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ATMOSPHERE

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

What is Global Warming?
• Global warming is the rise in
temperature of the earth's atmosphere
...


• Without
greenhouses
gases, which are a
huge factor in
global warming,
the planet would
be approximately
20°C cooler
...

years
...


PHYSICAL 1 - SOLAR VARIATION
• Sunspots: an increase

in sunspot activity may
lead to a very slight
increase in the sun’s
output and a temporary
warming of the earth
...

•The Little Ice Age of
1450-1700 may have
been linked to periods of
very low sunspot activity
...

• This produces aerosols
that can reduce the
amount of sunlight
reaching the earth
...


VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS 2

• Major eruptions in the past
which have been linked to
short periods of global
cooling include
Tambora (1815),
Krakatoa (1883),
Mt
...

Pinatubo
erupted in 1991
an estimated 22
million tons of
ash was thrown
into the
atmosphere,
cooling the
world’s climate
by about 1°C
...
It
cooled the global
climate by 3°C
...

Although they
may be linked to
very long term
changes in the
climate, their
effect would not
be noticed on a
scale of a few
hundred years
...

When the orbit is elliptical, Earth
receives less solar energy
...
gsfc
...
gov/
Videos/StarChild/precession
...

• A short term example would be El Niño,
which appears every few years
...


http://earth
...
net/#cur

ENSO - the El Niño Southern Oscillation
The “normal”
conditions, with cool
surface water off the
coast of Peru
...


An El Niño year

One theory
suggests
that global
warming will
increase the
number of
icebergs in
the Atlantic,
cooling the
sea and
switching off
the North
Atlantic Drift
/ Atlantic
Conveyor
system
...


ATMOSPHERE

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
- HUMAN FACTORS THE ENHANCED GREENHOUSE EFFECT
...


BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
When we
burn these
fuels, we
release
millions of
tonnes of
Carbon
Dioxide
(CO2) into
the
atmosphere
...


BURNING FOSSIL FUELS

Power stations are one of the main
producers of greenhouse gases such
as Carbon Dioxide
...

Here Greenpeace
uses a light display
to get its message
across
...


BURNING FOSSIL FUELS

Photo chemical smog in Beijing, China
...
Farmland for rice has doubled in 45 years
...
of methane a day
...
Sheep, goats and camels
are also ruminants
...
3 billion cattle, each
burping / farting methane several times
a minute!
• The New Zealand government is
proposing to bring in a “flatulence” tax
on cattle farms
...
if they are cut down, atmospheric levels of CO2 must
rise as a consequence
...

• The smoke
from the
fires also
adds to global
air pollution
...


2001 Paper 1

Note the narrow band of temperature
variation - less than 1°C overall
...


Note the
overall trend
is towards
warmer
temperatures,
but there have
also been
several cooler
than average
years
...


This is not
0°C - it
shows the
difference
between
these
years and
the
average
...

(c) Suggest reasons for the variations in global
temperatures shown on the diagram
...


Again,
remember
the narrow
temperature
range above
and below
the average
...


Consequences
of climate
change

Rise in sea level
...


It’s worth noting that sea-ice such as that in the
Arctic doesn’t raise sea levels when it melts as
this ice is already displacing its own volume
Large volumes of melting ice from land-based
glaciers will increase sea levels causing massive
flooding in coastal areas making millions of people
homeless and damaging biodiversity
...
In 2002, the
Larsen-B ice shelf on the
Antarctic Peninsula suddenly
collapsed and 3250 km² of ice
broke off - an area almost twice
the size of the Isle of Skye
•The melting Greenland ice sheet
may be responsible for nearly a
quarter of worldwide sea rise over
the last 13 years
...
The UK would
experience colder weather and
very extreme winters
...
As it
melts, it is likely that the
Earth will absorb more energy
from the Sun and global
warming will further increase
...


The surface of oceans must be at least 27
degrees for a hurricane to form
...


Economic Consequences
Hurricanes can cause
billions of dollars of
damage, which less
developed countries will
struggle to repair
...


Droughts and heatwaves have impacted
recently on many parts of the globe:
More than 70 million people in
the Horn of Africa live in
poverty and face chronic food
shortages as a result of
drought
...
In
2003, record heat waves in
Europe caused at least 35,000
deaths
...


Health
Diseases such as malaria may start to spread
to northern latitudes as the temperature
increases
...


Skin cancer rates may increase
...


Recognizing that developed countries are
principally responsible for the current high
levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere,
the Protocol places a heavier burden on
developed nations under the principle of
"common but differentiated
responsibilities
...


Nearly all nations have now ratified the treaty,
with the notable exception of the United
States
...


However, the protocol didn't become international
law until more than halfway through the first
period
...

The two biggest emitters of all – the United
States and China – churned out more than enough
extra greenhouse gas to erase all the reductions
made by other countries during the Kyoto period
...

Between 1990 and 2012, there was
a 29
...


Promotion of a less meatintensive diet to reduce
methane emissions from
livestock
Greenhouse gases caused by
meat production will go up
80% if meat and dairy
consumption continues to
rise
...


Solutions
to climate
change

Protecting forests, wetland and peat
bogs, which help to store carbon
...
It is estimated that
around 1,600 million tonnes of carbon
are stored in peat soils in Scotland
...
4m in an effort to stop further
decline
...

• Cockenzie power station closed in
2013
...

• In 2012 40% of Scotland’s energy
consumption was met by renewables
...
Building of energy
efficient houses
...

This will be more efficient as the
heating can be on for less time
...
Car users have reduced
by 3% since 2006

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