The Atmosphere And Climate Change Flashcards
(32 cards)
How has this caused a percentage increase of co2 in the atmosphere?
INDUSTRY generating more electricity by burning more fossil fuel
- coal, oil, gas
MOTOR VEHICLES burning more petrol and diesel.
WOOD burnt for domestic use.
What is the earths atmosphere made up of?
- 09% Nitrogen
- 94% oxygen
- 04% carbon dioxide
What is a carbon footprint?
The total amount of greenhouse gases( co2, methane,ozone) produced to direct,y and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed I equivalent tons of co2
What activities make up the carbon footprint?
- travel by train/bus
- drive a car
- fly a plane
- operate comp for 32 hours
- produce 5 plastic bags
- produce two plastic bottles
What is deforestation?
permanent destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands
What is reforestation?
Planting indigenous trees in degraded areas
What is afforestation?
Planting trees for commercial use.
Why are humans destroying forests?
- increased demand for farming land cause of overpopulation,poverty and greed.
- commercial logging for building, furniture, paper
- wood for heating and cooking
- building of roads for transporting machinery,
How does deforestation affect climate change?
fewer trees result in less:
- transpiration > Less water vapour in the air & less rainfall
- photosynthesis > less co2 is absorbed, more in atmosphere.
What are greenhouse gases?
several gases that keep earth warm.
What is the natural greenhouse effect?
gases accumulate in upper part of the atmosphere
What is solar radiation? (shortwave radiation)
visible light that pass freely through atmosphere. rays partly absorbed by ground, sea and air so atmosphere is warmed.
What is infrared radiation (longwave) ?
light cannot be seen, given off from surface of earth.
- most rays go into space
- some rays cannot pass, become trapped within lower part of atmophere, reflected back to earth
What is the result of Infrared radiation?
Earths atmosphere heating up
- Natural Greenhouse effect
- sufficient heat is trapped around earth to sustain life
What is this longwaveradiation used for?
various life processes such as photosynthesis
What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?
It caused by Human activities such as burning fossil fuels, which make more greenhouse gases > Co2 & methane
What happens with the increased concentration of greenhouses?
trap more infrared radiation, reflected back on earth,there will be further increase in temp of earths surface.
What is global warming?
caused by the increase in temp of earths surface during enhanced greenhouse effect
How damaging is Global Warming?
Causes severe changes in climatic conditions, impacts on the availability of water, food production, health and human settlement
what is desertification?
spreading of desert lands as drylands are degraded either by variations in climate or by human activities.
What are drylands?
arid,semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas
How does desertification affect peoples lives?
cause reduction in productivity and contributes to unsustainable use of scarce natural resources
What is Methane?
a gas found in large amounts in the earths crust in natural gas fields
How is methane released into the atmosphere?
decaying organic wastes in landfills digestive processes in livestock natural gas leaks wastewater treatment coal mining
