Download Mitigations, Human Impact, Climate Characteristics

ALL CLIMATES AROUND THE WORLD HAVE
BEEN CLASSIFIED INTO 5 MAJOR CLIMATE
GROUPS UNDER THE KOPPEN CLIMATE
CLASSIFICATION

1. Humid Tropical Climates
These climates have no winters, have an average
temperature of 18 ºC, and an annual rainfall of about
200 cm or more
 Examples Tropical Rainforest and Savannas (Africa
and South America)
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2. Mid Latitude Climates
These climate can have mild or severe winters,
temperatures that are on average 18 ºC to above
-3 ºC, and can either have a high precipitation rate
in the winter or in the summer.
 Examples Mostly cover the US and Northern Eurasia
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3. Dry Climates
Not really having a temperature range, this climate
is more defined by the amount of precipitation that it
receives annually, which is very little
 Examples Steppe or Deserts (Gobi, Sahara, Arabian)
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4. Polar Climates
This climates warmest months are below 10 ºC, has
periods of perpetual night (no sunlight at all during
the day) and very little solar radiation
 Examples Tundra (Greenland and Antarctica)
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5. Highland Climates
Very localized and small, these climates are usually
cooler and wetter than those areas that are at lower
elevations nearby.
 Examples Mid China, British Columbia, Canada

WE ALL KNOW THAT RAISED AMOUNTS OF CO2 PUT OUT MY
HUMANS CAN INFLUENCE THE CLIMATES OF THE WORLD, BUT
THERE ARE SEVERAL NATURAL PROCESSES THAT CAN EFFECT
CHANGE IN THEM TOO

1. Volcanic Eruptions

Large amounts of ash and dust can reflect some of
the solar radiation back into space and cool
temperatures here on Earth

2. Ocean Circulation

Warmer than usual ocean temperatures can create a
short term change in climates (El Nino)
El Nino is when climates around the world are wetter and
warmer, especially in the US
 La Nina is when the climates around the world are drier
and cooler, creating massive droughts
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3. Solar Activity

Dark spots on the sun called sunspots occur at times
of high solar activity and corresponds with warmer
temperatures in Earth’s history

4. Earth Motions
Plates diverging and converging can change the
amount of land and water exposed, creating different
climates all the time
 Earth’s orbit has moved us closer and farther from
the Sun at times over the last 4 by, changing climates
by increased and decreased amounts of solar
radiation

GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Natural Heating of the Earth’s atmosphere from
the retention of heat
 We need to retain some of the heat from the core
and solar radiation in order for life to continue on
this planet
 The effect is created by several gases that hold
this heat near the surface


Examples: Water vapor, Carbon Dioxide, Methane,
Nitrous Oxide, and Ozone
OZONE

Ozone can have both good and bad effects
Good ozone is found in the stratosphere and protects
us from high amounts of solar radiation
 It is made by the splitting of oxygen, where it is then
added to another oxygen atom
 Many countries all over the world are trying to
protect the ozone layer, but some countries burn
chemicals or have chemicals factories going that can
deplete the ozone, though not always in their areas

OZONE
Bad ozone is found in the troposphere where we and
are exposed to it.
 Bad ozone, when we are exposed to it, can cause
upper respiratory problems, along with other skin
diseases with prolonged exposure
 Made when coal and gasoline is burned in the
process of combustion
 Everyone is exposed to bad ozone, but some people
are more susceptible to the health risk of ozone
exposure

Babies and Toddlers (weak immune systems)
 Elderly (weak immune systems)
 City Dwellers (People in the city are more exposed because
of the close conditions to each other and the higher
percentage of transportation running)

RESULTS OF GREENHOUSE EFFECT

> With the increasing amount of burnt fossil
fuels, we are increasing the amount of
greenhouse gases, which means that we are
increasing the amount of heat that is kept near
the surface. This leads to global warming.
GLOBAL WARMING
The unnatural heating of the Earth’s atmosphere
 This can be caused by nature at an accelerated
pace or by human activities (which is the
prevailing theory at this time)
 Causes of Global Warming in this age

1. Burning of fossil fuels (gasoline, oil, coal,
petroleum)
 2. Release of aerosols into the atmosphere from any
type of spray can (hair spray, air fresheners, cleaning
supplies)
 3. Deforestation (there is not enough plants taking in
the extra carbon dioxide that is flowing into the
atmosphere)

