Global Climate Change
http://www.msss.com/earth/earth.gif
Global Climate Change:
Pictures taken
from same
location during
same time of
year over a
number of
years…
Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park,
http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/repeatphoto/Pairs/Grinnell/Grinnell_Mt_Gould/
Grinnellquad_frMtGould_c-t.jpg
The Greenhouse Effect:
• The greenhouse effect is the process
by which the atmosphere warms the
Earth.
• First discovered in the early 1800s,
the greenhouse effect describes both
the natural process of heating Earth
and the added effect of human action.
The Science Behind the
Greenhouse Effect:
• Solar radiation from the Sun passes through
Earth’s atmosphere.
• This light is absorbed by land and water and
heats Earth’s surface.
• Some of that heat is emitted back into space as
radiant heat.
• Some of this radiant heat is absorbed by gases
in the atmosphere.
• These greenhouse gases re-emit the heat to
lower parts of the atmosphere and to the surface
of Earth.
The
Greenhouse
Effect:
http://www.crystalinks.com/green
house2.gif
Greenhouse Gases:
The gases found in the atmosphere that can
absorb the radiant heat from Earth’s surface are
called greenhouse gases:
These are produced naturally and by human
activities:
– Carbon Dioxide, CO2
– Nitrous Oxide, N2O
– Methane, CH4
– Ground-level Ozone, O3
– Water Vapor, H2O
Greenhouse Gases Continued:
These greenhouse gases are produced
solely by human-activity:
– Halocarbons
– Chlorine and Bromine containing substances
(examples: chlorofluorocarbons, CFCs)
– Sulfur hexafluoride, SF6
– Hydrofluorocarbons, HFCs
– Perfluorocarbons, PFCs
Human Influence on Greenhouse
Gases:
1.
Burning fossil fuels
•
•
Gasoline in vehicles
and natural gas and
coal in electricity
generation
THIS GENERATES
THE MOST
GREENHOUSE
GASES! (primarily
http://longislandnn.org/images/smog.jpg
CO2, some CH4 from
mining and natural
gas)
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20041208/a610_3857.jpg
Human Influence on Greenhouse
Gases Continued …
2. Removing and burning vegetation
- Leads to
fewer
plants so
that means
less CO2
can be
pulled from
the air.
http://www.plu.edu/~hoodbs/img/deforestation-2.jpg
Human Influence on Greenhouse
Gases Continued …
3. Industrial actions
- Release CO2
directly (coolants,
combustion, etc.)
or use LOTS of
energy (which is
primarily
generated by
burning fossil
fuels).
http://www.reliablebiopharm.com/images/
manufacturing-biotech-center.gif
http://www.workforceboardsmetro
chicago.org/upload/manufacturing
_pic.jpg
http://www.speedrack.net/mill.jpg
How do scientists gather data
about CO2 levels?
•
Current and recent data collection occurs
worldwide – on land, in oceans and via
satellite.
Map showing
locations of
current LAND
measurements:
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/oceanography-book/evidenceforwarming.htm
How do scientists determine the
temperature and CO2 levels of
the past?
For information before 150 years ago, scientists gather
indirect data from many climatic indicators:
1. Ice cores from
thick ice sheets
in Greenland,
Antarctica, and
mountain
glaciers
worldwide.
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/oceanography-book/evidenceforwarming.htm
Air bubbles trapped in the ice give atmospheric
gas content (concentration of CO2)
2. Mud cores of ocean floor – showing
climate variability over millions of years
3. Dendrochronology (using
measurements of tree rings) – showing
climate variability over hundreds of
years
4. Pollen analysis (deposited in sediments)
– showing climate variability over
thousands of years
http://www.whackyscience.co.uk/bbs/WScms/WScms.nsf/0/A0B10BA0CBA
71640C1257230004FBBE2/$file/dendrochronology.jpg?OpenElement
Gathering Past CO2 Data:
Modeling our Future Climate
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=global+climate+change&um=1&hl=en&safe=active&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=661&tbm=isch&tbnid=d_N11S3yjNKiBM:&imgrefurl=http://www.nasa.g
ov/vision/earth/everydaylife/climate_class.html&docid=_wOGkbfm3AUTcM&imgurl=http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/105582main_GlobalWarming_2060_lg.jpg&w=600&h=390
&ei=z6bzTv78DYyltwfAsJTQBg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=267&sig=106526677276316862996&page=2&tbnh=112&tbnw=173&start=13&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:13&tx=75&ty=61
&surl=1
Greenhouse
Gas Levels
(Last 1000 years)
http://www.research.noaa.gov/climate/images/obse
rving3.gif
Worldwide Temperature
(Over the same time period)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/06/23/GR2006062300505.html?referrer=emaillink
How long does CO2 remain in the
atmosphere?
• CO2 remains in the atmosphere for 50-200
years.
Compare that with how long other greenhouse
gases remain in the atmosphere:
• CH4 remains in the atmosphere for 10-15
years.
• H2O remains in the atmosphere for days.
• CFCs and HFCs remain in the atmosphere for
100 years.
Evidence of Climate Change:
Pasterze, Austria’s longest glacier
(lost 2 km in the last century):
1. Glacier reduction!
Locations of Glaciers
Worldwide (in white):
1875:
2004:
Video Clip of North Pole Ice Breaking Up
Video Clip of Effects of Glacier Reduction
http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/pages/glaciers.html
Evidence of Climate Change …
2. Sea Level Rising!
- Over the past 100
years, the global
sea level has risen
by about 10-25 cm.
Coastal erosion is even faster
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/04/sci_nat_climate_change___evidence_and_
than sea level rise – which can
predictions/img/3.jpg
destroy near-ocean structures.
Video Clip showing effects of rising sea
level in an Indian coastal village
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA
Evidence of
Climate Change …
3. Spread of Tropical
Diseases into new
territory!
http://www.idph.state.il.us/images/wnv_spread_time.jpg
Evidence of Climate Change …
4. Coral Reef Bleaching!
Coral Reefs are some of the
most productive ecosystems on
Earth.
-Higher water temperature
causes coral to lose its symbiotic
algae (which provide nutrition
and color to the coral)
http://www.reeffutures.org
Coral Reef Bleaching Video Clip
- When the algae die, coral
appears white or “bleached”
Evidence of Climate Change …
5. Changing ranges of world’s species!
Mosquitoes have an increasing
range:
Polar bears have a decreasing range:
http://www.michigan.gov/images/mosquito_65147_7.jpg
Hawksbill turtles have a decreasing range:
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_ch
ange/problems/impacts/species/polar_bears/index.cfm
- Ranges may be
increasing or
decreasing depending
on the environmental
needs of the species!
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/problems/impacts/species/turtles/ind
ex.cfm