geography climate change Flashcards
Physical causes
Variation in solar output (solar flares), variation in the Earth’s orbit, variation in the earth’s tilt, the earth’s wobble, volcanic eruptions sending emissions into the sky and blocking out the sun
The greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases, such as CO2, in the atmosphere absorb infrared light emitted from the earths surface keeping the earth warm
Human causes
Fossil fuels for electricity, heat and transport, cutting down and burning trees, industrial processes such as producing cement
How to analyse long term change
Ice core analysis up to 3km deep at the poles
Medium term change
Tree ring analysis, historical records, tree ring analysis
Recent changes
Arctic summer ice sheet has shrunk by 50% in the last 30 years, deserts are expanding
Negative effects
Bangladesh will be submerged, increase in drought, increase in forest fires, decrease in snow cover and decline in skiing industry, more violent hurricanes in Florida, summer monsoons less reliable, melting of permafrost
Positive effects
Colder regions of the planet will experience more plant growth, north west passage ice free providing shipping route from Atlantic to Pacific Ocean, easier to exploit oil reserves in the arctic, lower energy bills, fewer deaths from hypothermia, less snow and ice means less related incidents, longer growing season
Cyclone preparedness programme
Communities are warned by text messages and moved into cyclone shelters
Mangrove greenbelts
Offer protection against flooding
Triple F model
(Fish, fruit and forest) mounds and ditches are built, fruit and trees can be grown on mounds and fish can be cultivated in ditches after flooding
Mitigation
Renewable energy, more sustainable transport systems, energy efficient houses, new agricultural methods, protecting forests
