cycle

  • Old groundwater is called fossil water.
  • The sun drives the water cycle.
  • The water cycle has no defined starting point.

Greenhouse Effect

  • Short wave solar (radiant) energy enters the atmosphere from the sun.
  • Some waves reflect off clouds and greenhouse gasses (GHGs) and return to space.
  • Other solar energy waves reach the Earth’s surface.
  • Upon hitting the Earth, these waves slow down and form longer heat (thermal) energy waves.
  • These longer heat energy waves have difficulty escaping back into space through the GHGs, trapping heat and warming the planet.
  • Increased GHGs from human activity and natural sources trap more heat, further warming the planet. GHGs act like the glass or plastic covering of a greenhouse, trapping heat.

Human Influence on the Greenhouse Effect

  • Natural Greenhouse Effect allows some heat to escape into space.
  • The Greenhouse Effect, intensified by humans, traps more heat due to increased greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse Gasses

  1. Carbon Dioxide Gas (CO2):
    • Burning organic matter (wood, coal, gasoline) in the presence of oxygen.
    • Deforestation.
    • Respiration by living things.
  2. Methane Gas (CH4):
    • Fossil fuel production, distribution, and use (26%).
    • Natural release from plant decomposition, wetlands, and oceans (22%).
    • Livestock farming (21%).
  3. Nitrous Oxide Gas (N2O):
    • Natural release by soil bacteria and oceans.
    • Agricultural sources (livestock waste and fertilizing crops).
  4. Water Vapor (H2O):
    • Produced naturally by evaporation, sublimation, and transpiration.

Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Gas

  • Carbon Dioxide (fossil fuel and industrial processes): 65%
  • Carbon Dioxide (forestry and other land use): 11%
  • Methane: 16%
  • Nitrous Oxide: 6%
  • F-gases: 2%

Facts About the Greenhouse Effect

  • The right amount of greenhouse gasses is essential for preventing Earth from freezing and protecting from skin cancer.
  • Greenhouse gasses come from both natural and man-made sources.
  • N₂O is 300 times more efficient at trapping heat than an equal weight of CO₂.

Global Sea Surface Temperature

  1. Oceans cover about 70% of the Earth’s surface and absorb about 90% of the excess heat caused by the intensifying greenhouse effect.
  2. Increasing global sea surface temperature leads to:
    • Rising sea levels due to water expansion as it warms and faster melting of sea ice.
    • Threatened marine ecosystems (e.g., coral bleaching, low oxygen for fish).
    • Increased water vapor over the oceans, leading to disruptive weather patterns (e.g., heavier rains and snows, drought).
    • Threatened human livelihoods.

Concerns with a Changing Climate

  • Economic concerns
  • Environmental concerns
  • Health concerns

Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector

  • Electricity and Heat Production: 25%
  • Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use: 24%
  • Industry: 21%
  • Transportation: 14%
  • Other Energy: 10%
  • Buildings: 6%

Ways to Mitigate Human Emissions of Greenhouse Gasses

  • Reduce energy consumption (conserve energy).
    • Electricity production is the #1 source of greenhouse gases (GHGs)
    • Transportation is the 4th source of GHGs
  • Reduce emissions from existing processes.
  • Switch to renewable energy sources that don’t produce GHGs (e.g., solar panels).

Ways to Adapt to Climate Change in Agriculture and Natural Resources

  • Increase shade and improve ventilation in barns for livestock.
  • Breed crops that are drought tolerant or can thrive in more variable temperatures.
  • Breed disease-resistant crop and livestock species.
  • Change the crops grown in an area to ones that can thrive in changing climate conditions.
  • Harvest and plant seeds from forest trees that are doing well in the changing climate conditions.
  • Use only the water and fertilizers needed by the crop (precision agriculture).
  • Use cultural practices like mulching to conserve water and improve soil temperatures.