GEOG 2300 1st Edition Lecture 16Outline of Last Lecture I. Earth’s Atmosphere as a BathtubII. Consequences of Climate ChangeOutline of Current Lecture I. BiodiversityII. Positive FeedbacksIII. Other FeedbacksIV. Climate Change and HumansCurrent LectureI. BiodiversityA. More extinctions B. Antarctica: less silverfish less Adelie penguins, more egg failuresC. Bleaching of coral reefs from increase of temperature of 1-2 degrees C, coral ejects blue green algae when it’s too hot, then the coral can’t surviveD. Oceans are becoming more acidic, carbon dioxide dissolved in water makes the water more acidic, coral dissolves in acidE. Plants take in carbon dioxide, but can only take in so much and grow so much, carbon in plants gets put back in atmosphere when plants die, less carbon dioxide in the soil when plants take it from soilF. Seasons are getting longer because of warming temperatures, trees get leaves earlier, plants flower earlier, pollen seasons are longerG. Increasing temperatures increase the range of mosquitoes (and other carriersof disease) and the range of tropical diseasesH. Global climate change can cause unforeseen events: disruption of gulf stream(water will stop sinking (down-welling) in the north stops the whole process much colder in northern Europe)II. Positive FeedbacksA. Positive feedbacks speed up processes: melted ice creates ponds and more water, which then absorbs more light and more ice and permafrost meltsB. Forest fires in the dry boreal forests (Siberia, Canada, northern latitudes), releases carbon dioxide and less trees left to absorb carbon dioxideC. Higher temperatures causes a wide range of pests and more trees die which leaves more carbon dioxide in the atmosphereThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.D. Oceans warm and cannot absorb as much carbon dioxide and may release carbon dioxideE. Undersea methane is tipped over stability point from warmer waters and turns gaseous, which is then released into the atmosphereIII. Other feedbacksA. Negative feedback: emitted radiation from the earth is proportional to temperature to the 4th power (a small increase in temperature makes a large increase in radiation)B. Uncertain feedbacks: evaporation: more evaporation, more water vapor, but just rains out, more clouds to reflect radiation away or hold heat in; aerosols: drier climates, more aerosols, more light reflected; vegetation: increased temperatures and carbon dioxide can increase or decrease vegetation, which affects albedo and carbon dioxide absorptionIV. Climate Change and HumansA. Developed nations emit more carbon dioxide than developing countriesB. Climate change can cause disasters, that’s why we care about
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