Chapter 19 & 20 - Global Climate Change & Geology, Society, and the Future

Question 1

• famous Earth scientist interested in the history of life on Earth, human impact on the environment, and the use of resources, proposed two central goals for Earth sciences:

1. Understand how Earth works and how it has evolved from a landscape of barren rock to the complex landscape dominated by the life we see today.
2. Apply that understanding to better manage our environment

Answer 1

Preston Cloud

Question 2

studies how the Earth’s interconnected systems interact and influence life on a global scale.

Answer 2

Earth Systems Science

Question 3

Tools for Studying Global Change

Answer 3

1. The Geologic Record
2. Real Time Monitoring
3. Mathematical Models

Question 4

● Organic material in sediment provides a timeline and insights into past climates, life, and environmental changes.
● Glacial ice, with trapped air bubbles, offers crucial data on past atmospheric CO2 and CH4 levels, making the geologic record essential for understanding Earth’s history and long-term environmental changes.

Answer 4

The Geologic Record

Question 5

● Monitoring is the regular collection of data for a specific purpose.
● Real-time monitoring refers to collecting these data while a process is actually occurring.
● Gathering of real-time data is necessary for testing models and for calibrating the extended prehistoric record derived from geologic data

Answer 5

Real Time Monitoring

Question 6

● use numerical methods to represent real-world phenomena and the interactions between processes
● They predict surface water and groundwater flow, sediment transport, ocean currents, and atmospheric circulation based on physical principles like energy and mass conservation.

Answer 6

3. Mathematical Models

Question 7

• refers to the long-term atmospheric conditions of a specific region, spanning seasons, years, or even decades.
• It involves more than just average temperature and precipitation-factors like humidity, wind patterns, and seasonal variations all contribute to the complexity of a region’s climate

Answer 7

Climate

Question 8

The _____________ surrounds the Earth and holds the air we breathe; it protects us from outer space; and holds moisture (clouds), gases, and tiny particles

Answer 8

atmosphere

Question 9

Atmosphere Consists mainly of:

Answer 9

Nitrogen - 78%, Oxygen - 21%, Argon - 0.9%, Carbon Dioxide - 0.03%, Trace Elements <0.07%

Also contains compunds (methane, ozone, etc.) and pollutants.
Water vapor varies between 0% and 4% in the lower atmosphere

Question 10

• is a process that occurs when gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap the Sun’s heat.
• this process makes Earth much warmer than it would be without an atmosphere.

Answer 10

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Question 11

● About a third of the Sun’s energy is reflected into space, while the rest is absorbed by Earth’s surface, warming
it.

● The atmosphere transmits outgoing infrared radiation, with most emitted near its upper levels after scattering and absorption by greenhouse gases. A slight energy imbalance (about 1 W/m2) due to greenhouse gases warms the atmosphere and oceans while melting glaciers.

Answer 11

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Question 12

➔ Glacial events reshape landscapes during low temperatures, while high temperatures mark interglacial periods, which have varied over 150,000 and 18,000-year cycles.

The cold period that occurred about 11,500 years ago is known as the _________________, followed by rapid warming to the Holocene maximum, which preceded the Little Ice Age.

➔ Since around 1750, a warming trend began, followed by slight cooling in the 1940s. Over the past 100 years, global mean temperature has risen by about 0.8°C.

Answer 12

Global Temperature Change

Younger Dryas

Question 13

Why Does Climate Change?
➔ Earth’s movement wobbles like a top, altering its position relative to the Sun and the solar radiation it
receives.

➔ Identified by Milutin Milankovitch in the 1920s, these cycles explain long-term climate trends but alone cannot account for large-scale changes.

➔ As natural climate forcing mechanisms, they contribute to global climate shifts when combined with other
processes

Answer 13

Milankovitch Cycles

Question 14

• it is an imposed change of Earth’s energy balance. It can be positive if a particular forcing increases global mean temperature or negative if temperature is decreased.

Answer 14

Climate forcing

Question 15

solar variation influences Earth’s climate, with increased radiation linked to the Medieval Warm Period (A.D. 1000-1300) and minimal activity marking the Little Ice Age. However, the effect is small, with only a 0.25% difference in solar forcing over the past 1,000 years.

Answer 15

Solar forcing

Question 16

volcanic eruptions release aerosols into the atmosphere, which spread globally and reflect sunlight, causing cooling that can counteract some greenhouse warming.

Answer 16

Volcanic forcing

Question 17

human-driven climate change includes recent warming of 0.2°C per decade, which
exceeds natural climate variability. Industrial-era forcing is primarily due to increased CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. Natural factors alone cannot explain the nearly 1°C rise in global temperature over the past century, but when combined with human influences, the observed changes become more consistent.

