Environmental Science Notes Outline
Unit 10: Climate Change
Climate Change
1. How was the Earth’s atmosphere different during the Precambrian Period?
2. What ability do cyanobacteria have?
a. How did this affect the other species of bacteria inhabiting the Earth?
3. What layer of the atmosphere do we inhabit?
4. What is the greenhouse effect?
5. List the four greenhouse gases:
a.
b.
c.
d.
6. Explain how the oxygen catastrophe caused Earth’s first ice age.
Ice Age and Glaciers
7. Define ice age –
8. What occurs during a glacial period?
9. What occurs during an interglacial period?
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Environmental Science Notes Outline
Unit 10: Climate Change
10. How are proxies used to measure temperature prior to the 19th century?
a. What two gases are analyzed in each layer, and what information do they give?
11. Describe the appearance of the carbon dioxide, methane, and temperature graphs.
12. When did the last glacial period on Earth end? Describe the overall temperature since then.
Tracking Climate Change
13. Why was Hawaii chosen as a site to sample carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?
a. During what season does the carbon dioxide level decrease?
b. During what season does the carbon dioxide level increase?
c. What has been the overall trend since 1959?
14. How have land and surface temperatures changed since the industrial revolution?
15. What is sea ice?
a. When does the Arctic reach its minimum sea ice extent?
b. How has sea ice extent been affected by global warming?
16. What is land ice?
a. How is the land ice of Antarctica affected by global warming?
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Environmental Science Notes Outline
Unit 10: Climate Change
17. What two factors are causing the rise in sea level?
a.
b.
18. Describe how climate change has altered each of the following:
a. Growing Season –
b. Insect Range –
c. Hurricanes –
d. The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt –
19. Define albedo –
20. Why is the Arctic heating up so much more quickly than the rest of the world?
21. What change in the arctic is leading to a decline in polar bear populations?
22. What could be affected if temperate glaciers are lost?
23. Define the hydrologic cycle?
24. How is the hydrologic cycle impacted by more heat?
25. What human populations will be most affected by rising sea levels?
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Environmental Science Notes Outline
Unit 10: Climate Change
Human Caused?
26. What are the three isotopes of carbon?
a. Which isotope is preferred by plants?
27. How did the carbon-13 / carbon-12 isotope ratio change when the industrial revolution began?
a. What caused this atmospheric change?
28. Describe the scientific consensus behind human-caused global warming.
29. List 5 effects that could occur with a 2o C increase in global temperature:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
30. List 5 effects that could occur with a 3oC increase in global temperature:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
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Environmental Science Notes Outline
Unit 10: Climate Change
o
31. List 5 effects that could occur with a 4 C increase in global temperature:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Solutions
32. What are four strategies focused on the prevention of greenhouse gas emission?
a.
b.
c.
d.
33. List some ways in which exacerbated global warming could be prevented:
34. List some ways in which exacerbated global warming could be remedied:
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Environmental Science Notes Outline
Unit 10: Climate Change
35. What greenhouse gas is released by each of these agricultural practices?
a. Deforestation:
b. Rice field flooding:
c. Raising cattle:
d. Applying fertilizer:
36. What is carbon sequestration?
a. How can sequestration be accomplished biologically?
37. What is carbon capture and storage?
a. What is the downside of using this technology?
38. Define geoengineering –
a. Give an example of a geoengineering solution to global warming.
39. Explain how carbon emissions trading works.
a. What is the downside of implementing emissions trading?
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