Week 13 - Climate: Background Info and Data

 Lab:

This week in lab we worked to look at some data from different articles while also conducting our own research to prove that climate change is happening. My group read the article from Radio Iowa and wrote this summary: "More likely to be dangerously hot, could affect our livestock and resources as we farm for a living, could result in more flooding too. WE ARE SCREWED but there are adaptations that we can make to reduce greenhouse gases." Our website had little to no actual data. From there, we split into bigger groups doing research on precipitation changes in the state of Iowa and how we could use this data to prove climate change and write a climate statement. Some of the data pieces that I wrote down include:

• June 2019 - “Iowa has had 50.73 inches of precipitation from June 2018 through May 2019 , about 16 inches more than normal”

• Number of Days with total precipitation greater than or equal to 3.00 cm

• In 1895-1909 the number of days were between 7-9 days. 

• Since 1944 there has been a gradual increase in our number of days ranging from 10 to 13 in 2000

• Number of snowy days is dramatically decreasing with 2007 having 20.7 inches and 2018 having 0. Wow.

Then we got into larger groups to share all of our information with each other and were tasked to come up with our own climate
statement and create a poster including the statement and data. 

Lecture:

Why do some regions have a hot climate, and others have a cold one?

• L.O.W.E.R. Near Water

• Latitude: distance from the equator is a key factor in determining whether climate is cold or hot

• Places closer to the north and south poles have color temperature 

• Places near the equator have a warmer temperature

• Ocean Currents: temperature of ocean currents affect the temperature of the air that passes over it 

• Wind/Air masses - an air mass is a large volume of air that takes on the climatic conditions in the area where it is formed

• Elevation - the higher the altitude the colder the temp

• As the air rises, it expands because of the lower air pressure

• As the air expands it cools

• Relief - precipitation created when an air mass rises to cross a mountain barrier → 

• An adiabatic process is one in which no heat is gained or lost by the system

• Near Water - in the summer, water acts like an air conditioner to keep the air temperatures cool  → 

• In the winter water acts like a heater to keep the temperatures from getting too cold

• Continental Climate - Away from water

• Maritime Climate - Close to water

• Evidence of Climate Change

• Glacier retreat

• Albedo Effect - Cold Sinks - convection currents (see above pic)

• If I have a black shirt and white pants… and we are outside in the sun, the black shirt will heat up faster

• Black absorbs the sunlight

• White reflects the sunlight

• Driving Question: How does climate change affect sea level??

• Glaciers and ice are reflecting the light off the earth

• Now we are absorbing the heat it due to the decrease of ice 

• Greenland alone - 7.3 m of sea level rise 

• Water expands when it expands and turns into ice 

• Water when it heats it also expands 

• Coral reefs Bleaching - 80% is bleaching and dying… scary

• Ocean temps are warming up 

• There are lots of things we can do

• Paris agreement - international treaty on climate change that was created to limit global warming to a change of 2 degrees Celsius - we have already warmed 1 degree Celsius since pre-industrial times 

• Oil giants were urging trump to honor his predecessors to climate commitments

Textbook:

What I learned: I learned more about what the atmosphere does to protect Earth and us living on the planet. Prior to reading, I knew that one of the atmospheres purposes is to protect us from harmful UV that the sun gives off, but the reading also taught me that the atmosphere regulates temperature, weather, and climate.  

What I found most helpful: The photos and animation clips were very helpful in my understand of the carbon cycle and the greenhouse effect. They were both things that I was familiar with but the pictures help me to better grasp what these look like on Earth. I particularly loved the greenhouse effect animation because after it shows the some of the energy being reflected back to space, the other energy is being absorbed by the Earth and can see how it acts as a blanket keeping the planet warm and protected from space.