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18 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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black carbon
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In climatology black carbon or BC is a climate forcing agent formed through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuel, and biomass, and is emitted in both anthropogenic and naturally occurring soot.
Black carbon emissions directly absorb energy when suspended in the atmosphere. When deposited on high albedo surfaces like ice and snow, they cause melting that over long periods of time reduces the total surface albedo available to reflect solar energy back into space. Black carbon may also indirectly cause changes in the absorption or reflection of solar radiation through changes in the properties and behavior of clouds. Research scheduled for publication in 2013 shows black carbon plays a role second only to carbon dioxide in climate change. Effects are complex, resulting from a variety of factors, but due to the short life of black carbon in the atmosphere, about a week as compared to carbon dioxide which last centuries, control of black carbon offers possible opportunities for slowing, or even reversing, climate change |
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the ______ of the 20th century warming is unusual and unprecedented
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rate
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N20
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nitrous oxide
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CFC
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completely man made industrial GHGs (currently being made out of production)
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greenhouse gases increase what
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the amount of heat trapped in the lower atmosphere by absorbing more longwave radiation
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3 main anthropogenic forces
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combustion of fossil fuels
deforestation cement production 130x greater than volcanic emissions |
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nitrous oxide emissions increasing
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Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide emissions: the amount of N2O released to the atmosphere has been increasing rapidly since 1850, in synch with CO2 and CH4 |
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natural and anthropogenic sources of Nitrous oxide
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• Natural sources of Nitrous Oxide
- Bacterial breakdown of nitrogen in soils and the ocean • Anthropogenic sources of Nitrous Oxide - Agriculture: use of fertilizers, production of N-fixing crops, cultivation of soils all stimulate bacteria to produce more N2O - Fossil fuel combustion: N2O is a product of fossil fuel combustion (smog etc.) • Sinks - Destroyed quickly by photo-dissociation in the stratosphere Nitrous Oxide |
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CFC: _______ organic compounds that became widely used for industrial purposes in the 1930s
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synthetic...man made that actually destroy the good ozone!
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ozone (O3)
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Ozone (O3)
Ozone: triatomic molecule consisting of 3 oxygen atoms produced with naturally and anthropogenically • Stratospheric ozone (good) - Shields organisms from harmful UV radiation • Tropospheric ozone (bad) - Is a GHG (product of smog) - Is toxic to organisms; destroys nylon, rubber, other materials http://www.dynamicscience.com.au/tester/ solutions/chemistry/greenhouse/cfc.htm Ozone smog |
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water vapor IS NOT
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anthropogenic..but is a greenhouse gas
largest radiative forcing |
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amount of water vapor is determined by
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the temperature of the atmosphere
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dangerous climate change
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• Probability and magnitude of serious impacts increases
above 500 ppm CO2 in the atmosphere • > 500 ppm CO2 scales out to an additional global surface temperature increase of >3°C by 2100 ‘Dangerous’ climate change another 2-4 degree celcius increase in the next century! |
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3 climate impacts
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Impacts of climate change
Climate impacts Climate impacts will vary greatly as a result of a region’s: • Sensitivity: degree to which a system is affected, either adversely or beneficially • Adaptive capacity: ability of a system to adapt to climate change to moderate potential damage • Vulnerability: degree to which a system is susceptible to adverse effects of climate change |
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5 mitigation strategies
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Mitigation: reduction in GHG emissions. Mitigation strategies:
1. Fuel switching - Reducing dependency on carbon-emitting fuels 2. Alternative energy sources - Replacing fossil fuel use with renewable energy resources (wind, geothermal, hydroelectric) and nuclear power 3. Increased efficiency and conservation - Reducing energy use - Improving efficiency of energy use 4. Carbon capture and storage - Capturing and sequestering carbon 5. ‘Afforestation’ - Halting and reversing deforestation - Reversing agricultural practices that reduce carbon storage in soil Mitigation Strategies |
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paths of the two satellites
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• Path of satellites are affected by Earth’s gravitational force;
scientists analyze relative motion of two satellites (GRACE-A and GRACE-B) to quantify change in gravity over ice sheets • Gravity measurements show an acceleration of melting in Greenland and West Antarctica Review |
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borehole record from
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from w antarctic ice sheet..take temp measurements of ice by drilling
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methane in the atmosphere is much less ____--_ than C02
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much less concentrated
but the Ch4 molecule is 40x more powerful than a C02 molecule |
