CLIMATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE What is Climate n

CLIMATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE

What is Climate? n n Climate is the average weather at a given point and time of year, over a long period (typically 30 years). We expect the weather to change a lot from day to day, but we expect the climate to remain relatively constant.

WORLDS CLIMATES Most commonly used system for classification of climates Köppen Climate Classification Systems Uses mean monthly and annual values of temperature and precipitation to classify climates. Five principal groups Humid Tropical Dry Humid mid-latitude Polar Highland Climates 101

Climate Zones LATITUDE As latitude increases, the intensity of solar energy decreases. Three zones Tropical Temperate Polar

CLIMATE ZONES BY LATITUDE

CLIMATE ZONES Tropical Zone The region between the Tropic of Cancer (23. 5ºN) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23. 5ºS) WARM YEAR ROUND

CLIMATE ZONES Temperate Zone The region between 23. 5º and 66. 5º North or South of the equator. HOT summers COLD winters

CLIMATE ZONES Polar Zone The region from 66. 5º north and south of the equator to the poles. Very cold temperature year round.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT CLIMATE Elevation The higher the elevation, the colder the climate. The elevation of an area also determines the amount of precipitation it receives. In general, higher elevations receive more precipitation.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT CLIMATE Orographic lift • Latitude – Higher latitudes mean colder climates (further from the equator) • Topography – Natural and artificial features of the area such as mountains and buildings affect temperature and precipitation. Orographic Lift occurs when topographic features force air upward, causing it to cool (water vapor condenses into clouds) and produce precipitation. The rain shadow effect occurs on the Leeward side of a mountain. Air is drier because it has lost most of its moisture on the windward

FACTORS THAT AFFECT CLIMATE • • Large bodies of water - Large bodies of water such as oceans, seas, and large lakes affect the climate of an area. Water heats and cools more slowly than land. In the summer, coastal regions will stay cooler, and in winter, warmer. A more moderate climate with a smaller temperature range is created. (marine influence) Ocean Currents - Ocean currents act much like a conveyer belt, transporting warm water and precipitation (moving energy) from the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics. Thus, currents regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation https: //oceanexplorer. noaa. gov/facts/climate. html www. acer-acre. ca/resources/climate-change-in-context/. . . /proximity-to-water-bodies reaching Earth's surface.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT CLIMATE https: //earthobservatory. nasa. gov/Features/LAI 2. php • Plants - Plants consume carbon dioxide—a significant greenhouse gas— in the process of photosynthesis. The reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has an indirect cooling effect. • Plants also cool the landscape directly through the process known as transpiration. When the surrounding atmosphere heats up, plants will often release excess water into the air from their leaves. By releasing evaporated water, plants cool themselves and the surrounding environment.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT CLIMATE • Sunspots- Sunspots are darker, cooler areas on the sun’s surface. It is believed that the increase of sunspots on the surface of the sun can reduce the amount of energy and light distributed to Earth. This decrease in energy can result in colder weather and even "mini ice ages" on parts of Earth that are farther from the equator. https: //www. knowledgeorb. com/2012/09/angry-sunspots-nasty-apearing-sun-set-flares-cmes/ https: //sciencing. com/sunspots-affect-climate-4567096. html

FACTORS THAT AFFECT CLIMATE • Earth’s Orbit - The shape of Earth's orbit controls how much energy the Earth receives. The Earth's tilt may have influenced ice sheet formation during the Ice Ages. Variations in the angle of the tilt (precession) affect solar radiation, thus seasonal temperatures. https: //phys. org/news/2015 -12 -earth-tilt-climate. html#j. Cp

What is Climate Change? n n Throughout its history, Earth has experienced climate change. Ice ages have come and gone. (so have organisms) If the climate doesn’t remain constant, we call it climate change. But we generally refer to it as a rise in average surface temperatures on Earth. 15

WHAT CHANGES CLIMATE? Changes in: (1) The sun’s output and (2) changes in Earth’s orbit have already been mentioned as factors that affect climate and climate change. As (3) continents have drifted through different climate zones throughout Earth’s history, climates have changed. This may explain why some plants and animals went extinct.

