IB Geography: Climate Change Vocab

28 flashcards · Other · by Gabrielle Wong

1. Adaption: things that attempt to reduce the vulnerability of society and natural systems

   Because it now seems that mitigation of greenhouse gases and other emissions is very implausible, governments have made climate action plans that are focused on adapting to the problem by providing more insurance for those who may be affected and having strategies in place to deal with problems such as coastal erosion, which in places like Bangladesh could displace up to 200, 000 people (2/3 of its landmass)

2. Albedo is a measurement of a surface's reflectivity.

   The concept of albedo explains why the melting of sea ice into the ocean creates a positive feedback loop. The albedo of ice is greater than that of water, so when light-coloured ice is replaced by water, the water absorbs more of the sun’s short-wave radiation, leading to greater heating of the earth.

3. Something that is antropogenic is caused by humankind.

   Significant evidence from the IPCC and other scientific bodies suggest that climate change is anthropogenic.

4. The greenhouse effect is a process by which certain gases (greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, and water vapour) allow short wave radiation to pass trough the atmosphere but traps a proportion of outgoing long wave radiation

   Caused by: o Water vapour (30-70%) o Carbon dioxide (9-25%) o Methane (4-9%) o Ozone (3-7%)

5. The enchanced greenhouse effect refers to increasing numbers of greenhouse gasses remaining in the atmosphere as a result of human activity, plus their impact on the globe

   The impacts of the enhanced greenhouse effect include the melting of sea ice, the melting of glaciers (ex. The Gorner Glacier retreats by 30 m a year), the melting of permafrost, the death of phytoplankton, more extreme weather patterns, and more. The concentration of CO2 is 405 parts per million

6. Global warming: increases in temperature since the 1960s (main cause is believed to be Industrial Revolution)

   Global warming is a result of the enhanced greenhouse effect.

7. Mitigation tries to reduce the causes of climate change.

   The primary mitigatory efforts in relation to climate change have been to reduce emissions, which can be done through the use of renewable energy sources instead of coal (for example, France has invested in nuclear power, Germany in wind, Iceland in Geothermal (50% of their energy), and BC uses almost entirely hydroelectric power (90% of their energy)), and encouraging the use of electric cars and other potentially more sustainable activities.

8. The concept of reselience refers to the ability of an entity to absorb the harms and changes resulting from climate change without making fundamental changes

   Many HICs are more resilient to the impacts of climate change compared to LICs because they have more wealth and resources to deal with its effects. For example, Bangladesh lacks a clear strategy to deal with the displacement of up to 2/3 of its population due to coastal flooding, but this much less of a worry in the UK because it has the wealth to deal with any possible coastal erosion.

9. Vulnerability is a measure of the inability to cope with te impacts of climate change

   Some groups are more vulnerable to climate change compared to others; for example, those who live on coastal islands are much more vulnerable because their land is at higher risk of absorption.

10. Insolation is incoming solar radiation, also known as short-wave radiation.

    All insolation is eventually lost to space; when solar energy hits the earth, 31% is initially lost to space, the other 70% is absorbed by gases/clouds/the earth’s surface.

11. Convection is the transfer of heat through the movement of a gas or liquid, whereas conduction is the transfer of heat through direct contact.

    Heat can be transferred through convection (ex. Convection currents) or conduction.

12. Positive feedback loops strengthen their own cause, and therefore leads to more of the impact occurring

    The melting of permafrost is an example of a positive feedback loop because it releases methane and other carbon from trapped DOM, which accelerates warming, which then accelerates the melting of permafrost.

13. Negative feedback loops weaken their own cause, and therefore leads to less of the impact occurring.

    An example of a negative feedback loop related to climate change is that climate change increases evaporation, which increases cloud cover, which blocks out radiation and cools temperatures

14. Global dimming is a phenomenon in which air pollution has a cooling effect by absorbing/reflecting more insolation and preventing it from hitting the earth’s surface.

    Global dimming is believed to be responsible for the cooling of the earth in the 1960s despite the fact that pollution was increasing

15. Stratospheric sulfate aerosols are a proposed method of dealing with climate change. Aerosols are small particles in the air that could scatter and absorb sunlight (therefore reducing the among of insolation that is converted to long-wave radiation and therefore is trapped by the greenhouse effect)

    If operations were begun in 2020, it would take 25,000 metric tons of sulfuric acid to cut global warming in half after just one year.

16. Biochar is a propsed method of dealing with climate change. It is charcoal to modify soil to improve plant growth

    Biochar is estimated to cost about $2000 per acre but would leave land fertile for thousands of years.

17. Marine cloud brightening is a proposed method of dealing with climate change. It involves spraying ocean water in the air to increase salt and therefore the absorption of light

    The impacts of marine cloud brightening only last for a couple of times, so it would need to be done often but also is less likely to have harmful long term effects.

18. Ocean fertilization is a proposed method of dealing with climate change. It involves dumping iron into ocean to increase plankton population

    Humans are often wary of large-scale ecosystem changes like ocean fertilization because they often have unintended consequences.

19. The global heat budget is the combination of incoming solar radiation and outgoing long wave radiation

    Ideally, the global heat budget should be balanced.

20. Cilmate Change Impact Stats

    Sea Ice · Dramatic declines o Lowest ever recorded level, warmer than it has been for 40 000 years o Melting season has increased by 3 weeks o Ice is smaller in volume, thickness, and extent o May be ice free by 2040 Impacts · Positive feedback loops due to increased albedo – increased temperature · More potential for ice waves · Hard for polar bears to hunt seals · Release of chlorine atoms, which will increase release of GG Benefits · Opening up North West Passage · More resources o Oil and n…

21. Kyoto Protocol: meeting of world leaders in Japan in 1997.

    Results of the Protocol: 38 HICs agreed to lower greenhouse emissions · Follow up in 2001 added some details: o Wouldn’t take place until 55% of nations responsible for 55% of emissions ratified o Those ratifying agreed to reduce to 5% below (Canada ended up producing 40% more) o Agreements permitted carbon trading (countries below polluting levels sold additional permitted pollution) · Most countries didn’t meet goals · USA never signed; Canada and Australia signed, but didn’t implement · Even…

22. Carbon trading: system in which each entity is given a ceiling for pollution. Those who exceed must pay money, which usually goes to carbon reduction initatives, and those who are below polluting levels can sell additional permitted pollution.

    Carbon trading is the process of buying and selling permits and credits to emit carbon dioxide. It has been a central pillar of the EU's efforts to slow climate change. The world's biggest carbon trading system is the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).

23. Alternative energy: solar power Refers to using the energy of the sun (collected with solar panels)

    The amount of sunlight that hits the earth in 30 minutes would be enough to power the earth for a year.

24. Alternative energy: wind uses the energy of the wind (collected with wind turbines)

    One windmill can prevent the emission of 5000 tons of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere every year

25. Alternative energy: nuclear the result of splitting uranium

26. Alternative energy: hydro Harvest energy from running water by building dams Spinning turbines create energy

27. Alternative energy: geothermal Energy from the earth Steam from heat rises and spins turbines Done in Iceland – 50% of their energy comes from geothermal (not that many people live there)

28. Alternative energy: biomass Burning of organic material In the past – burning of wood