Answer 17

Anthropogenic forcing

Question 18

● Unit for the forcing is W/m² (watts per square meter).
● It can be positive if a particular forcing increases global mean temperature or negative if temperature is
decreased.

Answer 18

Climate forcing (concept)

Question 19

refers to the response of climate to a specific climate forcing after a new equilibrium has been established.

Answer 19

Climate Sensitivity

Unit for climate sensitivity is °C/(W/m²)

Question 20

is the time required for the response to a forcing to occur

Answer 20

Climate response time

Question 21

The ocean conveyor belt, also known as ___________________, is a system of ocean currents driven by differences in water density, which are caused by variations in temperature and salinity.

Answer 21

thermohaline circulation

Question 22

Whirlpools of water trapping huge collections of trash in their currents

Answer 22

Gyres

Question 23

Home of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Estimated 3.2 million tons of trash
Located Between Hawaii and California

Answer 23

North Pacific Gyre

Question 24

POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

Answer 24

1. Melting of Glacial Ice and Sea Ice and Thawing of Permafrost with Global Warming
2. Climate Patterns Desertification
3. Climate Patterns El Nino
4. Sea Level Rise
5. Adaptation of Species to Global Warming
6. Changes in the Biosphere
7. Strategies for Reducing the Impact of Global Warming

Question 25

➔ The major global change processes discussed in this chapter have important linkages. For example, the _________________________ that cause ozone (O3, triatomic oxygen) depletion when they reach the stratosphere also contribute to the greenhouse effect when they are released into the lower atmosphere.

Answer 25

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Question 26

- defined as a large-scale change in the global climate system that takes place over a few decades or less. Such change is anticipated to persist for at least a few decades and will cause substantial disruptions to both human and natural systems.

Answer 26

Abrupt Climate Change

Question 27

Several types of abrupt climate change could cause serious risk to humans and the natural environment in terms of our ability to adapt, including:

Answer 27

● A rapid change of sea level as a result of changes in the glaciers and ice sheets. ● Droughts and floods, resulting from widespread rapid changes to the hydrologic cycle. ● Abrupt change in the pattern of circulation of water in the Atlantic Ocean that is characterized by northward flow of warm, salty water in the upper layers of the ocean. ● A rapid release of methane (a strong greenhouse gas) to the atmosphere from both thawing permafrost and the ocean's sediment

Question 28

➔ The processes responsible for stratospheric ozone depletion and development of the Antarctic ozone hole are complex but related to chemical reactions between ____________________, linked to the Antarctic polar vortex (where there is counterclockwise rotation of the atmosphere), and polar stratospheric clouds where ozone-depleting reactions happen.

Answer 28

chlorine (CI) and ozone (O3)

Question 29

refers to stratospheric loss of ozone, generally at the South Pole, related to release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) into the atmosphere.

Answer 29

Ozone Depletion

Question 30

the science involved with the study of poisons, or toxins, and their potential effects on people and ecosystems as well as clinical, economic, industrial, and legal problems associated with toxic materials in the environment.

Answer 30

Toxicology

Question 31

- a special type of toxin that causes cancer

Answer 31

Carcinogen

Question 32

- the incidence of lead poisoning is an example of geologic, cultural, political, and economic influences on patterns of disease. The effects of lead poisoning can include anemia, mental retardation, and palsy. For decades, lead was used in gasoline, resulting in polluted soil near highways. Until recently, lead was also used in many other products, including paints. - some children chewing on these painted surfaces ingested lead in toxic amounts. Lead is also found in some moonshine whiskey and has resulted in lead poisoning among adults and even unborn or nursing infants whose mothers drank it

Answer 32

Lead in the Environment

Question 33

The soil in which we cultivate plants for food, the rock on which we build our homes and industries, the water we drink, and the air we breathe all influence our chances of developing serious health problems.

Answer 33

Geologic Factors of Environmental Health

Question 34

Health can be defined as an organism's state of adjustment to its own internal environment and to its external environment. Observation over many years has suggested that some regional and local variations in human chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease are related to the geologic environment.

Answer 34

Chronic Disease and the Geologic Environment

Question 35

Our use of the term heart disease here includes coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Variations in heart disease mortality have generally shown interesting relationships with the chemistry of drinking water-in particular, with the hardness of drinking water.

Answer 35

Heart Disease and the Geochemical Environment

Question 36

Cancer tends to be strongly related to environmental conditions. However, as is the case for heart disease, relationships between the geochemical environment and cancer have not been proved. Cancer-causing, or carcinogenic, substances in the environment have two origins: some occur naturally in Earth materials such as soil and water; others are released into the environment by human use.

Answer 36

Cancer and the Geochemical Environment

Question 37

- is the process of evaluating an environment that will support human activities. It is a task shared by Earth scientists, engineers, landscape architects, geographers, ecologists, planners, social scientists, and economists, and thus involves a multidimensional approach to landscape evaluation.

