Environmental Science

Weather Versus Climate
1. Weather is the meteorological conditions of a region at a given time
2. Climate is the average meteorological conditions of a region
3. Climate
Bisosphere
1. The different layers of our earth and how they interact to sustain life
2. Layers
  1. Lithosphere: The layer that encompasses the solids portion of the earth that floats on the mantle
  2. Hydrosphere: The part of the Earth that encompasses all the water
  3. Atmosphere: The layer of the earth that concerns the gases that surround Earth
    1. Troposphere: Contains most of the atmosphere's mass and can sustain life
    2. Stratosphere: The layer of the atmosphere where most of the ozone on Earth can be found. Biotic material can be found, not much life here.
    3. Mesosphere: The second-highest layer of the atmosphere that has extremely low air pressure.
    4. Thermosphere: The highest layer of the atmosphere with temperatures that vary wildly and with very few gas particles
    5. Thermal Energy Transfer
      1. Imbalances in heat around the world cause winds and convection in both the seas and the atmosphere.
      2. Conduction: The transfer of heat through direct contact.
      3. Convection: The transfer of heat through a substance through its particles. The substance in question must be a fluid.
      4. Coriolis Effect: The effect to winds cause by the turning of the Earth. It makes winds appear to move in a westward direction
Greehouse Effect
1. Natural Greenhouse Effect: A natural process that allows the Earth to retain heat.
  1. Insoltaion: The amount of solar radiation received by a given area
  2. Net Radiation Budget: The difference between incoming and outgoing radiation. It divides up the radiation reaching the Earth based on what happens when it reaches us
  3. Water Vapour is the main contributor to the natural greenhouse effect
2. Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect: The escalation of the greenhouse effect due to human actions.
  1. The result of greenhouse gases being introduced into the atmosphere.
  2. Major Greenhouse Gases
    1. Methane
    2. Carbon Dioxide
    3. Nitrous Oxide
    4. CFCs
    5. Ozone at ground level
    6. Water Vapour
Climate Change
1. Indicators
  1. Arctic Sea Ice Melt: The amount of Arctic sea ice melting each year is determined by the yearly temperatures. Changes in these values can detect if the Earth's average temperature is on the rise.
  2. Greenhouse Gas Levels: Greenhouse gases cause the Earth to retain heat. An overabundance of such gases can cause the Earth to heat up and for climates to change
  3. Global Surface and Water Temperatures: Temperature is a measure of the amount of energy on Earth, which is also known as heat. Heat is the main driver for climate change
  4. Land Ice/ Glaciers: Land ice and glacier cover a certain amount of land. If this values changes, we can detect a change in temperature, and, thus, a change in climate
  5. Sea Level: As ice deposits melt and water warms up, the sea level will rise. This means that the temperature is rising and that climate are changing.
2. Effects
  1. Heat Waves: More hot humid smoggy, air masses that can cause breathing problems
  2. Drought: A lack of rain in a region for a prolonged period of time
  3. Wildfires: An increase in fires in forest due to trees being drier
  4. Storms: An increase in extreme weather phenomenon as a result of climate change
  5. Floods: The rising of water due to spring melt or massive rainfall

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Environmental Science

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