WHAT CHANGES CLIMATE? (4)Volcanic eruptions emit some gases and particles that can cause sunlight to be reflected away from the Earth, resulting in global cooling. Other gases emitted, like CO 2, may cause warming by contributing to the Greenhouse Effect.

WHAT CHANGES CLIMATE? (5) Greenhouse Effect (6) Heat Islands (7) Carbon Sources (8) Carbon Sinks These will be explained in upcoming slides.

5. THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT When sunlight reaches the surface of the Earth, some of it is absorbed, which warms the ground, and some bounces back to space as heat. The greenhouse effect increases the temperature of the Earth by trapping heat in our atmosphere. Greenhouse gases that are in the atmosphere absorb, and then redirect some of this heat back towards the Earth. The more greenhouse gases you have in the atmosphere, the more heat stays on Earth. This keeps the temperature of the Earth higher than it would be if direct heating by the Sun was the only source of warming. Watch the NASA video and answer the questions. Greenhouse gases: CO 2 Water Vapor – H 2 O(v) Methane – CH 4 Nitrous Oxides CFC’s Fluorinated gases

6. URBAN HEAT ISLANDS An urban heat island, or UHI, is a metropolitan area that's a lot warmer than the rural areas surrounding it. Heat is created by energy from human activities: cars, buses, trains, lots of pavement (asphalt) and buildings, lack of trees and large vegetative areas. Urban heat islands occur in areas that have lots of activity and lots of people.

CARBON SOURCES AND SINKS SOURCES SINKS A carbon source is A carbon sink is anything that releases more absorbs more carbon than it The Carbon Budget carbon than it absorbs. releases. carbon sources- carbon sinks= ? ? ?

7. CARBON SOURCES Natural Human Induced Volcanic eruptions Wildfires Burning of fossil fuels Deforestation Organic combustion/ decomposition (decay of plant and animal matter) Reduction in wetlands

8. CARBON SINKS Natural Carbon Sinks Plants/ Forests Oceans Wetlands What are humans doing to each of these sinks to change their ability to absorb carbon? Why?

DEFORESTATION Natural Carbon Sinks – Forests and Plants Vegetation helps to cool the atmosphere through the absorption of carbon dioxide and the process of transpiration. Removing trees and vegetation eliminates these processes, not to mention that deforestation and lack of vegetative buffers around bodies of water increases What are humans doing to each of these sinks to change their ability to absorb carbon? Why?

What are humans doing to each of these sinks to change their ability to absorb carbon? Why? Natural Carbon Sinks - Oceans absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as algae use it to undergo photosynthesis – ocean algae produce most of our atmospheric oxygen. When CO 2 is dissolved into ocean water, it is converted into carbonic acid. Some of it is used in biological processes of ocean animals. But excessive amounts of CO 2 (from the burning of fossil fuels) may cause our oceans to become too acidic over time. This will negatively affect marine organisms and

Natural Carbon Sinks - Wetlands Plants in wetlands have a high growth rate, so they capture large amounts of carbon dioxide. Human actions such as agriculture, mining, dumping, residential development (building condos and beach houses), and global warming due to burning of fossil fuels can negatively affect our wetlands, possibly raising atmospheric CO 2 levels. http: //www. iitk. ac. in/nerd/web/articles/wetla nds-sources-or-sinks-of-greenhousegases/#. Wt. Pg 8 C 7 wb. Z 4 What are humans doing to each of these sinks to change their ability to absorb carbon? Why?

ACID RAIN!!

How does acid rain affect stonework? The picture on the left was taken in 1908… The picture on the right was taken in 1968! Click here to watch video! Move ahead to 1: 41 and keep watching. Complete the notes.

Acid rain forms through a complex process of chemical reactions involving air pollution. The two most important pollutants that contribute to acid rain are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. They are converted into acids in the atmosphere. These acids return to the Earth with rainfall.