PDF Problem Solving Activity Climate Change and Feedback Loops Give students a simple example of a system, as described in the scenario below. Global "Ice Cream and Sorbet Market" Growth and Outlook - MarketWatch 12 inches of snow fall on December 12th. -mitigation, reducing or prevent emissions in hopes of reducing climate change Scientists think about how one part of the system can affect other parts of the system. In the worlds oceans, this feedback effect might take several paths. The two large flows on the right represent a kind of energy recycling program that constitutes the greenhouse effect; heat emitted from Earths surface is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere and then re-radiated back to the surface. (http://nsidc.org/cgi-bin/gpd_deliver_jpg.pl?bear2005000003). Which are most applicable to the climate problem? The complete climate system for Earth includes all storage basins of water (oceans, lakes, rivers, etc. Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Describe a global climate model and generally how it works. When change occurs, it almost always brings feedback mechanisms into play they can accentuate and dampen change and they are incredibly important to our climate system. Discuss the role of uncertainty in the scientific process. As it becomes increasingly difficult for these organisms to absorb oceanic carbon, there would be a corresponding decrease in the efficiency of the biological pump that helps to maintain the oceans as a carbon sink (as described in the section Carbon dioxide). Positive feedback loops are activities that increase the effects of the interacting parts of the system, while negative feedback loops are activities that decrease the effects of the interacting parts of the system to help maintain equilibrium. (See teacher key. In the Earth system, positive and negative feedbacks are a bit like yin and yang they are essential components of the whole system that ultimately play an important role in maintaining a more or less stable state. -energy production The amount of water vapour in the atmosphere will rise as the temperature of the atmosphere rises. NOTE: You can access the Answer Key for students' questionsand save students' data for online gradingthrough a free registration on theHigh-Adventure Science portal page. 2. This activity is part of a sequence of activities in the What Is the Future of Earth's Climate? Increasingly, more ice and snow would cover the planet. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Their reasoning should include the information they have obtained in the lesson. But if we can learn anything from studying Earths history, we learn that change is the rule and stability the exception. Low-level clouds have a net warming effect as they prevent infrared radiation from escaping into space. So consider a scenario in which some warming occurs; this will encourage faster weathering, which will consume carbon dioxide, which will lead to cooling. L W P = w z. where z is the depth of the cloudy layer in meters. The are multiple types of positive feedback mechanisms: (1) ice albedo feedback, (2) atmosphere-ocean interactions, and (3) carbon cycle feedback. Warming ocean waters melt them so that less ice is present to reflect radiant energy back into space. More generally,an externality occurs when someone takes an action, and this action imposes involuntary costs on others. -mitigation, would take a societal change in ideologies, lots of communication T = CI EI z - Using Models to Make Predictions Answer Key 1. Why is Alluvial Fan Overview & Formation | What is an Alluvial Fan? Is the category for this document correct. Some atmospheric scientists may have to work extended hours during weather emergencies. Tell students that: 5. What are some arguments for reducing GHG emissions? 1. As a result, the terrestrial biosphere, though currently a carbon sink, would become a carbon source. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. If you remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, you weaken the greenhouse effect and this leads to cooling of the Earth. During the winter months, Arctic sea ice will reach its maximum extent. The energy is reflected off the surface and leaves the atmosphere.Feedbacks of Ice and Clouds Answer Key The energy is reflected off the surface and leaves the atmosphere . Clean air Albedoindicates what percentage of the incoming solar radiation (sunlight) isreflectedby a surface. Since water vapour is a very potent greenhouse gas, even more potent than CO2, the net greenhouse effect actually becomes stronger as the surface warms, which leads to even greater warming. The Earth-Atmosphere system is constantly trying to maintain a balance between the energy that reaches Earth from the sun and the energy that flows from Earth back out to space. The cone shows the scientists' uncertainty in the track of the storm, just as the climate models show the scientists' uncertainty in how much Earth's temperature will change in the future. Visualizations allow us to explore data, phenomena and behavior; they are particularly effective for showing large scales of time and space, and "invisible" processes (e.g. Watch the animation and take note of which surfaces are absorbing and reflecting radiation as sea ice melts. Atmospheric Scientist -Atmospheric scientists study the weather and climate and examine how those conditions affect human activity and the earth in general. Encourage students to discuss the scientific evidence with each other to better assess their level of certainty with their predictions. RCP 2.6 = 2.6 W/m^2 lower projection how much radiative forcing might happen most aggressive - drastic reductions; peaking 2020 and negative after 2080 (best case) Where does global warming affect polar bears? Explain the example given in the video. Factors that facilitate climate feedback mechanisms, both positive and negative, include the following: (1) clouds, (2) precipitation, (3) forest growth, and (4) ice. Activate students' prior knowledge about greenhouse gases and global warming. Have students discuss what they learned in the activity. This activity may be used individually or in groups of two or three students, or as a whole class activity. It is believed that some fraction of this trapped methane could become unstable with additional warming, although the amount and rate of potential emission remain highly uncertain.
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