Greenhouse effect
No description yet. This curated deck is ready for daily study.
Card preview (24)
What does the term greenhouse effect mean
• process through which heat is trapped near the earth’s surface by substances known as ‘greenhouse gases’
What does the term enhanced greenhouse effect mean
• human activities particularly burning fossil fuels etc - increasing the concentration of greenhouses gases
What does the term anthropogenic mean
• environmental change caused or influenced by people, either directly or indirectly
What are anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide
• burning fossil fuels • industrial activities • deforestation
What are anthropogenic sources of methane
• agriculture • landfill waste • coal mining
What are anthropogenic sources of nitrous oxides
• agriculture • fuel combustion • industrial processes
What are anthropogenic sources of CFC’s
• air conditioners • fridges • aerosol cans
What are anthropogenic sources of ozone
• pollutants emitted by cars, power plants and industrial boilers
How could you personally reduce your contribution to greenhouses gases
• recycle • eat less red meat • solar panels • solar lighting
How could the UK reduce contributions to greenhouse gases
• renewable energy initiatives e.g wave • changing packages • solar panels • COP meetings
Why are sea levels likely to rise if average global temperatures increase
• ice melts - volume of liquid water increases • warm water expands - thermal expansion of water
How does the earth climate system redistribute heat at the equator
• convection cells - warm air rises and cold air sinks • ocean currents - created by temp and saltiness
What aspects of the climate might be changed if world temperatures increase
• reduce ice and snow cover • influence patterns and amount of precipitation • raise sea level
What four factors are ocean currents largely driven by
• temperature of water • salinity of sea water • prevaling winds • evaporation
As warm water moves away from the equator towards cooler areas what happens to it
• water contracts and becomes denser • this causes it to sink
As water warms, density and salinity decrease, as water cools what happens to density and salinity
• increases
What is thermohaline circulation
• circulation is driven by temperature and salinity • determines density of the water
Explain how the gulf stream works and where it moves to and from
• brings water to european water • flows in 3 parts • warm water flows from the equator to the poles
What do some people also call the gulf stream
• a heat pump
What happens to wind direction, warm water, cooler water and current flow in a normal year
• upwelling of cold water • warm surface water is pushed to the west • warm humid air rises • eastelies trade winds (wind direction E-W)
What happens to wind direction, warm water, cooler water and current flow in an El Nino year
• little or no upwelling of cold water • warm water is now central • weakened or sometimes reversed wind direction
What happens to wind direction, warm water, cooler water and current flow in a La Nina year
• large area of upwelling of cold water • warm water pushed further away • wind direction has increased in strength
What are some changes that may take place in the cryosphere if average temperatures rise
• can cause sudden flooding • reduce rainfall • lowers albedo • sea level rises
What are the impacts of climate change on living things
• changes in precipitation • change in migration patterns • habitat loss • intense droughts • change in hibernation patterns