Climate Change
Define Climate Change.
Detectable change in global temperatures. It is also referred to as global warming.
The chemical formula for methane
CH4
The most common greenhouse Gases.
Water Vapor (H2O)
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Methane (CH4)
Examples of unreliable data.
Data collected in favor of sponsor.
Data collected to favor a theory.
Data with no representation .
Data that is outdated.
Data collected with bias sampling.
What are the impacts of climate change? (List 2)
Temperature: Hotter days and heat waves.
Precipitation: Increase or decrease in the amount of precipitation.
Sea Levels: Rising of sea levels due to the melting of glaciers.
Species Distribution and biodiversity: mobile species seek cooler regions.
The main sources of methane gases you need to know for Cambridge.
Rice Fields
Live stock
Landfill
The release of large amounts of CO2 gas.
Combustion
Example of misuse of data
Using data to push false scientific propaganda.
Using knit picked data for marketing.
Why is it difficult to predict climate change?
Models use different variables; Climate feedback mechanisms are not fully understood; There is a time delay between cause and effect; There is uncertainty over how some data is used; There are so many sources of carbon dioxide that its hard to track.
How landfills releases methane to the atmosphere.
Landfill gas is a natural by-product of the decomposition of organic material found in buried waste. The gas is predominantly composed of methane and CO2.
The Cambridge scientific term used that describes what greenhouse gases absorb?
Infrared Radiation
Provide two examples of Proxy Data.
Ice cores: taken near the poles which shows snowfall that has accumulated over very long periods. (Analyzing past temperatures, precipitation, atmospheric composition and volcanic activity).
Corals: The calcium carbonate helps determine the water temperature at which the coral grew.
Tree rings: Each year the tree adds a layer of growth to the outside of the trunk. This helps determine the climate.
Name 2 strategies to manage climate change.
Reduce fossil fuels.
Switching to low carbon fuels.
Using alternative forms of energy.
Updating transport policies.
Reduce global carbon footprint.
How livestock farming contributed to the emissions of methane gases.
Livestock eat large amounts of vegetation and during the digestion process, enzymes breakdown the vegetation, releasing methane.
The deforestation of a large area of forest is cut off to farm beef cattle for global markets. The deforestation and increase in digestion results in more methane gas being released than emissions being taken out of the atmosphere.
Definition of Greenhouse gases.
Gases in the atmosphere absorb the infrared Radiation emitted by Earth's Surface.
Define Proxy Data.
Data that relies on natural records from the environment.
Kyoto Protocol (1992)
Paris Agreement (2015)
COP26 (2021)
How Rice farming contributes to the release of methane gas.
The amount water needed for rice farming blocks oxygen from getting to the soil where biodegradation is taking place. This creates conditions for the bacteria decomposing vegetation to release methane.
Steps of the enhanced greenhouse effect.
1. Sun emits short-wave radiation.
2. Radiation passes through atmosphere.
3. Earth absorbs energy and warms.
4. Earth re-emits infrared radiation.
5. Greenhouse gases absorb infrared radiation.
6. Heat is trapped.
7. Increased gases trap more heat.
8. Global temperatures rise.
Define the terms "reliable" and "bias".
Bias: when a scientist knowingly or unknowingly incorporated systematic errors into sampling or testing by selecting or encouraging one outcome over another.
Reliable: data that is reasonably completely and accurate, works towards answering the hypothesis in a clear and transparent manner and has not been inappropriately altered.