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Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability

Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability. Unit 3. Create a definitions list using the handout Weather Climate Atmosphere Insolation Short-wave radiation Long-wave radiation Albedo (Natural) Greenhouse Effect Heat budget Ozone Diffuse radiation Acid rain

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Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability

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  1. Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability Unit 3

  2. Create a definitions list using the handout Weather Climate Atmosphere Insolation Short-wave radiation Long-wave radiation Albedo (Natural) Greenhouse Effect Heat budget Ozone Diffuse radiation Acid rain Heat transfer (vertical and horizontal) Latent heat External Forcings

  3. Atmosphere and change Aims: To understand how the atmosphere functions and how its components are being altered Page 100 and 101 – Planet Geography : Read and answer question 1 on back of definitions page (with diagram)

  4. GREENHOUSE EFFECT – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzCA60WnoMk Radiation balance = The atmosphere, which contains gases such as water vapour and carbon dioxide, absorbs the Earth's long-wave radiation and subsequently reemits long-wave radiation in all directions. This is known as the "greenhouse effect," which is just one part of the energy exchange process between the surface and the atmosphere. Without it we would be 60F cooler

  5. Our atmosphere

  6. HEAT BUDGET Net Radiation Received, W m-2

  7. Heat Budget • Incoming solar radiation is not evenly divided over the earth • Net surplus of radiation in tropics and deficit at high-latitudes • This leads to a transport of heat by the oceans and atmosphere from the equatorial regions to the poles • This need to redistribute heat is the main driving force the oceanic and atmospheric circulation

  8. Why differences in the amount of solar radiation? • Angle of impact of solar radiation • Solar constant • Distance from the sun • Tilt of the planet • Wobble

  9. CHANGES IN SOLAR RADIATION

  10. AFFECT OF CLOUDS (AN EXAMPLE OF NEGATIVE FEEDBACK) POSITIVE FEEDBACK – melting of the ice, more seawater, increase in albedo, less heat reflected, more heat abosrbed – LINKS TO FUTURE SLIDE

  11. CHANGES IN ALBEDO (Quantitative measure) About 50 million sq km of the Earth's terrestrial surface undergo a transition each year from freeze to thaw. This change can be detected by the amount of sunlight that is reflected by the Earth's surface at various wavelengths. 0 (none is reflected) – 1 (all is reflected) Examples? Deep ocean water = 0 Fresh snow = 1

  12. Examples of albedoes • Oceans and lakes 0.03-0.10 • Sea ice 0.30-0.45 • Fresh snow 0.75-0.95 • Tundra 0.15-0.20 • Conifer forest 0.09-0.15 • Broadleaf forest 0.15-0.20 • Desert 0.20-0.45

  13. The snow – albedo feedback loop Increases in temperature Decreases in snow cover Increase in heat absorption Decreases in albedo

  14. CHANGES IN LONGWAVE RADIATION CLIMATE CHANGE – CAUSE AND EFFECT (including solutions)

  15. Water vapor

  16. Ash cloud

  17. CLIMATE CHANGE – CAUSES

  18. CLIMATE CHANGE - AIR http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2009/oct/22/climate-change-carbon-emissions

  19. CLIMATE CHANGE - WATER

  20. CLIMATE CHANGE - WATER

  21. CLIMATE CHANGE - WATER

  22. CLIMATE CHANGE - WATER http://flood.firetree.net/?ll=16.3412,97.3388&z=12&m=7

  23. CLIMATE CHANGE - WATER

  24. CLIMATE CHANGE – EFFECTS: PEOPLE

  25. Natural Earth would be frozen -19 degrees Celsius (present 15 degrees). Venus 462 degrees! Mars too cold. 80-90% of greenhouse gases is water vapour

  26. CLIMATE CHANGE – RESPONSES: KYOTO

  27. CLIMATE CHANGE – RESPONSES: COPENHAGEN

  28. Global weirding Causes: Human – before the industrial revolution Earth had roughly 280 ppm of CO2. Today – 384 ppm. Natural – earth’s orbit is not circular, its an ellipse – cycle of 100,000 yrs. Also, earth’s tilt – creates seasons but every 40,000 yrs it changes slightly. Also, earth’s orbit changes very slightly every 21,000. These 3 are called the Milankovitch Cycles. Looking back over the last 670,000 yrs using ice data, ave temp has varied by 6 degrees centigrade. This is to large to be explained by natural factors alone. In the last 50 yrs, CO2 particles inclreased from 280ppm to 284ppm – not coming from the oceans but burning fossil fuels. IPCC report in 2007 stated that with 90% confidence greenhouse gas emissions were due to inudstry and agricultural. If increase to 550 ppm then = 3 degree rise. 450 ppm = 2 degree rise. Effects – bleaching of coral /acidification due to carbonic acid being produced – CO2 plus H20. China has accelerated emissions in the last 5 yrs though. Political interference has altered some IPCC reports though plus models can be unreliable. Western Siberia – carbon could be released from peat bogs – 500bn tonnes if the ice thaws . Need to understand that climate change is not always going to behave in a linear fashion – exponential instead. P.131 – detail for Montana. Global warming is not uniform like the term implies. Its uneven. Solution – local meteorologists can educate ppl. Controversial though.

  29. Soil and Change Aims: To identify the causes and effects of soil degradation as well as evaluate solutions S.D. = Negative process often accelerated by human activities (improper soil use and cultivation practices, building areas) that leads to deterioration of soil properties and functions or destruction of soil as a whole, e.g. compaction, erosion, salinization. (E.U.) Drought: a deficiency of precipitation over an extended period of time, usually a season or more

  30. Drought and desertification: case study India and Pakistan • Processes and human and physical causes: Drought due to physical structure of the region (NATURAL) Monsoon rains fall in certain parts of the region but not in other which causes drought and desert conditions (NATURAL) Increasing population creating pressure which is faster than overall growth of India (HUMAN) irrigation is diverting water from the North and South (HUMAN) Greater amounts of animals – increased by over 50% between 1983 and 1997 (HUMAN) More land is being sown also (HUMAN) Erosion from wind (3%) and water (18% land) 18% forest degraded, salting (2%) waterlogging (1%) (HUMAN?) ARAVALLI HILLS: Eastern boundary of the Thar desert (meeting point of humid and arid areas). Rainfall not declining and slight variations in Monsoon rainfall ut environmental pressure = hills exploited for marble and limestone and metal ores (destruction of vegetation). Between 1972-84, 42% of forest has been removed and sand dunes have taken their place. Run off is now more rapid with overgrazing and population increase.

  31. Environmental damage in a LEDC – Case study : The Sahel

  32. The Sahel regions are areas which experience desertification.

  33. S O D U Soil exhaustion (planting too many crops) Overgrazing (too many cattle) Deforestation (cutting down trees) Up and down ploughing So what has caused this?-Us!

  34. DESERTIFICATION Why does the Sahel suffer from desertification? Increase in cattle Increase in population Deforestation for fire wood Grassland grazed more intensively Roots no longer hold soil together Roots may be eaten as well as grass Less vegetation means less protection from weather Leaves no longer protect soil from weather Loose top soil blown away by wind (Soil Erosion) = Loose top soil blown away by wind (Soil Erosion) = DESERTIFICATION

  35. SOIL DEGRADATION - SOLUTIONS Notes(Guajarat): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkYhW9AUCG8 Excellent video about how water problem is being solved by women

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