ENV 101 Lecture 20: Chapter 20

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amberhamster950

31 May 2016

School

UNLV

Department

Environmental Studies

Course

ENV 101

Professor

Tietjen

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Document Summary

Greenhouse gas: gas that absorbs infrared radiation, include: co2, methane, nitrous oxide, cfcs, ozone, water vapor. Infrared radiation: radiation that has a wavelength that is longer than that of visible light, but shorter than that of radio waves. Kyoto protocol: legally binding, provides operational rules on reducing greenhouse gases, 2010 183 countries had ratified it. Us has not signed: 2012 expired, extended to 2020, but un convention in 2015, epa now must manage co2 as an air pollutant. Developing policies associated with co2 reduction (power plant, vehicle emissions) in us in response. Warming is not due to natural causes: human produced greenhouse gases are most plausible explanation. Keeling curve: co2 at mauna loa observatory, hi since 1958, concentration has been increasing. Burning fossil fuels in cars, industry and homes. Deforestation: greenhouses gas concentrations are increasing. Some types of pollutants actually produce a cooling effect: complicating factor that makes rate of climate change difficult to predict.

Related Questions

This laboratory relates to the following Terminal Course Objective(TCO):

8 Given the two major problems of global warming and ozone layerdepletion, compare and contrast the causes, environmental andhealth impacts, as well as the success or failure of internationalpolicies to solve these problems.

Introduction

We have heard for a long time that air pollution and theaccumulation of greenhouse gases lead to global warming. In theanimation below the rise in global temperature and the rise in sealevel is predicted by a model built by the Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change (IPCC). This model is based on a number ofassumptions on the amount of ozone, particulate matter and otherair pollutants.

Depletion of the Ozone Layer

Solar radiation emits electromagnetic waves with a wide range ofwavelengths. Visible light is the part of the electromagneticspectrum that can be detected by the eye's photoreceptors.Ultraviolet radiation has slightly shorter wavelengths than visiblelight and can cause damage to the biological tissues that absorb itby destroying protein and DNA molecules. The damaging effects ofultraviolet radiation are mitigated by the ozone (O3) in theatmosphere. The ozone in the stratosphere is called the OzoneLayer. Without the Ozone Layer, it is doubtful that any life onearth could survive. Since World War ll, many atmosphericscientists began to measure the concentration of ozone in thestratosphere around the South Pole. They have noted someinteresting trends. In the exercise below we will explore the issueof Ozone Depletion.

Wind Circulation in the Atmosphere

Wind circulation in the atmosphere is largely responsible for ourweather, our climate zones, and the movement and concentration ofgreenhouse gases and other air pollutants. The learning objectbelow demonstrates the circulation of winds vertically andhorizontally around the earth.

Man and Global Climate Change

The role of man in the creation of greenhouse gases and globalwarming has long been debated. The Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) commissioned a model to judge the effects ofman on global temperature, the role of natural environmentalprocesses, and the combination of both. This model is exploredbelow.

One of the greenhouse gases that can be directly related to theactivities of man is carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a product ofindustrial and transportation activities. While it is true thatother processes, like respiration, can produce CO2, it is simple tolook at the concentration of CO2 before and after the industrialrevolution and clearly see the effects of man.

Concern about greenhouse gases led to representatives of 166nations to sign the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, which attempted tolimit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Therise of the global economy has complicated the issue, as isdemonstrated in the learning object below.

Greenhouse Gases and Health

In recent years we have been measuring the Air Quality Index (AQI),which is a measure of such pollutants as ozone, particulate matter,and CO2. In the exercise below you may explore the AQI in citiesacross the U.S.

Let's look at two locations less than 500 miles apart thatrepresent both ends of the spectrum of the issue of greenhousegases and global warming. Explore both virtual field trips andevaluate them in terms of whether they contribute to the greenhousegas problem or help reduce it.

Kuala Lumpur

Rainforest / Terraced Rice Fields

Exercises

Exercise 1. Have a class debate between people representing thedeveloping countries and people representing the developedcountries OR write an essay comparing and contrasting the two.Characterize each side in terms of the issues surroundingpopulation growth, energy use, resource use, and sustainabledevelopment. Find common interests between the two.

Exercise 2. Look at the two virtual field trips and define each ofthe environments depicted in terms of the global carbon cyclediagram below. Assuming that the cycle is in balance, how wouldeach site change the balance.

Exercise 3. Develop a series of international agreements that wouldlead to the kind of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions calledfor in the Kyoto Protocol and that would satisfy the concerns forglobal equity between developed and developing countries.

Exercise 4. Using the table below keep track of your dailyactivities and how they affect the greenhouse gas crisis in theworld. What does each activity produce? Are the products positiveor negative. How do the sizes (volumes of gas) of the variousproducts vary? After you have created your table define yourpersonal global carbon footprint. Do you have a positive effect ora negative one?

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ENV 101 Lecture 20: Chapter 20

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