Download Climate change note-taker - Tanque Verde Unified School District

Climate Change
1. The Greenhouse Effect
a. Earth is somewhat comparable to a greenhouse. Earth’s _________________________ acts
like the __________________ in a greenhouse.
b. Sunlight streams through the atmosphere and _____________ Earth. As this energy in the
form of ________ radiates up from Earth’s surface, some of it _______________________
__________________. The rest is ______________________________________________
and warms the air.
c. This process of warming Earth’s surface and lower atmosphere is called the
______________________________________.
d. Not every gas in our atmosphere reradiates infrared radiation in this way.
e. A ___________________________ is a gas that _____________________________________
infrared radiation from the __________.
f. The major greenhouse gases are ________________________, _______________________,
______________________, and nitrous oxide. Of these, water vapor and carbon dioxide
account for __________ of the absorption of that occurs in the atmosphere.
A. Measuring Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere
1) In ________, a geochemist named ________________________________ installed an
instrument at the top of a tall tower on the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii.
2) Keeling wanted to precisely measure the amount of ________________________________
in the air, far from forests and cities where carbon dioxide levels vary every day.
3) The winds that blow steadily over Mauna Loa have come thousands of miles across the
_________________________________, far from most __________________________
___________________________, swirling and mixing as they traveled.
4) Keeling reasoned that at Mauna Loa, the _________________________ carbon dioxide levels
for the entire Earth could be ______________________________.
5) Much of the carbon dioxide that is released into the air dissolves in the ocean or is used by
___________________ for _______________________________________.
6) During the _______________________, growing plants use ____________ carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis than they release in respiration, causing the levels to ___________.
7) In the ___________, dying grasses and fallen leaves decay and ________________________
the carbon that was stored in them, causing levels to _________________.
B. Rising Carbon Dioxide Levels
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1) After a few years of measurement, it was obvious that the levels were undergoing changes
other than ____________________________________________________.
2) Each year, the high carbon dioxide levels of winter were higher, and each year, the summer
levels did not ________________________________.
3) Since 1958, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by _____________.
This increase is due largely to the burning of _____________________________________.
C. Greenhouse Gases and Earth’s Temperature
1) Most scientists think that because greenhouse gases absorb and rerelease infrared radiation
to Earth’s surface, more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will result in an ____________
in _______________________________________________________.
2) A comparison of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and average global temperatures for the
past _____________________________ supports this view.
3) Today, we are releasing more _________________________________ than any other
greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.
4) _________________________________ of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere
each year from power plants that burn _______________________, and cars that burn
____________________. Millions of trees are burned in tropical rainforest to clear the land
for _______________________.
5) The amount of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in the
atmosphere is _____________________________.
2. Global Climate Change
a. Global warming is a gradual increase in the _______________________________________.
Because the rise in temperature correlates to the increase in greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, most scientists conclude that the increase in greenhouse gases, and other
factors, have caused the increase in temperature.
b. Earth’s average global temperature increased during the 20th century and many scientists
predict that this warming trend will continue. Thousands of _________________________
and _________________________________ support this hypothesis.
c. Temperatures are not necessarily rising at a _________________________________, or
rising in all parts of the world.
d. As with changes in carbon dioxide levels, short-term variations in temperature are
superimposed on larger trends such as changes in patterns of precipitation, frequency of
fires, and extreme weather events.
e. So, most scientists use the term __________________________________ rather than global
warming.
A. Modeling Climate Change
1) Predictions about climate change are based on ____________________________.
2) Scientists use mathematical relationships among “drivers,” such as solar input, wind
patterns, and cloud cover and “response variables,” such as troposphere temperature, sea
surface temperature, ice cover, and sea level. These relationships are expressed as
_______________________ within complex models.
3) The resulting models can be used to predict how factors such as _______________________
will be affected.
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4) The models are constantly being updated with new information. About a dozen different
models similarly predict widely ____________________________________ that are not
simply driven by __________________ climate or ________________ variability.
5) _______________________ are playing some ______________ in climate change.
3. The Consequences of a Warmer Earth
a. In North America, some ________________ are nesting two weeks earlier than they did 50
years ago. In Britain, many ________________ are flowering up to 55 days earlier in the year
than they did 40 years ago.
b. The possible effects of climate change include a number of potentially serious
______________________________________________, such as changes in _____________
______________________ and rising ____________________________.
c. The possible effects of a warmer Earth will not be the same everywhere and countries will
__________________ in their ability to respond.
A. Rising Sea Levels
1) Sea level has been measured in many locations over the past 100 years. Sea levels are
____________ and will _______________________________________________.
2) Sea levels rise because as water warms, it expands. Also, ice that is currently over land is
____________________ and the water is flowing into the ocean.
3) The rise is sea levels could ______________ coastal wetlands and other low-lying areas.
B. Global Weather Patterns
1. If the Earth warms up significantly, the _______________________ of the oceans will absorb
more ______________________, which may make hurricanes and typhoons more
______________________.
2. Some scientists are concerned that climate change will also cause a change in ____________
___ _____________________________, such as slowing of the Gulf Stream.
3. Such a change could significantly affect the world’s weather. ___________________
__________________ could occur in some regions at the same time ___________________
and ___________________ devastate other regions.
C. Human Health Problems
1. Greater numbers of-heat related __________________ could occur.
2. Since trees and flowering plants would flower earlier and for longer than they do, people
who are allergic to pollen would suffer from ____________________ for ______________ of
the year.
3. Warmer temperatures could enable _________________________________, vectors of
diseases such as malaria and Dengue Fever, to establish themselves in areas that are ______
_______________ for them currently.
D. Agriculture
1. Agriculture would be most _________________________________ by climate change if
extreme weather events, such as _____________________, became more frequent.
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2. Higher temperatures could result in __________________________crop yields.
3. As a result, the demand for irrigation could increase, which would further deplete
__________________that have already been _______________________.
E. Effects on Plants and Animals
1. Climate change could alter the range of plant species and could change the composition of
______________________________________.
2. A warmer climate could cause trees to _________________________________________
into cooler areas.
3. Forests could _________________ in areas in the warmer part of their range and lose
diversity. Increased frequency of ____________ may shift whole ______________________.
4. Climate change could cause a shift in the geographical range of some animals. For example,
Northern birds may not have to migrate as ________________________ during the winter.
5. Warming of surface waters of the ocean might cause a reduction of ___________________,
tiny shrimp-like animals, that many marine animals depend on for food.
6. Warming tropical waters may kill algae that nourish corals, thus destroying ______________
______________. As more carbon dioxide dissolves into oceans, the water could become
______________________, which could disrupt __________________________.
4. Reducing the Risk
a. The need to _____________ global climate change has been recognized by the ___________
community. Some nations and organizations have engaged in _________________________
projects to reduce carbon dioxide.
b. However, the attempt to slow global climate change is made difficult by the
______________________________, ___________________, and social factors faced by
different ____________________.
c. Conflict has already arisen between developed and developing countries over future CO2
emissions.
d. Developing countries are projected to make up _________ of all CO2 emissions by ________.
e. The__________________________________ is an international treaty, first negotiated in
1990, in attempt to ______________ greenhouse gas emissions.
f. Many countries have ratified the treaty, but not those most responsible for the greatest
greenhouse gas emissions, including the _____________________________. Scientists,
governments, organizations, businesses, and individuals are trying to find ways to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and address the effects of global climate change.
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