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Bio - Climate Change (THE LAYERS OF BIOSPHERE (Atmosphere (The layer of…
Bio - Climate Change
THE LAYERS OF BIOSPHERE
Atmosphere
The layer of gases that extends outward about 300 km from the Earth.
Lithosphere
The solid portion of the Earth that floats on the semi-fluid portion of the mantle.
Hydrosphere
Includes all of the water on Earth.
Troposphere
Lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere.
Stratosphere
Second major atmospheric layer above the troposphere.
Mesosphere
Directly above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere.
Thermosphere
Directly above the mesosphere and below the exosphere.
INDICATORS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
CARBON DIOXIDE AND OTHER GREENHOUSE GASES
Certain gases in our atmosphere are necessary to keep it warm; they are the greenhouse gases and contribute to the greenhouse effect.
EVIDENCE: Heat-trapping nature of carbon dioxide and other gases was demonstrated; their ability to affect the transfer of infrared energy through the atmosphere.
GLOBAL SURFACE AND WATER TEMPERATURES
A measure of the amount of heat and energy trapped on earth, and heat is a driver of many o the climate systems on the planet.
EVIDENCE: Earth has warmed since 1880, most of its warming has occurred since 1970s. Surface temperatures continue to increase l Oceans have absorbed the increase heat.
ARCTIC SEA ICE
Sea ice essentially covers the Arctic Ocean during the winter months, but also recedes during the summer months when the hours of sunlight in the Arctic are much longer.
EVIDENCE: The extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over several decades.
LAND ICE/GLACIERS
Sea ice, snow and ice on land are an “important part of the global climate system.” Since snow and ice are highly reflective, much of the sunlight that hits these surfaces is reflected back into space instead of warming the earth.
EVIDENCE: The extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over several decades.
SEA LEVEL
Intricately linked to all indicators, as the CO2 levels rise, and global temperatures rise, snow and ice begin to melt.
EVIDENCE: Rose about 17cm, the rate in the last decade, nearly doubled that of the last century
HEAT (THERMAL ENERGY) TRANSFER
The movement of thermal energy from an area of high temperature to an area of low temperature.
Radiation
The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves.
Conduction
The transfer of thermal energy through direct contact between the particles of a substance, without moving particles to a new location.
Convection
The transfer of thermal energy through the movement of particles from one location to another.
NATURAL GREENHOUSE EFFECT
The trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet's surface.
• The greenhouse effect is a natural process and is essential to life on Earth.
• Greenhouse traps thermal energy or heat because the glass allows some of the solar radiation to escape but keeps some of it inside the structure.
• The atmosphere acts like the glass on Earth.
Insolation
The amount of solar radiation reaching a given area.
Net Radiation Budget
The balance between incoming and outgoing energy at the top of the atmosphere.
FOUR MAIN FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE CLIMATE OF AN AREA
• Latitude
• Elevation
• The air masses that flow over an area
• The area’s nearness to large bodies of water
IMPORTANCE OF GLOBAL WINDS TO EARTHS CLIMATE
They transfer global energy from areas of net radiation budget surplus to areas of net radiation budget deficit. If this did not occur, areas at or near the equator would grow very hot while the rest would become colder.
DIFFERNCE OF JET STREAMS FROM GLOBAL WINDS
Jet streams are band of fast-moving air in the stratosphere, unlike global winds which is simply the movement of air from areas of low pressure to high.
Carbon Source
Any process that releases carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Carbon Sink
Any process that takes carbon from the atmosphere and stores it.
FOUR MAIN GREENHOUSE GASES
Water vapour
Carbon dioxide
Methane
Nitrous Oxide