1. East middle School Climate Change
Unit 8
East middle School
Climate Change

2. Why is earth a closed system?
Closed system exchanges energy and not matter
Open System exchanges matter and energy
Earth is essentially closed because it exchanges energy from the sun but very small amounts of dust and rock
Earth is Considered a CLOSED SYSTEM

3. How does energy change forms in the Earth System
Wind to waves
Radiation to heat
Chemical to mechanical
Burning fossil fuels

4. How does carbon move through Earth’s System
It is part of the biogeochemical cycle.
Gas CO2
Solid - Coal
Biosphere as building blocks of life
Absorbed by ocean

5. How can Carbon: BENEFIT HARM Improve soils Green house gas
Powers our homes
and Cars
HARM
Climate change
Acidify the oceans
Smog
Too much can ruin soil

7. What is the greenhouse effect including comparison of the gases?
Water vapor, Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide, Ozone
These gases help to regulate the global climate
The trouble is if we get too much the balance is thrown off and the planet warms.
Infrared radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases, which in turn re-radiate much of the energy to the surface and lower atmosphere. The mechanism is named after the effect of solar radiation passing through glass and warming a greenhouse

8. Greenhouse Effect Annimation

11. What are the natural mechanisms that result in climate change?
Volcanic eruptions
Changes in sunlight
Meteorite impacts on Earth (Dinosaur extinction)
Orbital changes
Plate tectonics

12. What is the relationship between the emissions of carbon dioxide, and the average global temperature over the past 150 years?
See the graph on the next page
What relationships do you notice?

14. The Earth's climate has changed throughout history
The Earth's climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era — and of human civilization. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy our planet receives.

16. Stunning NASA Visualization Reveals Secret Swirlings of Carbon Dioxide

17. What are the consequences of a warmer ocean?
Increased evaporation
Increased sea levels (see next page)
Ocean acidification
Less CO2 uptake
Loss of land

19. Slow or stop the (ocean currents) thermohaline circulation
Explain how the current melting of polar ice caps can impact the climate systems
Slow or stop the (ocean currents) thermohaline circulation
By less diffenence in water density
More diluted ocean
Warmer ocean less temperature difference.
Example: No ocean currents would result in a colder climate for England

20. Describe geologic evidence that implies climates were significantly colder at times in the geologic record
Milankovitch Theory –Changes in Earth’s orbit
Amount of solar enery
Organisms that lived in the cold oceans curled shell to left and organisms that lived in warmer oceans curled shells to right (pg 434)
Volcanic dust blocking sunlight

22. The end