Chapter 30: Global Climate Change

Chemical
compounds
naturally
present in the Earths atmosphere:
Water vapor (H20)
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Ozone (O3)
These compounds absorb thermal
radiation emitted by the Earths
surface and atmosphere
Greenhouse effect
Average surface air temp of
Earth is about 30C or higher
than
it
would
be
w/o
atmospheric
absorption
and
reradiation
of
thermal
energy.
Gases responsible for this
effect: greenhouse gases
Amount of energy incoming from
the sun = amount radiated back
into space
Industrial period conc. Of
greenhouse
gases
increased
dramatically
Major concern is the rise of CO2
levels
Atmospheric conc. has risen
by >30% over the past 100
years
2008,
>70%
of
total
CO2
emissions from burning fossil
fuels
came
from
developed
countries (China = 22% of
total emissions)
Deforestation
A
major
cause
atmospheric CO2

of

rising

Average annual amount of C released

to the atmosphere in 1990 = 8.5Gt
Approx. 6.3Gt = fossil fuels
2.2Gt = forest clearing
Direct measurements of atm.
CO2 is only 3.2Gt
5.3Gt must have flowed from

Madrona, A.

the atmosphere into the main

pools I the global carbon
cycle: oceans and terrestrial
ecosystems
Diffusion
Controls the uptake of CO2
from the atmosphere into the
oceans
Net uptake of terrestrial
ecosystems (o.7Gt) =
Ocean
Atmospheric
Emissions from
Increase - Uptake
Fossil fuels (3.2 Gt)
(2.4 Gt)
(6.3 Gt)

Any possible net uptake of

carbon
by
terrestrial
ecosystems may result from
reforestation
in
temperate
regions
of
the
Northern
hemisphere

Diffusion gradient
Difference in concentrations
Rate of diffusion from the
atmosphere
to
the
surface
waters of the ocean
Rise in atmospheric conc. of
CO2 = rise in diffusion of
CO2 into surface waters
Ocean
Functions as two layers:
1. Surface waters
2. Deep waters
(Thermocline transition bet. 2
layers)
Ave. depth: 2000 m
Intercepted
solar
radiation
warms the surface waters
Zone of warm water 75-200 m in
depth
Ave. temp of surface: 18C
Ave. temp of deep: 3C
Mixing bet. surface and deep
depends on deep ocean currents

Chapter 30: Global Climate Change

caused by the sinking of surface

waters as they move toward the
poles
The amount of CO2 that can be
absorbed by the oceans over the
short term is limited

Elevated CO2 conc. has two direct,

short term effects on plants:
1. Increase
rate
of
photosynthesis
CO2 fertilization effect
higher rates of diffusion
and photosynthesis under
elevated atmospheric conc.
of CO2
2. Causes stomata to partially
close, reducing water loss
due
to
transpiration
thus
increasing
plants
water
efficiency

C3
plants

respond
most
strongly
to
elevated
CO2,
ave.
increase in biomass of
47%
CAM plants 21%
C4 plants 11%

Over
the
past
100
years
Earths
ave.
surface
temp
increased by approx. 0.74C
1995-2010
rank
among
the
warmest
years
(actually
nabasa ko na 2014 warmest
year yet Pero olds na tong
book na to so yeah.)
Greenhouse
gasses
that
increase
due
to
human
activity:
o CO2
o Methane CH4
o CFCs
o HCFCs
o Nitrous oxide N2O
o Ozone O3
o Sulfur oxide SO2

General circulation models (GCMs)

- Used
in
determining
how
increasing
conc.
of
greenhouse
gases
influence
large-scale
patterns
of
global climate
- General
patterns
of
an
increase in average global
temperature as well as global
precipitation are observed
o

In some studies, enhanced effects

of CO2 in plant growth have been
short-lived
Downregulation
- Some plants produce less
of
rubisco,
reducing
photosynthesis.
Some
plants
produce
fewer
stomata on the leaf surface
to reduce water loss, total
carbon
uptake,
and
growth
rate
Elevated
CO2
resulted
in
consistent increase in NPP
(net primary productivity)

Madrona, A.

Consistent
qualitative
predictions
of
GCMs
lead
scientists to believe that
rising
concentrations
of
atmospheric
CO2
will
significantly
affect
global
climate
Changes
in
climate
will
affect
ecosystems at many levels
o Self-explanatory
na
naman
siguro ito. Puro expt and
studies lang to
Changing climate will shift the
global distribution of ecosystems
o Migration rates depend on how
well a species physiology,
dispersal
ability,
and
competitive interactions with
other tree species let it

Chapter 30: Global Climate Change

respond to changes in climate
Deforestation
- is the single major cause
of species extinction in
the tropics

Climate
change
would
raise
sea
level
and
affect
coastal
environments
- Glaciers melted, sea level
rose
- Rises at a rate of 1.8mm/year
- Direct
inundation
of
lowlying wetlands and drylands
- Erosion of shorelines through
loss of sediments
- Increased
salinity
of
estuaries and aquifers
- Rising coastal water tables
- Increased flooding and water
surges

Global ecology
- Needed
to
understand
the
effect of rising atmospheric
concentrations of greenhouse
gases
and
global
climate
change
Tropical rain forests
- most
productive
terrestrial
ecosystems on the planet
- when shrunk, atmospheric CO2
rises and thus will increase
the greenhouse effect

Climate
change
will
affect
agricultural production
- Most
crop
species
will
benefit from a rise in CO2
conc.
- Negative effects are to some
extent
compensated
for
by
increased
productivity
resulting
from
elevated
atmospheric concentrations of
CO2
Climate change will directly
indirectly affect human health

and

Direct:
increased
heat
stress,
asthma,
and
other
cardiovascular
and
respiratory ailments
Indirect: increased incidence
of
communicable
diseases,
increased
mortality
and
injury
due
to
increased
natural disasters, changes in
diet and nutrition due to
changed
agricultural
production

Madrona, A.