1. Anthropogenic Influences on Climate Change

2. Recall…
From reading the text, you learned about carbon sinks (aka carbon sequestration) How are forests & oceans carbon sinks?
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3. Briefly… Forests as Carbon Sinks
Photosynthesis
(chemical process in which plants convert light energy into sugars)
takes in CO₂, H₂O, and light and
creates glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆) and O₂.
Where is the carbon stored?
The carbon is stored in the bodies of plants as wood, leaves, and roots.

4. Briefly… Oceans as Carbon Sinks
Oceans absorb more than ¼ of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions!
through 2 processes:
1. Biological pump:
-Ocean plants at the surface absorb CO₂ through photosynthesis.
-As plants/organisms that eat plants decompose, carbon sinks to the ocean deep for long term storage
2. Solubility pump (this process sequesters the majority of CO₂):
-dissolves CO₂ from the atmosphere into the surface layers of the ocean
-dissolved best in cooler water which sinks to bottom of ocean for long-term storage (think thermohaline circulation)
- Greater amounts of CO2in the atmosphere increase the ocean’s carbon uptake, but warmer ocean water dissolves less CO2.
(What do you think will happen to the Solubility pump as the atmosphere warms? – Hot topic for research right now!)

5. Carbon Sinks? Check? Check.

6. So what’s the big deal?
Greenhouse gases have been part of our atmosphere for hundreds of thousands of years, right?
What gases are they? (Name the big ones)
What process are they responsible for?
What is the importance of greenhouse gases?
Yet over the past 200 years, the atmospheric levels of most greenhouse gases have increased dramatically.
Why?

7. Changing levels of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere
Today’s class:
Changing levels of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere

8. Recall Past Climates & Paleoclimatology…
Measurements of CO2 in bubbles trapped in ice cores as well as ratios of isotopes of oxygen and of hydrogen give us information about past atmospheric conditions and global temperatures. What do you think ice cores reveal about CO2 concentrations over time, and our present situation? What has been the trend?
After reviewing the slide, click on the underlined title “Enhanced Greenhouse Effect” to go to Climate Change: Lines of Evidence, Chapter 4 – Increased Emissions. (bookmarked on my computer)

9. Source: USGCRP (2009)

10. CO₂ concentrations are rising!
CO2 concentrations have been increasing dramatically since the Industrial Revolution.
Other spikes occurred in the 1950’s

11. Industrial Revolution?
What happened? Why was it significant?
How did the Industrial Revolution contribute to Climate Change?
What happened in the 1950s?
How did this change contribute to Climate Change?
IR: mid 1800s shift from craftsmanship to mass mechanical production, and from wind/water/wood power to coal. Positives: advances in medicine, agriculture, housing, clothing. Negatives: uses up a lot of natural resources (deforestation), and creates pollution

12. Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect
Enter the
Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect

13. ENVIRONMENT Published: December 21, 2010
The Keeling Curve: -Scientist, Charles Keeling, is credited as being the first to bring rising CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere to the public’s attention -Seasonal variation caused by photosynthetic activity of plants in the northern hemisphere: In spring, plants leaf out and start photosynthesizing, decreasing concentrations of CO₂; in fall, leaves drop and decompose, increasing concentrations of CO₂ -Trend in rising CO₂ concentrations since 1960 parallels the rising amount of fossil fuels being burned

14. How Much Warming? Climate Change, Lines of Evidence: Chapter 5
Good review of concepts covered in class. Goes over CO2 levels in atmosphere since Industrial Revolution [5:05]

15. Relationship between CO₂ & Temperature over time
Important to note that while the graph proves a relationship between CO2 and temperature, it doesn’t prove that one causes the other.

16. CO₂ levels are the highest they’ve been in
years…!
While the temperature is not yet warmer than it has been in the past, looking at the trends, it will likely be by 2100 if we don’t change our ways

17. Why is this concerning? 3 Reasons (p. 395):
The temperature change will happen quickly
The temperature will rise higher than it’s been in the past years
The result of this climate change will drastically affect human civilization

18. Will Carbon Sinks Store it All?
Some of the carbon dioxide produced by human activities ends up in carbon sinks such as oceans and forests However, about half the carbon dioxide and most other greenhouse gases end up in the atmosphere = the Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect
Increased Emissions: Climate Change, Lines of Evidence: Chapter 4 [5:20]

19. What’s this about?
ontario.sierraclub.ca 

20. Alberta Tar Sands

21. http://cdn. lightgalleries. net/4bd5ec0174be3/images/tarsandslost2-1

24. Research Time! Homework:
Research the Alberta Tar Sands and come to next class with the following:
-information on how the oil is extracted
-information on the environmental & health impacts of the industry
-information on the proposed pipelines
-notes on how we are supporting the industry in our daily lives
Review: Read text pp (easy/not much)
p. 398 #1-4, 8, 11
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