Climate Change
A long term significant change in weather patterns where temperature may rise/fall.
Ice Age
a cooler period of time when glaciers advance creating ice sheets.

Long Term Climate Change
Internal

Changes in the Atmosphere Gas

1816- Europe had heavy snowfall and frost.

1645-1715 reduced sunspot activity.

Stratosphere- stable layer in the Earth's atmosphere, particles can remain longer, acting as a 'cloak' around the Earth.

Volcanic Activity

Eruptions release sulphur dioxide and ash.

Larger eruptions- 19 miles high, can reach the stratosphere.

Sulphur dioxide combines with water to produce droplets of sulphuric acid, which reflects the sunlight back into space causing the average surface temperature to cool.

External
Orbital Geometry (orbit of Earth variation)

The shape of the Earth's orbit varies between a circle and an ellipse. (warm periods-elliptical; cold periods- circular)

Earth wobbles on it's axis, each season reaches their maximum at different points.

Orbital Geometry (Earth tilt variation)

Tilt variation- 21.5⁰C - 24.5⁰C

Tilt causes seasons because different hemispheres(North and South poles) point towards the sun at different times of the year.

Tilt of the Earth at a greater angle, Earth experiences hotter summers and colder winters.

Solar Output

Sun is the energy source

Small changes in the solar output over long periods of time leads to climate change.

1% change in solar output can make temperatures rise/fall- o.5⁰C- 1⁰C.

'Manchester is my planet'

started in 2005, now there is 20,000 people involved.

Helps individuals reduce their carbon footprint.

Green Badge Parking Permit.

Given out to people who own cars which have been recognised as having low carbon emissions, allowing owners to buy an annual permit for NCP (National Car Parks).

Responses to Climate Change

Kyoto Protocol- 11th Dec 1997, adapted in Japan, seeked to help reduce CO2 emissions.

Earth Summit- June 1992, Rio De Janeiro, UN meeting 172 governments participated and 108 sent their head of state. First international environmental treaty to stabilise green house gases; which lead to the Kyoto Protocol.

Bali Meeting- 2007- Indonesia, Bali; 180 countries
2009- Capon Hagen; unsuccessful meeting
2011- Durban, South Africa

Negative impacts

Extreme weather; storms; droughts

Rising sea level floor

Crop yields; risk of flooding

Glacier retreat- less glaciers

World changes

Rice farming- growing rice releases methane. 60% of the world use rice daily. As the population increases, more land is needed to grow rice, meaning a bigger methane output.

Deforestation- Trees contain CO2, when they are burnt/ cut down, CO2 is released. More trees are getting cut down/ burnt so more CO2 is released.

Cars- As the population increases more transport is used, trains burn coal, car use petrol, when they are in use they release CO2

Cows- From both ends cows and other animals, release methane. Increase in the population means a bigger demand for meat, that means more land will be needed to farm these animals.

Local Scale
The Maldives:
Located in the Indian Ocean, South of India
Population: 310,000, 16 main islands
Flooding: people leave/ migrate, other islands will become overcrowded, no more tourists; people will not have jobs

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UNIT 1: CHALLENGES FOR THE PLANET