CLIMATE CHANGE

• what is mitigation

  • deals with the causes of climate change
• what are the mitigation methods

  • International agreements
  • Carbon capture and storage
  • Alternative energy sources
  • Planting trees
• what period is the earth currently in?

  • Quaternary period - began 2.6 million years ago
  • cooling period
• what is the evidence for climate change?

  • earth's surface temperaure has increased by aprox 1 degree in the last 100 years
  • sea levels have risen by 19cm since 1900 due to thermal expansion and melting ice
  • ocean temps are warming
  • glacial ice is retreating
• how can climate change be tracked?

  • Ice cores
  • temperature records
  • tree rings
• how do ice cores show climate change

  • A sample is taken from a glacier
  • The gases in the layers of ice can be analysed and scientists can work out the temperature at that time
• how to temperature records show climate change

  • Use thermometers to meausre and record temperature which provides reliable data which you can compare with previous years to show climate change
• how do tree rings show climate change?

  • Trees grow a new ring each year
  • the width of the ring reflects the climatic conditions of the year - more rain leads to a thicker ring
• what are human causes of climate change?

  • Burning fossil fuels
  • Deforestation
  • Agriculture

  All of these activities increase the volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere leading to the enhanced greenhouse effect
• How does deforestation cause climate change

  • Trees absorb CO2 during photosynthesis - less trees therefore increases concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere
• how does burning fossil fuels cause climate change?

  • Burning fossil fuels releases more CO2 into the air
• How does agriculture cause climate change?

  • Increased animal farming leads to more methane released into the atmosphere
  • Nitrogen oxides are also released into the atmosphere during some agricultural practices
• What are natural factors which cause climate change?

  • Orbital changes
  • Volcanic activity
  • Solar output
• How do orbital changes cause climate change?

  • MILANKOVITCH cycles - variations in the earth's orbit which cause natural warming and cooling periods
• How does volcanic activity cause climate change?

  • CO2 is released into the air during erruptions
• How does solar output cause climate change

  • Solar output is the amount of radiation that the sun emits - this can fluctuate
  • higher radiation leads to higher temperatures
• What are the impacts of climate change for the UK?

  • rising sea levels which threatens low lying coastal areas
  • Industries such as skiing may be impacted - ie ski resorts in scotland may be forced to close
  • more extreme weather ie floodign and droughts
  • increased pressure on water supply in hotter periods
  • winter heating costs may reduce as winters become warmer
• what are global impacts of climate change?

  • Sea levels rising will effect over 800 million coastal communtities
  • tropical storms will become stronger due to ocean temps rising
  • ecosystems will be affected by things such as wildfires and storms - reduced biodiversity
• what are mitigation strategies?

  • Renewable energy - reduces CO2 emmissions
  • Carbon capture - removing greenhouse gases and waste gas from power stations and storing it underground in the ocean which reduces the atmospheric emmissions
  • Planting trees - absorb more CO2
  • International agreements - countries pledge to reduce emissions. However this was unsuccesful and ended in 2012 as the impact was negligible and countries such as China and India did not make any reductions
• What are adaptation strategies?

  • Agriculture changes - farmers must grow crops which are seasonal and suitable for the changing climate. Reduce the useage of greenhouses as they can emit high leevls of CO2
  • Manage water supply - use water transfer schemes to help defecit areas
  • Reduce risk of sea level rise areas by building sea defences in places that are at risk of erosion