1. Global Climate Change 16
CHAPTER
Placeholder opening page, but maybe we can duplicate the look of the SE chapter opener page by using the same fonts and colors (and maybe that Ch 14 icon?)

2. Rising Seas May Flood the Maldive Islands
Sea levels are rising worldwide.
Scientists link this to global climate change.
Global climate change threatens the Maldives, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, with flooding, severe storms, erosion, and saltwater contamination.
Talk About It Why are rising sea levels a concern for all people, not just those who live on the Maldives Islands?

3. Lesson 16.1 Our Dynamic Climate
Without greenhouse gases, Earth would be too cold to support life.

4. Lesson 16.1 Our Dynamic Climate
The Greenhouse Effect
A natural process in which greenhouse gases absorb heat and release it slowly back into the atmosphere
Greenhouse gases do not trap energy that has been converted to heat at Earth’s surface.
Did You Know? Greenhouse gases absorb heat and release it slowly, while an actual greenhouse traps warm air inside a structure.

5. Lesson 16.1 Our Dynamic Climate
The Effect of Latitude
Latitude is a measure of a place’s distance from the equator.
In general, the greater the latitude, the cooler a location’s overall climate will be.
The seasons are also caused by the changing angles at which sunlight strikes Earth.

6. Lesson 16.1 Our Dynamic Climate
Wind
Caused by convection currents resulting from rising warm air and falling cool air
Transports moisture and heat
Global wind patterns move warm air away from equator, toward poles.
Cold air moves from poles toward equator.
Winds pick up moisture and can carry it for long distances until it falls as precipitation.

7. Lesson 16.1 Our Dynamic Climate
The Oceans and Climate
Ocean currents, which are caused by a combination of unequal heating of water and unequal salinity, affect climate by transporting heat.
El Niño and La Niña are disruptions to normal climate patterns caused by variations in the typical interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere.
Image - (Creative Commons licensed)
Geyser info source - National Park Service:
Did You Know? The ocean absorbs a lot of carbon dioxide, causing a global cooling effect. The ocean can hold 50 times more CO2 than is found in the atmosphere.

8. Other Factors That Affect Climate
Lesson 16.1 Our Dynamic Climate
Other Factors That Affect Climate
Topography: Higher altitudes have cooler temperatures; mountain ranges affect rainfall patterns.
Volcanoes: Gases and particles can temporarily block sunlight, causing air to cool.
Vegetation: Plant life promotes cloud formation and absorbs carbon dioxide.
Earth’s orbit: Changes in Earth’s orbit and the tilt of Earth’s axis affect the distribution of solar radiation.
Mount St. Helens
Did You Know? Ice ages are at least partially caused by changes in Earth’s orbit and axis.

9. Lesson Climate Change
According to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 2009 tied for second warmest year on record, just behind The decade spanning 2000–2009 was the warmest on record.

10. Evidence of a Warming Earth
Lesson 16.2 Climate Change
Evidence of a Warming Earth
Rising global surface temperatures
Changes in precipitation patterns
Melting ice (glaciers, polar ice)
Rising sea level
Did You Know? Since 1986, the Larsen Ice Shelf near Antarctica has lost an area more than 3 times the size of Rhode Island.
Both photos show Sperry Glacier in Montana’s Glacier National Park. Top: 1913:
Bottom: 2008

11. Studying Climate Change
Lesson 16.2 Climate Change
Studying Climate Change
Direct measurement is used to study today’s climate.
Proxy indicators, such as patterns in tree rings, give clues about past climates.
Models are used to make predictions about future climates.
Cross-section of a tree trunk

12. Finding the Cause of Climate Change
Lesson 16.2 Climate Change
Finding the Cause of Climate Change
According to studies, increases in greenhouse gases are the primary cause of climate change.
The increase in greenhouse gases is mainly due to burning of fossil fuels and changes in land use.