GLOBAL WARMING

Effects of Global Warming

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1. There is an increase in temperatures around the
globe
2. The climates will begin to change because with a
change in temperature, that means that climate
conditions will change as well
3. Glaciers will begin to melt because of the increase
in global temperatures, meaning that there will
smaller cooling centers for the world
4. With the glacial melt, there will be a rise in sea
level, which may help to cool the Earth, but that
would lead to further problems for the human race
5. Higher oceans means that anyone that is located
on the lower coastal areas may be flooded out of their
homes. This means problems for business, docks and
transportations, and property damage to all
UNNATURAL CAUSES OF CLIMATE
CHANGE

Heat Islands As urban areas develop,
changes occur in their landscape.
Buildings, roads, and other infrastructure replace
open land and forests
 Surfaces that were once permeable and moist become
impermeable and dry
 These changes cause urban regions to become
warmer than their rural surroundings, forming an
"island" of higher temperatures in the landscape.
 How is this going to change the climate of an area?
The city will have higher temperatures and less
precipitation because of all of the concrete jungle

UNNATURAL CAUSES OF CLIMATE
CHANGE

Deforestation Forests play a huge role in the
warming cycle on our planet.
When forests are cut down, not only does carbon
absorption decrease, but also the carbon stored in the
trees is released into the atmosphere as CO2 if the
wood is burned or even if it is left to rot after the
deforestation process.
 If we carry on cutting down the main tool we have to
reduce this CO2 build up, we can expect the climate
of our planet to change dramatically over the next
decades
 How is this going to change the climate of an area?
The increased amount of CO2 will cause the
increase in temperatures and precipitation that is
associated with global warming

UNNATURAL CAUSES OF CLIMATE
CHANGE

Acid Rain When water vapor in the air
combines with certain pollutants, the rain or fog
that may be produced from that combination will
have a lower pH

pH scale
Gases that combine to form acid rain are sulfur
dioxide and carbon dioxide
 We create this acid rain from burning coal for heat
and burning of fossil fuels in combustion

UNNATURAL CAUSES OF CLIMATE
CHANGE

Ocean Acidification Oceans absorb quite a
bit of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
With the increased amount of CO2 in the air, the
oceans cannot absorb any more than it can hold
 Too much CO2 in the ocean will cause the shells of
clams and the coral reefs to be fragile and not
support the life that exist in and around it
 Sea life will not be able to adapt to the changing
environment that will grow acidic because of the
rising amount of CO2 in the oceans

OTHER WAYS THAT HUMANS HAVE
ALTERED THE ATMOSPHERE
 1. Aerosols When these sprays are released
into the atmosphere, they are full of chemicals
that will eat away at stratospheric ozone
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2. Burning  In general, anytime were are
burning something that was not made in nature,
we are putting harmful chemicals into the
atmosphere
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Example  Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Example  Tires, trash can fires, plastics
3. Industrial Processes  The byproducts of
many of the things that we use are producing
gases that will enter our atmosphere
MITIGATIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

For the natural changes of climate, there is no
way that humans can stop the forces of nature.

We cannot stop a volcano from erupting, the plates
from moving, the greenhouse effect and ozone from
keeping out the sun, the sun from having higher
levels of energy, or the oceans from moving the
warmer waters around the globe
MITIGATIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Unnatural Climate Changes

1. For Ocean Acidification

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By decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide that we put
into the atmosphere, we can slow the amount of CO2 that is
absorbed into the oceans
2. For Acid Rain
We must slow the use of coal being burned for energy and
factories
 We must decrease the amount of CO2 put into the
atmosphere by decreasing the amount of fossil fuels being
burned and the amount of transportation that is used in
large cities and commerce

MITIGATIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Unnatural Climate Change
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3. For Heat Islands
By putting gardens and green roof tops on top of building
and businesses in cities, you have the plants absorbing the
heat from the sun and providing a source of moisture for the
city as well
 Having large city parks will also provide a sink for carbon
dioxide to go to amidst all of the high producers of carbon
dioxide
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4. For Deforestation

As said before, replanting trees and increasing recycling
efforts will keep trees available for carbon dioxide to be
absorbed.
MITIGATIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Unnatural Climate Changes
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5. For Aerosols
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By using other methods of getting air fresheners, body
sprays, and hair sprays, we can help to decrease the
amount of CFCs put into the atmosphere
6. For Burning and Industrial Process
Both of these activities can be curbed by simple changes to
processes and habits that the human race have been using
for years
 Its hard for humans to change things that work easily
because we become comfortable with the way things are

MITIGATIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Unnatural Climate Change

7. For Global Warming

We need to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are
put into the atmosphere
 Reduce the amount of fossil fuel burning and increasing
public transportation
 Investing in green energies that decreases our
dependency on fossil fuels
 Decreasing the beef production to slow the amount of
methane production