global warming 1

Question 1

why does the IPCC receive criticism?

Answer 1

2010 - mistakes and wrong data over melting of Himalayan glacier

2019 - under estimating pace and impact of climate change

Question 2

why is global warming such a debate?

Answer 2

Its a global issue - not just gonna go away

political dimension eg conservative vs labour

Donald trump sceptic - economic impact on western world if we mitigate

science and earth systems ate complicated - models aren’t fully correct/ error bars

Question 3

is flooding in the UK related to climate change?

Answer 3

maybe

also due to river regulations and increase in builidng on flood plain

Question 4

are heatwaves and warmest years related to climate change?

Answer 4

most likely if theres evidence

10 warmest years have been recent eg 2016/9/15

Question 5

are hurricanes related to climate change?

Answer 5

likely

as it creates warm oceans, low pressure systems , rise in sea level

Question 6

define weather

Answer 6

mix of events that happen each day in the atmosphere including temp - humidity - rain

Question 7

define climate

Answer 7

average weather pattern in a place over many years

Question 8

what 4 things control earths climate?

Answer 8

green house gases

solar radiation

polar ice

ocean circ pattersn

Question 9

what is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC?I

Answer 9

International treaty priduced by united nations conference in 1992 (earth summit)

objective - stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in atmosphere at a level which prevents dangerous climate change

this is framework

Question 10

what is the Kyoto protocol?

Answer 10

sets binding targets for 37 industrial used countries and European community for reducing GHG emissions

legally binding in feb 2005
but not all nations ratified protocol

Question 11

What is the Paris Agreenment ?

Answer 11

mitigation - reduce emissions

keep temp well below 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels

aim to limit incrase to 1.5 degrees

supports developing countries
monitor and evaulate progress

Question 12

what is the intergovernmental panel on climate chanfe IPCC

Answer 12

Scientific body which assesses current state of climate change and its environment and socio-ecnomic consequneces

doesn’t carry out own research and work - publicate assessment reports and review clmate change science

Question 13

how much nitrogen in atmopshere

Answer 13

78%

Question 14

How much oxygen in atmos

Answer 14

20%

Question 15

how much co2 in atmos

Answer 15

0.04%

Question 16

how much methane in atmos

Answer 16

0.00018%

Question 17

describe the snow ball earth theory

Answer 17

650 million years ago in pre-Cambrian period whole earth covered in ice from poles to tropics

life only survived in ice free forms or when sun penetrated the snow and melted it to allow photosynethesis

Question 18

describe the process of solar radiation entering atmosphere

Answer 18

incoming short wave radiation reaches earths surface and heats it up

some heat reflected back to space called longwave radiation - infrared

some heat re-radiated and absorbed

most heat absorbed by GHG and reflected in all directions which warms earth in troposphere this makes earth habitable

Question 19

name 5 main GHG

Answer 19

methane

carbon dioxide

nitrous oxide

water vapou

F gases - perfluro carbons and sulphur hexafluoride

Question 20

define the ozone hole

Answer 20

region of very depleted ozone in stratosphere over Antarctic that happens at beginning of southern hesmisphere spring

Question 21

what are man made chloroflouro carbons CFC

Answer 21

contribute to thinning of ozone layer

allow large quantities of harmful UV rays to reach earth

used in refrigerators - not using CFCs helps close ozone hole

Question 22

how do we know atmospheric build up of GHG is due to humans ?

Answer 22

changes in the atmosphere of 14C and 12C ratio - as co2 release through fossil fuels is low in 14C so 14C has reduced in atmosphere

increase in co2 far exceeds boundary of natural variability

Question 23

what were the pre industrial concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide

Answer 23

co2 - 280 ppm

ch4 - 700ppb

n20 - 275ppm

Question 24

what are methane hydrate deposits

Answer 24

found in high arctic and continental shelves
stable under pressure deep in cold waters

when they warm up and pressure released when they become unstable

air burns them

global warming could lead to runaway warming effects - release of trapped methane in unstable deposits

Question 25

what happened in eocene- super GHG

Answer 25

56- 33.9 mill years ago

abrupt warming of oceans due to release if gashydrates