Brett Weimer INTB-3000 July 20, 2011 Climate Change Brett Weimer INTB-3000 July 20, 2011 http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1G1TSNA_ENUS441&q=climate+change+mt.+kilimanjaro+pictures&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1366&bih=584&wrapid=tlif131109725111010&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

What is Climate Change? Climate change refers to any significant change in measures of climate (such as temperature, precipitation, or wind) lasting for an extended period (decades or longer). Climate change may result from: natural factors, such as changes in the sun's intensity or slow changes in the Earth's orbit around the sun; natural processes within the climate system (e.g. changes in ocean circulation); human activities that change the atmosphere's composition (e.g. deforestation, reforestation, urbanization, desertification, etc.). 7/20/2011 Brett Weimer – Climate Change http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basicinfo.html#science

History The Earth's climate has changed many times during the planet's history, with events ranging from ice ages to long periods of warmth. Historically, natural factors such as volcanic eruptions, changes in the Earth's orbit, and the amount of energy released from the Sun have affected the Earth's climate. Beginning late in the 18th century, human activities associated with the Industrial Revolution also began to contribute to changes in the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere and influencing its climate. 7/20/2011 Brett Weimer – Climate Change http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basicinfo.html#science http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

Primary Causes For over the past 200 years, the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, and deforestation have caused the concentrations of heat-trapping "greenhouse gases" to increase significantly in our atmosphere. These gases prevent heat from escaping to space, somewhat like the glass panels of a greenhouse. Greenhouse gases are necessary to live as we know it, because they keep the planet's surface warmer than it otherwise would be. But, as the concentrations of these gases continue to increase in the atmosphere, the Earth's temperature is climbing above past levels. According to NOAA and NASA data, the Earth's average surface temperature has increased by about 1.2 to 1.4ºF in the last 100 years. The eight warmest years on record (since 1850) have all occurred since 1998, with the warmest year being 2005. Most of the warming in recent decades is very likely the result of human activities. Other aspects of the climate are also changing such as rainfall patterns, snow and ice cover, and sea level. If greenhouse gases continue to increase, climate models predict that the average temperature at the Earth's surface could increase from 3.2 to 7.2ºF above 1990 levels by the end of this century. Most climate scientists agree that human activities are changing the composition of the atmosphere, and that increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases will change the planet's climate. But they are not sure by how much it will change, at what rate it will change, or what the exact effects will be. 7/20/2011 Brett Weimer – Climate Change http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basicinfo.html#science

The Greenhouse Effect A layer of greenhouse gases – primarily water vapor, and including much smaller amounts of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – act as a thermal blanket for the Earth, absorbing heat and warming the surface to a life-supporting average of 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). 7/20/2011 http://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

Evidence Sea level rise Global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century. The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century. Republic of Maldives: Vulnerable to sea level rise. Global temperature rise All three major global surface temperature reconstructions show that Earth has warmed since 1880. Most of this warming has occurred since the 1970s, with the 20 warmest years having occurred since 1981 and with all 10 of the warmest years occurring in the past 12 years. Even though the 2000s witnessed a solar output decline resulting in an unusually deep solar minimum in 2007-2009, surface temperatures continue to increase. 7/20/2011 Brett Weimer – Climate Change http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

Evidence (cont.) Warming oceans The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969. Shrinking ice sheets The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005. Flowing meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet. 7/20/2011 Brett Weimer – Climate Change http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence

Evidence (cont.) Declining Arctic sea ice Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades. Visualization of the 2007 Arctic sea ice minimum. Glacial retreat Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world — including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa. The disappearing snowcap of Mount Kilimanjaro, from space. 7/20/2011 Brett Weimer – Climate Change http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence

Evidence (cont.) Extreme events The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events. Ocean acidification Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30 percent. This increase is the result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the oceans. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the upper layer of the oceans is increasing by about 2 billion tons per year. 7/20/2011 Brett Weimer – Climate Change http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence

Forecasted Effects Regional impacts of global change forecast by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change): North America: Decreasing snowpack in the western mountains; 5-20 percent increase in yields of rain-fed agriculture in some regions; increased frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves in cities that currently experience them. Latin America: Gradual replacement of tropical forest by savannah in eastern Amazonia; risk of significant biodiversity loss through species extinction in many tropical areas; significant changes in water availability for human consumption, agriculture and energy generation. Europe: Increased risk of inland flash floods; more frequent coastal flooding and increased erosion from storms and sea level rise; glacial retreat in mountainous areas; reduced snow cover and winter tourism; extensive species losses; reductions of crop productivity in southern Europe. Africa: By 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress; yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 percent in some regions by 2020; agricultural production, including access to food, may be severely compromised. Asia: Freshwater availability projected to decrease in Central, South, East and Southeast Asia by the 2050s; coastal areas will be at risk due to increased flooding; death rate from disease associated with floods and droughts expected to rise in some regions. "Taken as a whole," the IPCC states, "the range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time." 7/20/2011 Brett Weimer – Climate Change http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/