Understanding the Science of Climate Change · Understanding the Science of Climate Change ......

Linda May, Environmental Outreach CoordinatorMarch 11, 2011

Understanding the Scienceof Climate Change

Photo Source: NSTA Web Seminar – An Introduction to Earth’s Climate

Department of Natural ResourcesWildlife Resources Division

Climate Vs. Weather

Weather: The state of the atmosphere at a time and place, described

by precipitation, clouds, air pressure, winds, and temperature.

Climate: The typical state of the atmosphere as described

by precipitation, clouds, and temperature.

Climate tells you what clothes

to buy or pack for a LONG trip.

Weather tells you what to wear

on a particular day.

Which graph line represents weather?Which represents climate?

Climate/Weather: Student Activities

Weather.com

Research climate data

for your region

National Center For

Atmospheric Research

Differences Between

Climate and Weather

Global Climate

The average climate over the entire Earth

How Climate Data is Collected

Examining fossil & pollen records to

identify species & carbon-date samples – used to make inferences about climate

Paleoclimates and Pollen Lesson

Examining growth rings on trees

(dendrochronology)

Journals and

other documents

The Meteorological Journal of William Dawes.

Entries from 1788-1791. Image: Joelle Gergis.

Source: SE Australian Recent Climate History

Extracting deep ice cores from

glaciers & the polar ice caps

Paleoclimatology: The Oxygen Balance

Comparison of Photographs

Lowell Cemetery, Massachusetts

May 30, 1868 May 30, 2005

Weather Instruments

(past 150 years)

Climate Models

via supercomputers IBM supercomputers Photo credit: NOAA

Greenhouse Gases (GHG)

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere

In order of abundance:

• Water Vapor – H2O

• Carbon Dioxide – CO2

• Methane – CH4

• Nitrous Oxide – N2O

• Ozone – O3

• Fluorinated Gases

EPA Climate Change Kids Site Animation

Water Cycle

Source: NSTA Web Seminar – Global Climate Change and the Earth System

Water vapor in the

atmosphere comes

from evaporation

and transpiration.

How does the rate of

evaporation change when

the atmosphere is warmer?

How does the temperature

change if there’s more water

vapor in the atmosphere?

Melting Ice: Albedo Effect

Warmer

temperatures

Less snow

and ice

More sunlight

absorbed

by the land

and sea

Albedo Effect Activity featuring “Daisyworld”Albedo Lesson Plan (NCAR)

The Carbon Cycle

“Fast” Carbon Cycle

“Slow” Carbon Cycle

Source: NSTA Web Seminar – Global Climate Change and the Earth System

Volcanoes, earthquakes

coal, oil, natural gas, petroleum

EPA Carbon Cycle

Animation

Carbon Cycle – Student Activities

Carbon Cycle Game

Dinosaur BreathWhat is the Carbon Cycle?

Where in the World is Carbon Dioxide?

Atmospheric CO2 Trend

CO2now.org

Archeologists estimate that modern humans have been on the Earth for ~ 200,000 yrs.

Image: NASA http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

Atmospheric CO2 Trend

Source: www.windows.ucar.edu

Increasing Global Temperature

CO2 and Temperature

(CDIAC ice cores)

(NOAA measurements)

Source: Skeptical Science

But hasn’t the climate changed before???

Source: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Interglaciation = A long period of time (10,000+ years)

characterized by a climate with few glaciers.

Which makes more CO2: Volcanoes or Human Activities?

Source: USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

Pu‟u „O‟o crater in Hawaii Fossil Fuel Combustion

Volcanoes on land and under sea:

200 million tons of CO2 annually

Global Fossil Fuel Emissions

(2003 data): 26.8 billion tons CO2US Dept. of Energy‟s CO2 Info Analysis Center (CDIAC)

Human Activity and Climate Change Lesson

Global Temperature Projections

A Windows to the Universe image based on a graph from the IPCC 4th Assessment Report: www.windows2universe.org

General Scientific Consensus

Source: www.skepticalscience.com

Potential Effects: Oceans

• Sea Level Rise ~ see NASA time machine

• Ocean Acidification

CO2 > Carbonic Acid

Change in sea surface pH from 1700s – 1990s Credit: Tom Kleindinst, WHOI

Mapping Ancient Coastlines activity

Potential Effects: Coral Reefs

• Ocean acidification makes it difficult for

coral to build reef

• Warming water stresses corals, causing

their zooxanthellae to

die > lose pigmentation

(“coral bleaching”)

Zooxanthellae (zoh-oh-zan-thell-ee)

are the symbiotic algae that live

within hard or stony corals

Potential Effects: Wildlife & Plants

• Temps may exceed a

species’ physiological

threshold

Plant Hardiness Zone Changes

• Temperature extremes

could challenge

energetic demands

Potential Effects: Wildlife & Plants

• Phenology

mismatches

• Increase in pests,

disease outbreaks,

and severe wildfires

National Phenology Network: www.usanpn.org

Potential Effects to Humans

• Increase in vector-borne

diseases like Lyme disease,

dengue, and malaria.

