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Factors that contribute to Climate Change - Fraser - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, with a much higher capacity for trapping heat than CO2. However, it is far less abundant. An important source in the atmosphere is agricultural activities, melting arctic ice and more.
    - - Nitrous oxide enhances the greenhouse effect just as carbon dioxide does, by capturing reradiated infrared radiation from the Earth’s surface and subsequently warming the troposphere. The atmospheric nitrous oxide concentration has been growing due to human activities.
    - - Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere through natural processes/cellular respiration and human activities (Fossil Fuel Emissions). The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 47% since the industrial revolution, greatly contributing to global warming.
    - - Synthetic compounds (CFC) entirely of industrial origin are used in a number of applications, but now largely regulated in production and released into the atmosphere by international agreement for their ability to contribute to destruction of the ozone layer. It is also an extremely potent greenhouse gas.
    - - Water vapour is an important and dangerous greenhouse gas which by some estimates contributes up to 60% to the planet's temperature trends. Water Vapour is the most abundant greenhouse gas, it appears in the atmosphere through the hydrological cycle as water evaporates. Water Vapour is also responsible for a negative feedback loop.
- - - - The warming of the planet melts surface ice which is responsible for the albedo effect of reflecting solar radiation, and lowering surface temperatures. The hotter the planet --> Less ice --> Hotter temperatures.
    - - The warming of the planet creates humidity in the atmosphere. Humid air has high concentration of water vapour that is a greenhouse which traps heat. The hotter the planet --> The more humid the air --> The hotter the temperatures.
    - - Arctic ice is an important store of methane, a powerful GHG. As warmer temperatures melt ice, methane is released into the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect. Higher temperatures --> More Methane --> Higher temperatures.
  - - - As the planets warms, the atmosphere becomes more cloudy. Clouds contribute to the albedo effect by reflecting solar radiation and cooling of the planet. The higher the temperatures --> More clouds --> Cooler temperatures.
    - - Earth can be seen as a blackbody. The higher the temperatures the more infrared radiation is dissipated into space, leading to small cooling effect. More heat --> More infrared emissions --> Cooler temperatures.
- - - - Volcanic eruptions create clouds of dust and ash which block out the sun and cool the earth in the short-term. Less significantly volcanic eruptions emit heat stored within the earth, raising the outside temperatures.
    - - El niño and La nina are climate events that reoccur over a period of 5 years. El niño contributes to short-term warming, while La nina contributes to short-term cooling. They do so by affecting wind and ocean currents.
    - - The amount of heat generated by the amount of sun, varies over time. As levels of solar radiation decrease temporarily, they affect the earth's climate. Current climate change cannot be explained by solar irradiance variations because solar trends deviate from earth temperature change.
  - - - Changes in the earth's orbit, tilt and wobble effect global temperatures over the long-term. As the earth orbit becomes more eccentric there is a cooling effect. The higher the tilt, the bigger the variations between summer and winter temperatures, because the hemisphere tilted more towards the sun will receive more, and the one tilted away will receive less. The wobble of the earth will make temperature variations more extreme in one part of the earth, and more uniform in the other.