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Week 14 - Global Climate Change

 Lab

How does climate change work: Video

  • How to fight with people about climate science 

    • More common events are more severe

    • Need to understand the causes

      • 2010-2020 hottest decade ever

      • 2020- the largest number of mega fires

      • Multi-year droughts leave a significant increase in the ignition of these fires 

      • Used to be more spread out, and now they’re annual

    • Global average temperature has changed by 1 degree since the 80s

      • What's driving this rise?

        • Intensity of solar radiation

        • Decomposition of Earth's atmosphere

          • Some of the energy is absorbed into the ground, and the rest is reflected to the atmosphere and creates a blanket that warms the Earth

        • CO2 is the most abundant gas in our atmosphere 

        • Alberto 

        • 1958 - 315 MMP

          • Came to a peak and then came down again

          • CO2 overall was rising 

  • Now is a better time than ever to make  major changes 

  • For every million parts of air, there were 315 parts, but now, 421 parts are carbon dioxide.

  • Inside of each of the ice cores bubbles and the bubbles tell us the  fossils presente?

  • Let the ice melt and the bubbles are released and collected to be tested 

    • Will tell us the CO2 concentration from that time ‘

  • Over the last 30 years we have seen a significant rise in CO2 concentration

  • Carbon always has 6 protons

    • Usually has 6 neutrons so its carbon 12

      • Plants prefer carbon 12

    • Some of 7 neutrons and that is carbon 13

      • Becoming more like the ratio of carbon 12

      • Fossil fuels have ancient plants within them

      • The rise in CO2 concentration is due to burning fossil fuels

        • Caused global average temps to increase 1 degrees celsius each year

      • We will see an increase of 3-5 degrees celsius over the next century

      • To stop carbon dioxide from increasing, we have to stop burning fossil fuels

    • A major solution is soil

      • A major reservoir of carbon in our system

      • Reduce the distribution of soil, and it can significantly help decrease carbon in the atmo

    • We have the solution,s but we need people to have the will to act against climate change 

    • Different varieties let us determine where they came from

      • Volcanoes, oceans, etc

  • This rise in CO2 is causing a rise in global temperatures

TED:

It is a carbon 12 issue 

Greenhouse gasses

  • Sun produces light to the earth

    • Some of that bounces off atmosphere and never makes it to earth

    • When it gets to the surface some of its absorbs 

    • Some of it’s reflected and is infrared - returning to space 

      • When it returns and gets to atmosphere, it hits molecules

      • If it’s a greenhouse gas molecule, it keeps it in the atmosphere keeping it warm

      • Methane comes from two main sources: cows and idk poles, carbon dioxide

                                    (humans are most responsible for), and water vapor

    • Dreacho in Iowa? If I have more greenhouse gases = more energy = and more storms 

      • Gonna have a storm later because of all the energy just sitting in the atmo

    • Too much greenhouse gas = too hot

    • Albedo effect - fancy name for what we already know

      • Darker absorbs more, lighter absorbs less

      • Windier during the day 

    • A vibrating molecule

      • Vibrate infrared reflected light and it can't get out because of all the molecules 

      • More energy = more storms

      • More carbon 13 telling us bc we are burning fossil fuels aka ancient plants 

Temperature

  • DON’T CROSS 350 CO2 level parts per million… well, shiz we already did

  • Since 1970…

    • Carbon - 42% increase

    • Methane- 157% increase 

    • Nitrous oxide - 25% increase 

Natural v. Human Factors 

Wrap up

  • The planet has more energy we get more storms

  • Greenhouse gases vibrate

Lecture

Why do certain gases cause the greenhouse effect? They vibrate and when they interact with infrared light that can’t escape it 

Carbon Dioxide 

  • Trapped in ancient snow is AIR 

    • Analyze it and you can see what it’s made of

    • So they can say that the carbon dioxide levels range from 100-380

    • Earth naturally changes the climate!! NO SHIT BUDDY

      • How is it impacting humanity? We ain’t dinos

    • We’re at 427 now! Scientists said not to cross 350

    • Carbon 12- when we burn ancient plants

      • If there's more carbon 12 in the atmosphere

      • it means it HAD TO COME FROM PLANTS

      • couldn't come from anything other than photosynthesis

      • Buried underground and made into coal, gas, etc,

      • when we burn them, it releases carbon 12 into the atmosphere

    • Carbon 13 - natural

  • Comparing - How active the sun is (solar radiation), volcanic activity, greenhouse gases (human impacts)

  • Carbon is in the ground

  • Albedo Effect - black shirt absorbs more light, white reflects the light

    • Different amounts of reflection for different colors

    • White is 80-90 percent reflected

      • With little snow in Iowa we absorbed more of the energy that would’ve gone into the atmosphere

      • Positive feedback loop - makes the problem worse (continuing to go into a circle)

        • Melting glacier

        • Produces puddles of water, which are blue and blue is dark

        • Puddles absorb more energy and cause more melting and more heating

        • It is positive because the change keeps increasing in the same direction

        • The more I do it the more I get out

      • Negative feedback loop - makes the problem go in the opposite direction (gets better)

    •  Color has a major influence 

      • Low albedo - less reflective and will absorb more radiation

      • High albedo - more reflective

      • Albedo =1 → completely reflects radiation

      • Albedo = 0 → completely absorbed radiation

    • Roofs are grey and black

      • So they absorb solar energy 

      • The house is absorbing solar energy, making the house hotter, and we have to run the AC for longer

        • Want the dark roof in winter

        • WE NEED TO INVENT COLOR-CHANGING ROOFS FOR THE DIFFERENT SEASONS

    • What effect does this have on the albedo across the entire planet? How might the planet warm back up during an ice age?

      • Volcanic activity releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

      • since there are no plants to consume it the it's stuck in the atmosphere, eating it up

      • Life lives next to the underwater volcanoes - its warmer and as the ice melts live is thriving near these areas 


Textbook

I learned that regardless of the warnings from scientist and people who study climate science, people are ignorant have done nothing to help the Earth, but have actually made it worse. Earth's systems are out of balance due to climate change, giving global systems more energy then normal and amplifying climate change events when they do occur. 

What I found most helpful: I really liked the diagram at the bottom showing all of the different impacts climate change has on coral reefs alone. I didn't realize how important they were not just for marine life but for protecting the shoreline too, and the infographic captures all the info perfectly. 




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