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Download Global Warming Definitions Global Warming – An increase in global
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Global Warming Definitions Global Warming – An increase in global surface temperatures due to natural or anthropogenic (due to human activity) climate change. Greenhouse Effect - The phenomenon whereby the earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation from the Sun, caused by the presence of gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapour, and methane in the atmosphere that allow incoming sunlight to pass through but absorb heat radiated back from the earth's surface. The greenhouse effect is a natural process without which life on Earth would not be possible. Enhanced Greenhouse Effect – The concept that the greenhouse effect has been increased by the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. This means it is the increase in greenhouse gases caused by human activity such as the combustion of fossil fuels. Climate Change - Any change in global temperatures and weather patterns over time due to natural variability or to human activity. What Causes Global Warming? Volcanic Eruptions Burning of Fossils Fuels e.g. coal Agriculture e.g. cows produce Methane Deforestation Natural Reduction The diagram above show some sources of greenhouse gases. The diagram also shows some natural methods through which atmospheric carbon can be “locked up”. Trees and Plankton (photosynthesis) Sedimentary Rocks (the shells of organisms) What can we do? Be Energy Efficiency – reducing how much energy you use Use Renewable Energy Resources – geothermal, wind and hydroelectric Use Nuclear Power – Does not produce greenhouse gases and produces more energy than the combustion of fossil fuels. However the mining of uranium and dangers of nuclear safety also have negative environmental consequences. Carbon Capture and Storage – The Future? It is possible that in the future some of the carbon dioxide produced by power stations may be sequestered by old oil/gas fields. This means that we may be able to injects carbon dioxide into geological structures and trap it there to stop it entering the atmosphere as a method of mitigating the damage we case by burning fossil fuels. Evidence & Consequences Jacabamba Glacier, Peru, in 1980 (left) and 2002 (right) The observed sea ice in 1979 and 2003 The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 1958-2004 Graph showing the rise in global temperatures The projected sea level increase in the 21st century. Comparison between temperature and quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Previous Periods of Warming Ice cores can be used as evidence of previous global temperature change/climate change because they can be analysed for their concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. Previous Sea Level Change There is evidence of previous global sea level change. An example is the Pleistocene. Evidence for this includes; raised beaches, submerged forests and drowned valleys. Raised beaches show that sea level has changed. A raised beach is an elevated area of sloping ground, sitting above the present tide line. In the past this area was at sea level. There are many examples of this feature throughout Britain, particularly along the West coast - this is because the area experienced the greatest weight of ice during the last Ice Age (about 10,000 years ago). Submerged forests are Areas of peat bed, sometimes with in situ broken or uprooted tree stumps, that are exposed in the inter-tidal zone at low water. These are the remains of terrestrial landscapes that have become covered during periods of sea level rise. Drowned valleys are valleys that have been submerged by the advance of the sea or a lake. Reduced Albedo As shown melting ice caps and glaciers are consequences of climate change. The melting of the ice caps in turn result in further warming due to an effect known as albedo. Albedo is the proportion of the suns solar energy that is reflected by the Earth’s surface. The higher the albedo the more of the suns solar energy a surface reflects. White surfaces such as ice absorb very little solar energy from the sun, instead they reflect it. Dark surfaces such as oceans absorb far more solar energy. This means that as the ice caps melt then there is a decrease in light surfaces (ice) and an increase in dark surfaces (ocean) and so more solar energy from the Sun is absorbed. This leads to a warming of the Earths surface and thus further melting of the ice caps, in turn decreasing albedo further and leading to greater warming. Other Consequences Climate change is also believed to cause an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events e.g. tornadoes and drought.