Definitions:GLOBAL WARMING

Increase in Earth’s average surface temperature

due to build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Broader term - refers to long-term changes in weather

Temperature trendsPrecipitation

patterns

Effects of Climate ChangeIncreased Temperature

Habitat Damage and

Species Affected

Changes in Water Supply

Rising Sea Level

What is Global Warming?Increasing atmospheric CO2 Increases greenhouse effectTemperatures riseAverage world wide temp

increased ~1oC since 1900. Much of this increase has been over the past 20 years.

How Global Warming Works

Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas)

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

The Sun’s energy passes through the car’s windshield.

Energy (heat) trapped inside the car can’t pass back through the windshield

inside of the car warms up.

Example of the Greenhouse Effect

Burning of Fossil Fuels

Pollution from coal, natural gas, and oilPollution from coal, natural gas, and oilPollution from coal, natural gas, and oil

Global WarmingBurning fossil fuels

releases large quantities of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG’s) into the atmosphere

This causes changes in temperature, amount of rainfall, and sea levels.

What are Fossil Fuels? A mixture of hydrocarbons that form from

the remains of plants or animals. Three main fossil Fuels:

Coal, Natural Gas, & PetroleumThe main products from burning fossil fuels : CO2 and H2O.Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are

also released cause smog and acid rain.

Solid fossil fuel, that began to form 300 million years ago.

Giant tree ferns and other plants were buried, and after millions of years of pressure coal was formed.

COAL

Coal – Burning in power plantsProduces > half the electricity used by USAAccounts for about 1/3 of all CO2 released in countryEmits about 10,000 tons (20,000,000 lbs) of sulfur

dioxide and nitrogen oxides a year.

US is working on “Clean Coal Technology Programs” which reduces the amounts of these harmful gases emitted. (see pg. 270)

Clean Coal TechnologyReduce emissions from coal-fired power

plants.

Early efforts (1980’s and 1990’s) focused on reducing sulfur, nitrogen oxides and sootCauses of acid rain damages forest and

watersheds

Now (starting 2000’s)working to capture CO2

Use as chemical feedstockSequestration (deep burial under ground)

Natural GasFormed from the remains of marine

organisms. Often found with petroleum (oil)

Main component is methane (CH4)Also produced by cows as they digest grass

Distributed through a network of underground pipes.

It is used for heating, cooking, and to produce some electricity.

Petroleum (crude oil)

Remains of marine organisms.

a.k.a. “crude oil”It is pumped from deep beneath the Earth’s surface.

Must be refined into useable substances (e.g. gasoline)

Exit Slip Questions1. What’s the difference between the concepts of

global warming versus climate change? No difference

Global Warming is about average temperatures & Climate Change is about changes in weather

Global Warming is about changes in weather & Climate Change is about average temperatures

Exit Slip Questions2. Approximately how much has average global

temperature increased over last 100 years? 0.1 oC 1 oC 5 oC 10 oC

Exit Slip Questions3. The most significant reason that global

warming is occurring is due to: The increase in the amount of CO2 released

into the atmosphere The increase in water vapor in the

atmosphere The breakdown of the ozone layer The increase in the intensity of the sun’s

rays

Exit Slip Questions4. The USA has one of highest emission levels of CO2

of any country in the world. What are the 3 leading sources of the CO2 emissions for our country?

Agriculture, commercial & electricity production Electricity production, transportation & industry Commercial, residential, & transportation Agriculture, residential & energy production

(Not from text book)

Published data says average global temperature has risen to the warmest level of the past 12,000

years. Current temperatures are ~1oC (1.8oF) below the highest temperature of the past million years.

EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING & CLIMATE CHANGE

Some animal and plant species are already dying off because of global warming, a new review of hundreds of research studies contends. More than 100 cold-dependent species are also in trouble. Polar bears have started dropping in numbers and weight and emperor penguin populations have shrunk by a factor of 30 in some areas.

Studies released in March 2006 found that despite the increasing snowfall that comes with global warming, Antarctica's ice sheets are shrinking - losing far more than the snow is adding.

Mosquitoes that carry malaria or dengue fever are moving into formerly inhospitable areas at higher elevations. Global warming is expected to increase the range of mosquitoes and the virulence of their diseases.

Central American harlequin frogs are among the hardest hit by the effects of global warming, having lost 67 percent of their population in the last 20 to 30 years. Amphibian populations all over the world are shrinking - the warming environment has become a breeding ground for a fungus that is deadly to the frogs.

The rate of ice melting in Greenland doubled between 1996 and 2005. This graphic shows seasonal melting in 1992 (left) and 2002 (right).

Fossil fuels burned for electricity, transportation, and industry contribute the lion's share of carbon dioxide emissions, which have a direct effect on surface temperatures. The United States emits ~25% of the world's carbon dioxide (with <5% of total world population).

Some 4 million acres of mature trees in Alaska have been killed by spruce bark beetles. Warmer temperatures have allowed pests to breed and mature faster than normal and extend their ranges.

Heat Waves have killed thousands in recent years:

1988,USA: 5,000+1995, Chicago: 700+ 2003, India: 1,500 Europe: 20,000+2010, Russia: 50,000+

A firefighter struggles to get the Crestline Wildfire under control in Los Angeles County, Calif., Oct. 28, 2003. The wildfires burned more than 300,000 acres, devouring more than 600 homes and taking at least 13 lives. Scientists believe global warming will increase the risk of wildfires by raising temperatures and causing an earlier spring.

Rising temperatures are to blame for increased heavy episodic rainfall and floods. In the United States, annual precipitation has increased between 5 and 10 percent since the early 20th century.

"Bleached" coral reefs that protect coastal areas and act as fish nurseries. Some of the most colorful life on Earth are dying prematurely because of warming ocean waters and higher levels of carbon dioxide.

A ruined house sits on the beach in Shishmaref, Alaska, where beach erosion has forced inhabitants to relocate or abandon their village. Sea levels will increase substantially. – it could be measured in feet if current trends are not reversed. Such an increase would speed beach erosion and pose a significant threat to coastal land all over the world.