The Atmosphere and Global Climate Change

1. The Atmosphere and Global Climate Change

2. Pre-test: 1. What is the greenhouse effect? Is it natural or human caused? 2. Did ozone depletion cause g.c.c? 3. Are humans influencing g.c.c? 4. What are some of the potential effects of g.c.c?

3. Review: Layers of the Atmosphere

4. What is the Greenhouse Effect? Is it Naturally occurring or human induced?

5. The greenhouse effect is natural. • Most of the sun’s energy DOES NOT reach the Earth. (1-billionth of the total energy released by sun strikes our atmosphere) • What reaches the atm, 31% is reflected and 69% is absorbed • And it… • Drives the water cycle (hydrologic), carbon and others • Produces our climate • Powers photosynthesis

6. What is the Greenhouse Effect?

7. Poster Walk/Reading Number 1’s – Poster Walk Number 2’s- Read pages 218-221 Together, answer questions 1-3.

8. What is the Greenhouse Effect? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzCA60WnoMk Video: NASA Observatory

9. Review: Describe the greenhouse effect. Is it a naturally occurring event? What are some greenhouse gases?

10. What is ozone depletion? • Ozone layer- is in the stratosphere. • Job- to protect us from UV rays from the Sun • Why are UV rays bad? • Can cause DNA mutations • Cause skin cancers, cataracts in eyes, weakened immunity • UV rays inhibit photosynthesis

11. What happened to the ozone? O3 molecules in the stratosphere can be depleted by CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons) Compounds such as halons from fire retardants, methyl bromide-a pesticide, methyl chloroform and CFC’s from Freon from aerosol cans, refrigerants and Styrofoam

12. Reaction in Atmosphere

13. Ozone depletion • Thinning discovered by scientist in 1985 • Increased thinning in Sept. due to polar vortexes, “ozone holes” • Solution: International problem because the atmosphere is a global common • Countries signed the Montreal Protocol to reduce, and then eliminate CFC’s, HCFC’s

14. Ozone depletion is a separate issue from global climate change! • O3 is being destroyed in the stratosphere by chlorine, fluorine and bromine • UV vs. infrared • But when we switched from CFC’s to HFC’s and HCFC’s, the substitutes are potent greenhouse gases • Getting better due to Montreal Protocol/Montreal Multilateral Fund

15. Video • http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/06/ozone-layer-mend-thanks-chemical-ban

16. Posters/Reading Number 1’s – Poster Walk Number 2’s – Reading on pg. 230-232 All together- review questions pg. 232

17. Review: • What is ozone? • What are the two types and where can they be found? • In the stratosphere, what is the ozone layers job? • What happened to the ozone layer and what is being done?

18. Global Climate Change

19. Overview • Introduction to Climate Change • Evidence and causes of Global Climate Change • Effects of Climate Change • Increase storms and intensity • Melting glaciers and less sea ice • Impacts on human health and wildlife • Effects on Agriculture/plant life • Ocean acidification • Precipitation pattern change

20. Climate Change Terminology • Greenhouse Gas • Gas that absorbs infrared radiation • Ex: Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, HCFC’s, tropospheric ozone, water vapor • Positive Feedback • Change in some condition triggers a response that intensifies the changed condition • Infrared Radiation • Radiation that has a wavelength that is longer than that of visible light, but shorter than that of radio waves • Greenhouse Effect • Increase of heat in a system where energy enters (often as light), is absorbed as heat, and released sometime later

21. Global Climate Change-Yes, it is Happening! Human impact from burning ancient carbon https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

22. Scientific Consensus http://science.sciencemag.org/content/306/5702/1686

23. Review Chasing Ice

24. Misconceptions https://youtu.be/OWXoRSIxyIU

25. Evidence • All three major global surface temperature reconstructions show that Earth has warmed since 1880.5 Most of the warming occurred in the past 35 years, with 15 of the 16 warmest years on record occurring since 2001. The year 2015 was the first time the global average temperatures were 1 degree Celsius or more above the 1880-1899 average.6 Even though the 2000s witnessed a solar output decline resulting in an unusually deep solar minimum in 2007-2009, surface temperatures continue to increase. • .

