Revision Notes for term 1- Climate change

What is climate change?
Climate change refers to the overall increasing temperature and impacts the increase has on atmospheric systems mainly due to the release of green house gases into the atmosphere.
Since the industrial revolution where machinery begun to dominate the economy, rising temperatures have been seen globally.

Where is climate change happening?
World map in notebook rising sea levels riverine basins highlighting the countries most affected and the impacting factors including their capacity to cope.
Coastal areas experience rising sea levels
While inland areas will see large changes to the rainfall patterns, which will cause ecosystems to relocate in, order to survive.
Rainfall and air temperatures around the equatorial regions will change and the poles will see reduced sea ice.

What are the patterns that provide evidence that climate change is occurring?
Sea level change, duration of ice cover, Arctic Sea ice extent and thickness, snow cover, permafrost, El Nino events, growing season length, plant and animal ranges, breeding and coral reef bleaching.

What are the physical, economic, social and political processes operating that cause climate change?
Biodiversity: Plant and animal species may not fare well, unless they can move and adjust to different areas, most species will move towards the Poles as weather warms. Fragile species that have limited ranges will become extinct
Agriculture and aquaculture: Changes to water cycle and temperatures will greatly affect agriculture. The length of growing seasons could decline affecting food supply. Fish stocks have been decreasing.
Ice and snow: Glaciers have been melting which has been flooding arable land. Sea ice has been in decline, increasing temperatures because of reduction of reflection of sunlight.
Rising sea levels: Greenland, Arctic or Antarctic’s ice sheets melting will cause a rise in sea level, coastlines may change because of rising sea levels and flooding of lowlands. Fertile river deltas may be flooded as well as low lying pacific islands.
Changing ocean currents: Convention cells may change which will cause ocean currents to change increasing the extent and length of El Nino events.
Acidic oceans
Disease: The mosquitos will thrive as a result as changing weather conditions increasing the likelihood of diseases such as malaria and Ross river fever.
Changes in weather: Precipitation is likely to change locally and globally
Economic-Rising prices: Increasing price on agricultural goods and transportation cost
Rising costs to cope with adaption: The costs of changing lifestyles as well as changing to an alternative energy source may increase costs.
Social: Conflict over fresh water may occur and energy sources being limited may become an issue.
Loss of home and land: The rising sea levels may affect people living in costal areas, as their homes may be lost.
Heat stress: Vulnerable people may be affected by the temperature rise.
Political- Inequality may occur between countries as developing countries may not be able to afford flood/storm surge mitigation strategies as well as not coping with alternative strategies to protect the environment.

How is climate change occurring?
The human race has had a significant impact of the atmosphere, which has left to serious effects on the environment.
Emissions are via energy production are caused as fossil fuels are currently what powers our homes, offices and transportation.
Air pollution is not just caused by generating electricity or traveling around, but also when burning wood for fires, cooking and heating. Fertilizers also cause gases to be released into the atmosphere, which then help trap-incoming heat in the atmosphere causing the earth to heat up.
Acid rain is not a direct cause of global warming but when affecting vegetated areas it can interfere with the carbon cycle.
Removal of vegetation has a one major impact on the carbon cycle, it