Download Objective 2 6

Objective 2.6
1. The major difference between weather and
climate are time. Climate helps you decide what
clothes to buy, and weather helps you decide
what clothes to wear each day.
Weather
Definition Weather is the
state of the
atmosphere on a
current day at a
current time. It
changes day to
day.
Components Weather includes
sunshine, rain,
cloud cover,
winds, hail,
snow, sleet,
freezing rain,
flooding,
blizzards, ice
Climate
Climate is the
average
conditions that
are expected at a
certain place
over a number
of years.
Climate may
include
precipitation,
temperature,
humidity,
sunshine, and
wind velocity,
phenomena such
Forecast
storms,
thunderstorms,
steady rains from
a cold front or
warm front,
excessive heat,
heat waves and
more.
Day to day
forecast can be
done depending
on the air
pressure,
temperature and
other similar
factors.
as fog, frost, and
hail storms over
a long period of
time.
Climate forecast
can only be done
over longer
periods of time,
such as 30 years.
The average of
weather over 30
years helps
determine the
climate of a
certain area.
Determined Real-time
Aggregating
by
measurements of weather statistics
atmospheric
over periods of
Study
pressure,
30 years
temperature,
wind speed and
direction,
humidity,
precipitation,
could cover, etc.
Meteorology
Climatology
2. El Nino/La Nino, volcanic eruptions,shifts in
Earth’s orbit, carbon dioxide fluctuations, and
sunspots are natural processes that impact
climate.
The shape of the Earth's orbit around the sun
naturally changes over time, and so does the
way the Earth tilts toward the sun. Many of
these changes happen in cycles that repeat
over tens of thousands of years. These
changes affect how much of the sun's energy
the Earth absorbs, which in turn affects the
Earth's temperature. Over at least the last few
million years, these cycles likely caused the
Earth to alternate between cold and warm
periods. For the last few thousand years,
we've been in a relatively warmer period.
The atmosphere isn't the only part of the
Earth that has carbon. The oceans store large
amounts of carbon, and so do plants, soil, and
deposits of coal, oil, and natural gas deep
underground. Carbon naturally moves from
one part of the Earth to another through the
carbon cycle. But right now, by burning fossil
fuels, people are adding carbon to the
atmosphere (in the form of carbon dioxide)
faster than natural processes can remove it.
That's why the amount of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere is increasing, which is causing
global climate change. The increase in
greenhouse gases produce an increase in
temperatures. As temperatures rise across the
world, some areas may experience higher
amounts of rainfall and more severe storms
while other areas may experience extreme
droughts.
Volcanoes add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere,
along with dust, ash, and other particles called
aerosols. Scientists believe the added carbon
dioxide has caused the planet to grow warmer at
times during the past. Most of the time an
eruption produces a short term cooling effect as
the aerosols can actually block solar radiation
from reaching Earth.
3. Earth is divided into temperature zones based
upon latitudes.
Polar climates are cold and dry, with long,
dark winters. They are located on the northern
coastal areas of N America and Europe, Asia
and on landmasses of Greenland and
Antarctica. These areas have climates with year
round temperatures below 10 degrees. .
Vegetation is dominated by mosses, lichens,
dwarf trees and scattered woody shrubs. This
climate is divided into subcategories: tundra
(where the soil is permanently frozen to depths
of hundreds of meters) and polar ice caps
(permanently covered by ice and snow).
Tropical climates are characterized by
constant high temperature (at sea level and low
elevations) — all twelve months of the year
have average temperatures of 18 °C (64 °F) or
higher.
Temperate climates have an average
temperature above 10 °C (50 °F) in their
warmest months (April to September in
northern hemisphere), and a coldest month
average between −3 and 18 °C (27 and 64 °F).
They have 4 distinct seasons.
The Koppen climate classification system is
the most widely used system for classifying the
world's climates. Its categories are based on the
annual and monthly averages of temperature
and precipitation. The Köppen system
recognizes five major climatic types; each type
is designated by a capital letter.
