Climate change's effects on earth

• Carbon Cycle: Climate change impacts the carbon cycle through increased CO2 emissions, ocean acidification, permafrost thawing, and changes in vegetation. These changes, in turn, affect climate change through greenhouse gas feedback mechanisms
• Water Cycle: Climate change alters the water cycle by changing precipitation patterns, increasing glacial melt, causing sea level rise, and modifying evapotranspiration rates. These alterations can amplify climate change through increased water vapor and changes in cloud dynamics.
• Warming temperatures increase the evaporation rate, leading to more intense and frequent precipitation events, including storms and heavy rainfall
• Distribution

  • Some regions may experience more rainfall, while others may become drier, altering local and regional water availability
• Rising temperatures cause glaciers and polar ice caps to melt, contributing to sea level rise and altering freshwater availability
• Thermal Expansion

  • Warming oceans expand, contributing to rising sea levels
• Climate change can cause coastal impacts like:

  • Higher sea levels can lead to coastal flooding, erosion, and salinization of freshwater sources
• Climate Change causes hotter temperatures

  • Higher temperatures increase evaporation and transpiration rates, potentially leading to more droughts and water stress in some regions
• Impact on Soil Moisture

  • Changes in evapotranspiration can alter soil moisture levels, affecting agriculture and natural ecosystems
• Climate change can cause Cloud Formation

  • Changes in cloud cover and type can affect the Earth's albedo (reflectivity), influencing how much solar radiation is absorbed or reflected back into space
  • Clouds can both cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight and warm it by trapping heat, depending on their type and altitude
• Climate change can cause Ocean Acidification

  • Oceans absorb about 25% of the CO2 emitted by human activities. Increased CO2 levels lead to higher concentrations of carbonic acid, lowering the pH of ocean waters!
  • Impact on Marine Life: Acidification affects marine organisms, particularly those that form calcium carbonate shells and skeletons, disrupting marine ecosystems and food webs
• Climate change can cause Permafrost to start Thawing:

  Warming temperatures cause permafrost to thaw, which causes stored methane and CO2 to be released into the atmosphere (methane is a potent greenhouse gas) --> further enhancing the greenhouse effect
• Climate change can cause changes in Vegetation

  • Plant Growth: Higher CO2 levels can stimulate plant growth (CO2 fertilization effect), but this is often limited by other factors such as nutrient availability and water supply
  • Shifts in Biomes: Climate change can cause shifts in vegetation zones, altering the carbon storage capacity of different regions
• The Carbon Cycle:

  • The carbon cycle involves the movement of carbon between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere.
  • Major processes include photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and combustion.
• The Water Cycle:

  • The water cycle involves the continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere through processes such as evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, and transpiration.