26. The past three years…. • https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/18/science/earth/2016-hottest-year-on-record.html

27. Is it happening, Yes!The math https://youtu.be/RBpmzjql4yU

28. Introduction to Climate Change • Evidence for Climate Change • 11 of the 12 years between 1995 and 2006 were among the twelve warmest years since the mid-1800s • Spring in N. hemisphere now comes 6 days earlier • Warming is not due to natural causes • Human produced greenhouse gases are most plausible explanation

29. Mean Annual Global Temperature 1960-2005

30. Causes of Climate Change • Increased concentration of CO2 (right) • Burning fossil fuels in cars, industry and homes • Deforestation • Burning of forests

31. Greenhouse gases CO2- fossil fuel burning, deforestation, tree burning CH4- methane-unburned gas, anaerobic activity in landfills, intestines of cattle and man NOx- nitrogen oxides, from burning and troposphere O3 CFC’s- trap heat and cause ozone depletion Aerosols and suspended particles- actually cool atmosphere,

32. Causes of Climate Change • Greenhouse gas concentrations increasing

33. Bill Nye – Top 5 What you need to know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtW2rrLHs08 https://youtu.be/NEoZV4htuXo

34. Climate Models • Climate affected by: • winds, clouds, ocean currents, and albedo • Used to explore past climate events • Advanced models can project future warming events • Models are only as good as the data and law used to program them • They have limitations, thus need to look at evidence

35. Poster- 5 facts Reading from text book pg. 222-229 Answer questions on paper and get a teacher check.

36. Effects of Global Climate Change • Ocean as CO2 sink - excess CO2 is starting to harm ocean life

37. Effects of Global Climate Change- Melting Ice and Rising Sea Levels • Sea level rise caused in 2 ways • Thermal Expansion • Water expands as it warms • Melting of land ice • Retreat of glacier and thinning of ice at the poles • Melting has positive feedback • Increased melting decreases ice, which decreases albedo leading to further warming

38. Melting Ice and Rising Sea Levels 1957 1998

39. Philadelphia with rising sea levels http://geology.com/sea-level-rise/new-york.shtml

40. Case-In-Point Impacts in Fragile Areas • Eskimo Inuit live traditional life dictated by freezing climate • Climate change is altering their existence • Wildlife are smaller or displaced • Reduced snow cover and shorter river ice seasons • Thawing of permafrost (right)

41. Effects of Global Climate Change- Changing Precipitation Patterns • Some areas will get more water, some areas will have greater droughts • Ex: Hurricanes will likely get stronger

42. Effects of Global Climate Change- Effects on Organisms • Zooplankton in parts of California Current have decreased by 80% since 1951 • Effecting entire food chain • Decline in krill around Antarctica • Caused decrease in penguin populations • Species have shifted their geographic range • Migrating birds are returning to summer homes earlier • Food is not available at this time

43. Birds Affected by Climate Change https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170515091126.htm http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-22484907

44. Effects on Organisms - Coral Reefs • Coral reefs can be bleached (right) due to increase in water temperature • Affects coral symbionts and makes them more susceptible to diseases to which they would otherwise be immune

45. Effect on Organisms - VegetationBeech Tree Range

46. Effects on Human Health • Increased number of heat-related illnesses and deaths

47. Effects on Agriculture • Difficult to anticipate • Productivity will increase in some areas and decrease in others • Rise in sea level will inundate flood plains and river valleys (lush farmland) • Effect on pests is unknown • Warmer temperatures will decrease soil moisture- requiring more irrigation • Location (i.e. elevation and altitude) where certain crops can be grown may have to change

48. International Implicationsof Climate Change • Developed vs. Developing countries • Differing self-interests • Differing ability to meet the challenges of climate change

49. Dealing with Global Climate Change • To avoid the worst of climate change, CO2 levels must be stabilized at 550ppm • 50% higher than current levels • Two ways to attempt to manage climate change • Mitigation • Focuses on limiting greenhouse gas emissions to moderate global climate change • Adaptation • Focuses on learning to live with to the environmental changes and societal consequences brought about by global climate change

50. Dealing with Global Climate Change- Relationship Between Mitigation and Adaptation