13. Lesson 16.3 Effects of Climate Change
In 2003, a severe heat wave in Europe killed 35,000 people.

14. Lesson 16.3 Effects of Climate Change
Effects on Organisms
Habitats shift, usually toward the poles or to higher altitudes.
Migrations start earlier in the spring.
Loss of ice makes hunting seals difficult for polar bears.
Migrating sandhill cranes
Did You Know? Robins arrive on a Colorado mountaintop about 2 weeks earlier than they did in 1970.

15. Effects of a Changing Ocean
Lesson 16.3 Effects of Climate Change
Effects of a Changing Ocean
An increase in ocean temperature is associated with a process called coral bleaching, in which algae living within corals die. Without the algae, coral cannot survive.
Changes in ocean acidity, resulting from an increase in dissolved carbon dioxide, can harm organisms.
The color of healthy brain coral comes from algae. When the algae die, coral bleaching occurs.

16. Current Effects of Global Climate Change
Lesson 16.3 Effects of Climate Change
Current Effects of Global Climate Change
Agriculture and forestry: Effects are complex.
Can be positive: Lengthened growing season for some crops
Can be negative: Droughts and forest fires
Economy: Decreased yields; increased property damage due to severe storms and climate conditions
Human health: Extreme heat waves increasingly common, can cause heat stroke and death
Damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, in 2005

17. Future Effects of Climate Change
Lesson 16.3 Effects of Climate Change
Future Effects of Climate Change
Diseases: Warmer temperatures can promote spread of diseases transmitted from animals to people.
Sea level: Low-lying populated coastal areas may flood as sea levels rise.
Water supply: Saltwater contamination of aquifers resulting from rising sea levels and a decrease in glacial ice may threaten freshwater supplies.
Black-legged ticks, known to spread Lyme disease
Did You Know? In the United States, 53% of the population lives in coastal areas.

18. Lesson 16.4 Responding to Climate Change
Fossil fuel combustion generates 70% of the electricity used in the United States.
Energy conserving light bulbs

19. Use and Production of Electricity
Lesson 16.4 Responding to Climate Change
Use and Production of Electricity
Carbon footprint: The amount of carbon dioxide for which an individual or group is responsible
Most electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels.
Reducing electricity use reduces carbon footprints.
Ways to reduce electricity use:
Use energy-efficient technologies, which lessen the electricity needed to do a job.
Reduce the use of electrical devices and appliances.

20. Alternate Sources of Electricity
Lesson 16.4 Responding to Climate Change
Alternate Sources of Electricity
Alternative Sources of Electricity
Nuclear power
Solar power
Wind power
Hydroelectric power
Geothermal power
Wind turbines

21. Advances in Vehicle Technology
Lesson 16.4 Responding to Climate Change
Advances in Vehicle Technology
Transportation is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, second only to electricity.
Alternatives to fuel-only cars include:
Gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles
Vehicles that use alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas
Vehicles that use hydrogen fuel cells.
Energy Loss in a Car

22. Reducing Dependence on Cars
Lesson 16.4 Responding to Climate Change
Reducing Dependence on Cars
Biking, walking, and using public transportation are all ways to reduce fossil fuel use.
Many communities lack good public transportation.
Did You Know? The average American family makes 10 trips by car each day.

23. Strategies for Reducing Greenhouse Gases
Lesson 16.4 Responding to Climate Change
Strategies for Reducing Greenhouse Gases
Agriculture / forestry: Reduce soil erosion and replace cut trees, to curb CO2 emissions
Cap-and-Trade: System of emission allowances that can be sold or traded, gives companies incentive to reduce emissions
Carbon tax: A tax per unit on emissions
Carbon offsets: Instead of directly reducing emissions, companies can make a voluntary payment to a group that reduces or curbs greenhouse gases.
Carbon sequestration: Technology is used to trap and store carbon dioxide emissions.

24. Cooperation Among Nations
Lesson 16.4 Responding to Climate Change
Cooperation Among Nations
The Kyoto Protocol is a binding international effort to reduce greenhouse gases to below levels.
The United States did not sign the Kyoto Protocol.
Many nations are planning to develop a new binding agreement to address global climate change some time in the future.