• Increase in water-borne diseases (mainly due to increase in rainfall)

• Increase in water-washed diseases (lack of rainfall > lack of washing)

Potential Effects to Humans

• More allergy

and asthma cases

• Sea Level Rise

• More extreme

weather events (accidents, injuries)

• Decrease in crops

due to drought

Windows To Universe Lesson Plan: Withering Plants

Human Vulnerability to Climate Change

McGill University (2011, March 3). Mapping human vulnerability to climate change. ScienceDaily.

Retrieved March 3, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2011/03/110303120848.htm

CDVI = climate-demography vulnerability index

CO2 emissions by country

Responding to Climate Change

• Mitigation: reducing the causes of global

warming (namely GHG emissions).

Attempts to prevent the worst-case scenarios.

• Adaptation: figuring ways to cope with climate

change and safeguarding against its effects;

strategies to moderate harm or to exploit

beneficial opportunities.

Acknowledges the inevitable, despite mitigation.

Mitigation Strategies

• Use fossil fuels more

efficiently for industrial

processes or electricity

generation

• Switch to

renewable

energy

Photo: Jennifer Berry,

Earth911.com

Mitigation Strategies

• Improve the

insulation of

buildings

• Expand forests

to remove greater

amounts of CO2

from the atmosphere

http://atticinsulationhouston.com/cellulose_6.html

Adaptation Strategies

• Improve habitat connectivity

Remove dams

Restore/protect riparian zones

Enhance wildlife corridors

• Reduce other non-climate stressors

Habitat fragmentation

Stormwater runoff

Invasive species

Diseases

Overharvestingwww.gainvasives.org

• Assisted migration (namely with plants)

• Adaptive Management

• Monitoring

• Partnerships

Adaptation Strategies

Florida Torreya

State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP)

• Due for a revision

by 2015.

• Vulnerability

Assessments - species sensitivity

factored with potential

exposure to climate change

• Promote species‟

resilience to change

Landscape Conservation Cooperatives

What Else Can You Do?

Participate in Citizen Science Projects

http://scienceforcitizens.net

Climate Change ResourcesBooks/PDFs

• Beyond Seasons End: A Path Forward for Fish & Wildlife in the Era of Climate Change

– Download or request a free copy at www.seasonsend.org

• Climate Change Adaptations: What Federal Agencies Are Doing http://www.pewclimate.org/publications/report/climate-change-adaptation-what-federal-agencies-are-doing

• Climate Change and Wildlife Health – US Geologic Survey

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3017/pdf/fs2010-3017.pdf

• Climate Literacy Guide – US Global Change Research Program

http://www.globalchange.gov/resources/educators/climate-literacy

• Ecological Impacts of Climate Change – The National Academies

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12491#toc

• Teaching About Climate Change – Green Teacher (Grant & Littlejohn)

*Sold in the EEA Store – only $15!

• The Psychology of Climate Change Communication – Center For Research on Environmental

Decisions http://www.cred.columbia.edu/guide/pdfs/CREDguide_full-res.pdf

• The Science of Climate Change: Questions & Answers – Australian Academy of Science,

Aug. 2010 http://www.science.org.au/reports/climatechange2010.pdf

Climate Change ResourcesWebsites

• A Student‟s Guide to Global Climate Change: www.epa.gov/climatechange/students/index.html

• American Security Project (“Pay Now, Pay Later”): www.secureamericanfuture.org/pay-now-pay-later/

• Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE): www.cakex.org

• Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network: www.cleanet.org

• Climate Time Machine: http://climate.nasa.gov/ClimateTimeMachine/climateTimeMachine.cfm

• Defenders of Wildlife: www.defenders.org

• Facing The Future – Teaching Resources: www.facingthefuture.org/default.aspx

• NASA: http://climate.nasa.gov

• NOAA Climate Services – Teaching Resources: http://www.climate.gov/#education

• NSTA Learning Center: http://learningcenter.nsta.org

• National Wildlife Federation: www.nwf.org/en/Global-Warming.aspx

• Project Budburst for Educators: http://neoninc.org/budburst/educators/_Educators.php

• Skeptical Science: www.skepticalscience.com

• Science Daily: www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/global_warming/

• UCAR: http://www2.ucar.edu/news/backgrounders/understanding-climate-change-global-warming

• US Forest Service: http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/primers/climate-change-primer.shtml

• Windows to the Universe: www.windows2universe.org

Climate Change Educator Group on FaceBook

My Contact Info

Understanding the Science of Climate Change · Understanding the Science of Climate Change ......

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