Hundreds Gather to Protest…Global Warming!

Mr. Jocz’s

–International Panel on Climate Change (UN): Human pollutants causing global climate change

Nobel Prize, 2007

How Warming Occurs

• Sun waves hit Earth surface

either reflect/absorbed.• Incoming UV, outgoing Infrared• GGases trap reflected IR light

waves warming

GW: Natural process warmer Earth

Greenhouse Gases • All trap solar radiation in atmosphere

• CO2

• Water Vapor • CH4

• CFC’s • N2O (nitrous oxide)

• SOx• Trop. O3

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!!

Water Vapor

• MAJOR greenhouse gas (85-97% of natural warming)

• Humans don’t affect its concentrations

Cloud Cover

• Cover 60% of Earth; reflect 30% of light

• White Ice High Albedo (high reflectivity)

Increase in CO2

• Cycling due to seasons

• Peaks CO2: fall spring: RESP!

• Troughs CO2: spring fall: PS!

0.5° C increase over 100 yrs

Pre I: 280 ppmPost I: 360 ppm

Methane CH4 Emissions

• Traps 25 x’s more heat than CO2

• Emissions: Anaerobic breakdown of org. material by bacteria in swamps, rice paddies, landfills, intestinal tracts,

• Also, nat. gas leaks

Methane Reduction?

• Scientists are trying to invent new feeds for cows to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they produce.

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6280000/newsid_6289500/6289542.stm?bw=nb&mp=wm&news=1&ms3=6&ms_javascript=true&bbcws=2

CF

Cs

• Can absorb 1500-7000 times more radiation than 1 mol. of CO2

• Very stable (65-135 yrs)• Phased out by Montreal Protocol

Nitrogen Oxides

• Emissions:Burning of gas, fertilizer app, feces.

• Lifespan: 120 yrs • Traps 230 times as

much as CO2

Sulfur Oxides

• Emissions: Volcanoes, Coal burning, Smelting

• 15 x’s stronger than CO2

Mt. Pinatubo

Kyoto Protocol

• Int. env. treaty 12/11/97,

Effective in 2005

• Industrialized countries met in Japan to agree

to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions.

#YOLO! No More Kyoto for

Us!