Answer 37

Site selection

Question 38

naturally occurring radioactive gas that is color-less, odorless, and tasteless. Uranium-bearing rocks are the source of the radon gas that contaminates many homes in the United States

Answer 38

Radon Gas

Question 39

The actual amount of radon that reaches the surface of Earth is related to the concentration of uranium in the rock and soil as well as the efficiency of the transfer processes from the rock or soil to soil-water and soil-gas.

Answer 39

The Geology of Radon Gas

Question 40

Radon gas enters homes by three major pathways:

Answer 40

1. As a gas migrating up from soil and rocks into basements and other parts of houses. 2. In groundwater pumped into wells. 3. In construction materials, such as building blocks, made of substances that emit radon gas.

Question 41

The __________________ area is located in the eastern United States, where high levels of indoor radon were first discovered in the early 1980s.

Answer 41

Reading Prong

Question 42

Reducing Concentrations of Radon Gas in Homes

Answer 42

1. Improve home ventilation by keeping more windows open or using fans. 2. Locate and seal points of radon gas entry. 3. Use construction methods that provide a venting system.

Question 43

the probable effects of land use by humans. ● 1969 - US National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) required that all major Federal actions that could possibly affect the quality of the human environment be preceded by an evaluation of the project and its impact on the environment or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). ● The methodology used to prepare an EIS came to be known as Environmental Impact Assessment (ΕΙΑ).

Answer 43

Environmental Impact

Question 44

NEPA- EIS- EIA-

Answer 44

National Environmental Policy Act Environmental Impact Statement Environmental Impact Assessment

Question 45

● This decree, serves as the legal foundation of the PEISS. ● Implemented by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through its Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). ● Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) requires completion of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and preparation of an EIS report for any Environmentally Critical project (ECP) or any project located in an Environmentally Critical Area (ECA). ● The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a document produced within this system.

Answer 45

Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System (PEISS) - Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1586 (1978)

Question 46

The State shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature

Answer 46

1987 Philippine Constitution Article II Section 16

Question 47

project or program that has high potential for significant negative environment impact.

Answer 47

Environmentally Critical Project (ECP)

Question 48

Environmentally Critical Project (ECP)

Answer 48

Heavy Industries Infrastructure Project Resource Extractive Industries Gold Course Project PP 803 (1996)

Question 49

environmentally sensitive areas such that significant environmental impacts are expected if certain types of proposed projects or programs are located, developed or implemented in it.

Answer 49

Environmentally Critical Areas (ECA)

Question 50

Environmental Impact Statements

Answer 50

● A summary of the EIS. ● A statement concerning the proposed acts, their purpose, and need for the project. ● A rigorous comparison of the reasonable alternatives. ● A succinct description of the environment affected by the proposed project. ● A discussion of the proposed project, its environmental consequences, and alternatives

Question 51

- filed when an agency determines that a particular project does not have a significant adverse impact on the environment. - requires a statement that includes a description of the project and detailed information that supports the contention that the project will not have a significant effect on the environment.

Answer 51

Negative Declarations

Question 52

➢ The Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System (PEISS) primarily operates with the concept of determining whether a project is an Environmentally Critical Project (ECP) or within an Environmentally Critical Area (ECA).

Question 53

is an important environmental issue. Good land-use planning is essential for sound economic development, for avoiding conflicts between land uses, and for maintaining a high quality of life in our communities

Answer 53

Land-use planning

Question 54

The land use planning process includes several steps:

Answer 54

● Identify and define issues, problems, goals, and objectives. ● Collect, analyze, and interpret data (including an inventory of environmental resources and hazards). ● Develop and test alternatives. ● Formulate land-use plans. ● Review and adopt plans. ● Implement plans. ● Revise and amend plans.

Question 55

The three most important steps, each of which comprises a complex list of factors:

Answer 55

1. Data Collection 2. Formulation of Plans 3. Implementation of Plans

Question 56

these are landscapes, views, and features that are valued for their beauty and can contribute to community’s cultural, natural, and historic heritage; - they can also provide tourism-related economic opportunities.

Answer 56

SCENIC RESOURCES

Question 57

after a particular activity, such as mining or a landfill operation, has been completed, the land is reclaimed for another purpose

Answer 57

SEQUENTIAL LAND USE

Question 58

- occurs where land may be used for more than one purpose; - involves utilizing land for various purposes simultaneously or sequentially.

Answer 58

MULTIPLE LAND USE

Question 59

Jun Factoran

Answer 59

Oposa Doctrine

Question 60

Lester R. Brown An influential environmental analyst proposes three Critical Actions to prevent a major environmental Crisis, all tied to our food supply

Answer 60

1. Control Human Population Growth 2. Conserve and Sustain Water Resources 3. Control carbon emission and stop global warming