Download What are the risks of a changing climate?

MODULE 4
What are the risks of a changing climate?
Module 4: Effects of Climate Change
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What are the risks of a changing climate?
Weather events can get more extreme as temperatures warm.
This can lead to an increased risk of
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Deaths
Property damage
Population displacement
Destruction of infrastructure
Food and water insecurity
Module 4: Effects of Climate Change
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Weather events can get more extreme as temperatures
warm. This can lead to an increased risk of
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Heat waves
Drought
Heavy Rain
Floods
Strong Hurricanes
Blizzards
This article summarizes some of these extreme events
http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extremeweather#intro-section
Module 4: Effects of Climate Change
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Are recent storm events getting worse?
On the next slide, how many of the events
Happened before 2000 and after 2000?
Why might this be the case?
A lot of the severe storm damage has
been due to hurricanes.
How might climate change affect
hurricanes?
A key ingredient for hurricane formation is warm ocean water (> 26 degrees C.)
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Module 4: Effects of Climate Change
What does this map of the tracks and the intensity of tropical storms
tell us about hurricane formation?
http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/File:Tropical_Storm_Map_png
How are hurricanes formed?
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/sevweath/s
whoware.html
https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/dangerwx/hurricane3
.htm
http://www.hurricanescience.org/science/scie
nce/hurricanegenesis/
Module 4: Effects of Climate Change
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Ocean Heat Content
Ocean Heat Content is the amount heat energy stored in the ocean
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https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/3M_HEAT_CONTENT/
Module 4: Effects of Climate Change
Yes, the data below suggests that hurricanes are increasing but we can’t say for sure if
this is due to climate. There’s more to making a hurricane than warm water.
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DATA FROM:
YEAR
http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/File:North_Atlantic_Hurricane_History_png
Tropical Cyclone: Role of Wind Shear
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weatherglossary/how-wind-shear-plays-intothe/14524883
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1163
3-wind-shear-may-cancel-climates-effect-onhurricanes/
What is wind shear?
Wind shear can rip apart storms before they can turn
into hurricanes
Winds spread out the energy needed for hurricane
formation
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Module 4: Effects of Climate Change
Future Hurricanes
What does the chart tell us about hurricanes?
Hurricanes
TODAY
Hurricanes
with
More CO 2
Future Hurricanes
Current and Predicted Hurricanes
Today, 90% of hurricanes
are category 3 or 4
Computer models
with CO2 220%
higher predict that
more than 90% of
storms will be
category 4 or 5
but there will be
FEWER
hurricanes.
See any trends in severe weather globally?
Increase
Year
We know that surface warming melts more ice.
Have we seen this happening?
View the animated data.
Here’s an experiment to demonstrate WHY we need to
worry about the loss of more Arctic sea ice:
1. Place water in a glass (#1) and add ice until the water level is even
with the rim of the glass.
2. Fill another glass (#2) with ice so it is higher than the edge of glass.
3. Fill glass #2 with water.
4. As ice melts, what is the difference between
the levels of glass #1 versus glass #2?
Read this article then explain how
a warming Arctic affects
the entire food chain.
http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2013-news/Post7-2013
Antarctica
Antarctica is one of
the coldest places
on Earth.
Some of its ice
rests on land and
some floats on the
ocean.
Here’s a 2 minute
NASA video.
This model shows
what Antarctica
would like if all of
its ice were
melted.
With warming, the
water that had
been locked up in
the land ice will
rise ocean levels
globally.
Land Ice:
Greenland
Melted ice In Greenland and Antarctica
would rise sea levels.
Use this web site to find where you live.
Will you be affected by sea level rise?
What about other places around the country?
Sea levels have
already been rising
since the late 1800 but
not the same
everywhere.
Which cities experienced
larger sea level rise?
There is
uncertainty
in how much
the oceans
may rise.
Farther inland,
other things are affected
by climate changes.
For example, how have the following events affected crop yields?
What’s the relationship of temperature and crop yields?
What’s the GLOBAL impact of climate on crops?
It’s not just crops.
Analyze the location of
various sea life along the
East Coast from Maryland
in the south (bottom) to
Maine in the north (top)
As oceans warm,
which species move northward?
There are several pieces of the climate change puzzle that will affect
agriculture, fisheries, and livestock. If the climate changes food
production could be at risk.
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