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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE The Greenhouse Effect & Climate Change EQ: What are the consequences of global warming? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

GENERATING ELECTRICITY

HOW DO WE MAKE ELECTRICITY? Coal is transported in and crushed. Coal is blow into a furnace and burned. The burning coal heats water and creates steam. The steam applies pressure to turn a turbine. The turbine spins a magnet inside a coil. An electric current is created that is captured by a generator and transmitted through the power grid.

HOW DO WE MAKE ELECTRICITY? It is not the process of generating electricity that is inherently bad. Turbines and generators don’t harm the environment. It is the source that we use to turn the turbine that does – and as a society we keep choosing fossil fuels. So what are the consequences?

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

WHAT IS THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT? The greenhouse effect is a natural process in which certain gases in the atmosphere keep heat near Earth and prevent it from radiating into space.

WHAT ARE GREENHOUSE GASES? Greenhouse gases include: Methane (CH4) Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Ozone (O3) Water Vapor (H2O) Carbon Dioxide (CO2) These gases trap heat in the greenhouse effect.

A NOTE ABOUT CARBON DIOXIDE

CARBON AND THE OCEAN Carbon Dioxide moves back and forth between the ocean and the atmosphere. While the atmosphere contains a lot of carbon dioxide, the ocean contains more and helps regulate carbon.

CARBON DIOXIDE BALANCE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING… Carbon Dioxide is not bad (it is a reactant of photosynthesis) and for many years its quantities were naturally balanced by nature. However, human activities have drastically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

GLOBAL WARMING CLIMATE CHANGE

GLOBAL WARMING (CLIMATE CHANGE) Global climate change refers to shifts in temperature, precipitation, wind, ocean currents, etc. Global warming refers specifically to an increase in Earth’s average surface temperatures.

EVIDENCE OF A CHANGING EARTH Rising Temperatures Changes in Precipitation Melting Ice Rising Sea Levels

STUDYING CLIMATE CHANGE

STUDYING CLIMATE CHANGE The best way to study climate change is to keep accurate records over time. Since the late 1980s there have been consistent global efforts to track climate indicators.

PROXY INDICATORS Clues in Ice Clues in Sediment Clues in Tree Ring Track carbon levels from the past. Clues in Sediment Fossils and plant remains provide clues of previous flora/fauna. Clues in Tree Ring Indicate periods of drought and rainy seasons. Climate Models Predict where we might be heading.

WHAT IS CAUSING CLIMATE CHANGE?

INCREASE IN GREENHOUSE GASES The concentration of greenhouse gases is growing in an unprecedented manner and is at its highest.

BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS When we burn fossil fuels to power our lives, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.

CHANGE IN LAND USE Forests are a natural carbon sink (take in carbon). Deforestation not only eliminates a natural sink but releases carbon into the atmosphere.

CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

CHANGING HABITATS As air and water temperatures warm, sea levels rise, and conditions become more extreme, organisms must move, adapt, or die.

FOOD WEBS As more animals go extinct and conditions change, food webs will be more disturbed causing a ripple effect of consequences.

OCEANS Sea level will rise, ice caps will melt and the ocean will ultimately become warmer and less salty.

BIODIVERSITY As species are lost, the total biodiversity of the planet will decrease making global ecosystems more fragile.

CURRENT IMPACT ON SOCIETY Changing precipitation and temperature affect crops and agriculture. Flooding and catastrophic storms causes economic damage. There are adverse health effects.

FUTURE IMPACT ON SOCIETY Freshwater crisis. Sea level rise and competition for land. Spread of diseases in warmer and wetter climates. Ecosystem collapse.

Task Cards C: Level 1 (Whisper) H: Ask three, then me! A: Read through the tasks cards as a table. Complete each task and record your answers in the appropriate space on the student worksheet. M: None P: Looks like pencils in hand, recording answers, using your notes to find answers, maximizing our time. Sounds like conversations on task voices at a whisper. S: Success