Chapter 19 Review Questions PDF

Preview

Summary

CHAPTER 19 REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR EARTH...

Description

Chapter 19 Review Questions 1. Greenland glaciers contain about 10% of the world freshwater. A number of scientists think that the key factor in the melting is atmospheric warming- the gradual rise of the average temperature of the atmosphere near the earth's surface. It could lead to rapid climate disruption, which will most likely have harmful effects on earth's ecosystems. This fits into IPCC projections because the ice is melting very fast, and this is what the IPCC had projected. 2. Weather consists of short-term changes in the atmospheric variables such as temperature and wind. Climate is determined by the average weather conditions of the earth or a particular area, especially temperature and precipitation. Scientists get information about past temperatures by analyzing different types of evidence. They include radioisotopes in rocks and fossils. There's much evidence that indicates that the atmosphere has been warming up since 1975. Between 1906 and 2012, the average global surface temperature has risen about 0.8c. The first decade in this century (2000-2009) was the warmest decade since 1881. 2012 was the warmest year ever to be recorded since 1881. In some parts of the world glaciers are melting increasingly. Floating ice is shrinking. During the 20th century, world average sea level rose by 19 centimeters. 3. Greenhouse effect occurs when some of the solar energy absorbed by the earths radiates into the atmosphere as infrared radiation at various wavelengths. This is important to life on earth because it holds onto some of earth’s energy so it doesn't escape into space. The greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. The greenhouse gases cause the earth’s atmosphere to trap heat and warm up. Water vapor is an important gas, it absorbs heat radiated by the earth's surface. Thus, the warming effect of other greenhouse gases can lead to a high level of water vapor, which in turn amplifies the greenhouse effect. 4. Since the beginning human activities- mainly the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and agriculture, in that order- have led to significant increases in the levels of greenhouse gases. The models in the article projected that during the century the temperatures would be at its highest. A lot of things play a role in the increasing of the temperatures but some don’t. For example, climate researchers all concluded in separate studies that the energy output of the sun has dropped slightly during the past several decades. Oceans play a role

in the changing temperatures too. The world's oceans absorb CO2 from the atmosphere as part of the carbon cycle and thus help to moderate the earth's average surface temperature and its climate. The roles played by clouds in the warming of the atmosphere is uncertain. Another thing that affects the atmosphere is air pollution. Air pollution includes greenhouse gases. One of those is carbon dioxide, a common part of the exhaust from trucks and cars. These release emissions and those emissions go into the atmosphere. 5. The current atmospheric is a problem because we face a rapid projected increase in the average temperature of the lower atmosphere during this century. Because of these warmer temperatures some of the ice in the Arctic sea melts. Arctic seas permafrost is also melting. According to the IPCC, projected climate disruption is likely to upset ecosystems and take a toll on biodiversity in areas of every continent. Food production could also face an overall decline. According to IPCC, prolonged heat waves will lead to rise in the numbers of deaths and illnesses, especially among older people, people with poor health, and the urban people who can't afford air conditioning. 6. Some factors that make it hard to deal with climate disruption are- atmospheric carbon level of 450ppm, melting of all arctic summer ice, collapse and melting of the greenland ice sheet, severe shrinkage or collapse of amazon rainforest and massive release of methane. There are two basic approaches to dealing with the projected harmful effects of global climate disruption. The two approaches are called migration and adaptation. The four major prevention strategies to reduce greenhouse emissions are to improve energy efficiency, shift from carbon fossil fuels to low carbon renewable energy resources, stop cutting down tropical forests and shift to climate friendly and sustainable agriculture. 7. Analysts have proposed several output solution strategies for removing some of the CO2 from the atmosphere or from smokestacks and storing it in other parts of the environment. Two ways you can put a price on carbon is to levy energy taxes and to include costs of carbon emissions in market prices. The advantage of putting taxes on carbon is its more socially efficient level of output. A disadvantage of placing taxes on carbon is that it's gonna make fossil fuels more expensive. A cap and trade is a system for controlling emissions and other forms of atmospheric pollution by which upper business may produce. The advantages of cap and trade are clear legal limits on emissions,

rewards cuts in emissions, record of success and low expense of consumers. The disadvantages of cap and trade are revenues are not predictable, vulnerable to cheating, rich polluters can keep polluting and put variable prices on carbon. A kyoto protocol is a treaty to slow atmospheric warming and its projected climate disruption. Three ways the government can cooperate internationally is through government subsidies, kyoto protocol and technology transfer. 8. Some nations are leading others in facing the challenges of projected climate disruption. Costa Rica aima to be carbon neutral by cutting its net carbon emissions to zero by 2030. China is also rapidly becoming the world leader in developing and selling solar cells,solar water heaters, wind turbines and advanced batteries. By 2010, at least 30 U.S 30 states had set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 9. Some ways we can prepare for long term effects are developing crops that need less water, waste less water, expand existing wildlife reserves toward poles, move hazardous material away from the coast, and move people away from low-lying coastal regions. No regret strategy is based on concepts and measures that can begin to enact now without being certain about all dimensions of future climate change....