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environmental science > Greenhouse effect > Flashcards

Greenhouse effect Flashcards

1
Q

What does the term greenhouse effect mean

A
  • process through which heat is trapped near the earth’s surface by substances known as ‘greenhouse gases’
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2
Q

What does the term enhanced greenhouse effect mean

A
  • human activities particularly burning fossil fuels etc - increasing the concentration of greenhouses gases
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3
Q

What does the term anthropogenic mean

A
  • environmental change caused or influenced by people, either directly or indirectly
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4
Q

What are anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide

A
  • burning fossil fuels
  • industrial activities
  • deforestation
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5
Q

What are anthropogenic sources of methane

A
  • agriculture
  • landfill waste
  • coal mining
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6
Q

What are anthropogenic sources of nitrous oxides

A
  • agriculture
  • fuel combustion
  • industrial processes
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7
Q

What are anthropogenic sources of CFC’s

A
  • air conditioners
  • fridges
  • aerosol cans
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8
Q

What are anthropogenic sources of ozone

A
  • pollutants emitted by cars, power plants and industrial boilers
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9
Q

How could you personally reduce your contribution to greenhouses gases

A
  • recycle
  • eat less red meat
  • solar panels
  • solar lighting
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10
Q

How could the UK reduce contributions to greenhouse gases

A
  • renewable energy initiatives e.g wave
  • changing packages
  • solar panels
  • COP meetings
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11
Q

Why are sea levels likely to rise if average global temperatures increase

A
  • ice melts - volume of liquid water increases
  • warm water expands - thermal expansion of water
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12
Q

How does the earth climate system redistribute heat at the equator

A
  • convection cells - warm air rises and cold air sinks
  • ocean currents - created by temp and saltiness
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13
Q

What aspects of the climate might be changed if world temperatures increase

A
  • reduce ice and snow cover
  • influence patterns and amount of precipitation
  • raise sea level
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14
Q

What four factors are ocean currents largely driven by

A
  • temperature of water
  • salinity of sea water
  • prevaling winds
  • evaporation
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15
Q

As warm water moves away from the equator towards cooler areas what happens to it

A
  • water contracts and becomes denser
  • this causes it to sink
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16
Q

As water warms, density and salinity decrease, as water cools what happens to density and salinity

A
  • increases
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17
Q

What is thermohaline circulation

A
  • circulation is driven by temperature and salinity
  • determines density of the water
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18
Q

Explain how the gulf stream works and where it moves to and from

A
  • brings water to european water
  • flows in 3 parts
  • warm water flows from the equator to the poles
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19
Q

What do some people also call the gulf stream

A
  • a heat pump
20
Q

What happens to wind direction, warm water, cooler water and current flow in a normal year

A
  • upwelling of cold water
  • warm surface water is pushed to the west
  • warm humid air rises
  • eastelies trade winds (wind direction E-W)
21
Q

What happens to wind direction, warm water, cooler water and current flow in an El Nino year

A
  • little or no upwelling of cold water
  • warm water is now central
  • weakened or sometimes reversed wind direction
22
Q

What happens to wind direction, warm water, cooler water and current flow in a La Nina year

A
  • large area of upwelling of cold water
  • warm water pushed further away
  • wind direction has increased in strength
23
Q

What are some changes that may take place in the cryosphere if average temperatures rise

A
  • can cause sudden flooding
  • reduce rainfall
  • lowers albedo
  • sea level rises
24
Q

What are the impacts of climate change on living things

A
  • changes in precipitation
  • change in migration patterns
  • habitat loss
  • intense droughts
  • change in hibernation patterns
25
Q

What does range of tolerance mean

A
  • a set of behaviours that are considered within a socially acceptable boundary
26
Q

What factors may hinder species trying to change their geographical range

A
  • availability in resources
  • soil conditions
  • relationship between predators and prey
27
Q

What are impacts of climate change on humans

A
  • damage cities
  • damage infrastructure
  • increase crop failure from droughts
  • some areas become too hot for humans to live in
28
Q

What are the difficulties in predicting global climate change

A
  • hard to differentiate between weather and the climate
  • earth systems have many positive and negative feedback mechanisms
  • climate change can be natural and difficult to differentiate from anthropogenic causes
29
Q

Define the term: positive feedback mechanism

A
  • a process that occurs in a feedback loop which exacerbates the effect of a smaller disturbance
30
Q

Define the term: negative feedback mechanism

A
  • occurs when some function of the output of a system, process or mechanism is fed back in a manner that tends to reduce the fluctuations in the output
31
Q

What is meant by the term ‘tipping point’ associated with climate change

A
  • critical thresholds in a system that, when exceeded, can lead to a significant change in the state of the system, often with an understanding what the change is irreversible
32
Q

What does per capita mean

A
  • per person
33
Q

What is a carbon footprint

A
  • the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by our actions
34
Q

Strategies to control carbon dioxide

A
  • afforestation
  • renewable energy
  • carbon capture
35
Q

Strategies to control methane

A
  • eat less red meat
  • reduce landfill sites (recycle)
36
Q

Strategies to control oxides of nitrogen

A
  • use low-nitrogen fuels
  • use of electric cars
  • stop diesel and petrol cars
37
Q

Strategies to control CFC’s

A
  • pump actions or trigger sprays
  • recycling products that uses CFC’s
38
Q

Strategies to control tropospheric ozone

A
  • reduce nitrous oxides
39
Q

Strategies to solve the problem of agriculture with climate change

A
  • drought resistant crops
  • better waste management - drip irrigation
40
Q

Strategies to solve the problem of
building design with climate change

A
  • low carbon heat sources
  • raised buildings
  • increase use of solar panels
41
Q

Strategies to solve the problem of flooding with climate change

A
  • buildings on stilts
  • improvement to drainage system
42
Q

Strategies to solve the problem of coastal erosion with climate change

A
  • plant mangroves
  • artificial reefs
  • manage retreat
43
Q

Strategies to solve the problem of storm damage with climate change

A
  • build flood defences
  • storm shelters
  • reinforced concrete
44
Q

What is the kyoto protocol and what were its aims

A
  • reduce amount of harmful chemicals being released
  • adaption fund given so rich countries pay in so poorer countries can pay for adaptions
45
Q

What is the paris agreement and what were its aims

A
  • international treaty on climate change
  • wealthy and developing countries brought together
  • gives financial and technical support to those countries that need it

environmental science (19 decks)

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