5 major categories of Koppen Classification
System
A Tropical Moist Climates: all months have
average temperatures above 18 degrees Celsius
B Dry Climates: with deficient precipitation
during most of the year
C Moist Mid-latitude Climates with Mild Winters
D Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Cold
Winters
E Polar Climates: with extremely cold winters
and summers
4. Changes in atmospheric condition contribute
to ocean acidification. Currently in the Pacific
Ocean 53% of the snail shells are dissolving.
We do not typically eat these snails, but other
fish which we do eat feed on these snails.
Without these snails, other organisms may not
have enough food and could die out.
Increasing acidity make it hard for coral to build
skeletons. Coral reefs are built from their
skeletons. Warmer waters and higher ocean
acidities associated with global warming could
lead to live coral reefs in tropical and
subtropical areas to become rare. Many
organisms use coral as their habitat. The loss of
the coral could lead to threatened populations.
Fish species live in specific ocean acidities. If
the acidity increases, the fish may have difficulty
reproducing and may die out.
5. Humans can make changes to mitigate global
climate change. They can reduce the
combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural
gas). They can do this by using alternative
energy resources such as nuclear power, solar
power, wind power, water power, or
geothermal energy. They can reduce the
amount of energy used by using energy efficient
appliances, powering down appliances when
they are not in use, driving more fuel efficient
cars or driving “green” cars that are not reliant
on fossil fuels. You can reduce the quantity you
consume and recycle products whenever
possible. You can buy locally produced food
and products. You can eat one meatless meal a
day. You can plant a tree. You can use energy
efficient light bulbs. You can advocate for the
government to follow environmental friendly
practices. Our government can enter global
treaties to prevent air pollution. Learn from
environmentally friendly countries such as
Ireland.
6. Sunlight that reaches Earth’s surface can be
reflected back into space or absorbed by Earth.
Once absorbed, the planet releases some of the
energy back into the atmosphere as infrared
heat. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) like water
vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and
methane (CH4) absorb energy, slowing or
preventing the loss of heat to space. GHGs act
like a blanket, making Earth warmer than it
would otherwise be. This process is commonly
known as the “greenhouse effect”. Without the
greenhouse effect, Earth would be too cold to
in for us to live.
.
Carbon dioxide is most often the focus of the
public.Carbon is found in the air, soil, plants,
ocean, coal, gas, and oil. Carbon naturally
moves from one part of the Earth to another
through the carbon cycle. People are adding
carbon to the atmosphere (in the form of
carbon dioxide) faster than natural processes
can remove it when they burn fossil fuels.
That's why the amount of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere is increasing, which is causing
global climate change.Deforestation and the
burning of fossil fuels in industry have
contributed to global climate change.
7. Large scale development contributes to
regional changes in climate.
Heat islands which are seen in New York,
Chicago, Beijing, is an
example of a regional change.
8. Global climate changes can impact the
biosphere.
Agri
Northern portions of the US may
cultu
be able to grow certain crops as
re
temperatures warm. The Southern
areas may experience lower crop
yields or crop failures as
temperatures rise. Droughts caused
by climate change could reduce the
amount of water available for
irrigation. Climate change is also
likely to cause stronger storms and
more floods, which can damage
crops. Higher temperatures and
Spec
ies
diver
sity
Ecos
yste
m
bala
nce
changing rainfall patterns could
help some kinds of weeds and
pests to spread to new areas. If the
global temperature rises an
additional 3.6°F, U.S. corn
production is expected to decrease
by 10 to 30 percent.
Some species are relocating too cooler
regions and some may be experiencing
a change in life cycle. Some may be
experiencing changes in hibernation
and/or migration patterns. Other
species may become extinct due to
loss of habitat, or loss of food. It is
estimated that ¼ of all species will
become extinct during the next 100
years.
The ecosystem will not be in balance.
Greenhouse gases will not be removed
from the system as quickly as they are
added. A larger demand for livestock
can lead to an increase in methane
gases which are more powerful
greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide.
Caron dioxide released by the burning
of fossil fuels and deforestation may
be in our atmosphere for 1000s of
years in our future. The increased
temperatures due to these factors may
lead to greater storms and droughts
throughout different regions. Species
may migrate to other areas or become
extinct changing the predator prey
relationships.
Sea Sea levels may rise with increased
level precipitation due to increased
s
evaporation rates and melting sea ice
and glaciers.