PLANET NEWS

Democracy has created

an environment where

an opinion is perceived

to hold as much weight

as a proven fact.

- Paulus McBurnett

In This Issue

The Problem

Carbon Dioxide Emis-

sions Today

Global Warming

Ocean Acidification

Preview of Next Issue

The Problem: Many people in the world today deny the existence of global warming.

This article aims to scientifically explain the effects that carbon dioxide emissions

has on our atmosphere and our oceans, so that you may form your own decisions

on the environmental crisis.

Frequently Asked Questions: Q: Whats so bad about global warming?

A: It causes long-term, permanent changes to the planet, our very home.

Q: What can I do to help?

A: If everyone in the world just drives one hour less a week, we can reduce our

carbon admissions by a lot.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Today: Three years ago, the atmosphere reached a carbon dioxide (CO2) con-

centration of over 388 parts per million versus 288 parts per million less than two

hundred years ago. With thousands of years of human history, about twenty-five

percent of carbon dioxide emissions occurred within the last few generations.

UCLA Oceanography ESS 15 Newsletter Winter Quarter February 2014

The Sun Shines on Earth

Almost everyday in everyones lives we experience daylight as an

indicator for us to wake up and begin our day. We take the Earth and

the sun for granted, but their relationship actually does a lot to regu-

late our climate. Scientists study this relationship to learn about cli-

mate change.

When the sun shines in, solar energy is put into the Earth. The energy

that is not absorbed into the Earth is reflected by the Earths albedo,

which is created by the clouds, Earths surface, and the atmosphere.

Emissivity is also something to take into account when considering

how much sunlight is reflected off the Earth. Emissivity is the varia-

ble in which gives off more realistic results, because it is a measure

of the intensity of sunlight reflected off the Earth. It ranges from 0

(perfect absorber) to 1 (perfect reflector). This variable prevents the

scientist from assuming that the Earth is a perfect reflector (also

called blackbody emitter), because in reality it is not. Much like a

light bulb, the emissivity is the opacity of the Earth, or how much

sunlight the Earth radiates out given that its lightened up absorbed

by the suns light. However, greenhouse gases hinder this release

out into space. Greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide (CO2),

water vapor(H2O), methane (CH4), ozone (O3), and nitrous oxide

(N2O), creates a layer that absorbs the radiation from Earth, thus

keeping it warmer than it should. So, as greenhouse gas concentra-

tions arise from factors such as fossil fuels, our Earth can burn up

and have weather disasters. This is why the Earth becomes warmer,

because the greenhouse gases form a layer that is similar to a lid on

a pot of boiling water.

Global Warming

When considering the theory of global

warming, one must take in account the input

and output energy from the sun to the Earth.

Not only must one consider the energy

budget, but also factors that alter the rate of

energy, such as the changes in atmospheric

composition, the shrinking sizes of the ice

sheets that are utilized to stabilize and regu-

late the surface temperature of the Earth,

and the Greenhouse Effect, which altogether

contributes to the calculations of the Global

Energy Balance of the Earth.

The Global Energy Balance equation is [(1-)

(S)]/4 = eT4, where is the albedo of the

Earth, S is the solar constant, e is the emissivity,

is the Stefan-Boltzmann Constant, and T is

the temperature of the Earth. To delineate

further, the albedo consists of the reflectivity of

the surface of the planet. The solar constant is

the amount of solar energy that is hitting the

Earth. The constant is a physical constant that

calibrates the proportion of the intensity of

wavelengths to temperature. Finally, I will

explain emissivity in the next head line.

Percentage breakdown of Earths Energy Budget (if Earth was a perfect reflector)

Drawing that differentiates the affectivity of the albedo depend-ing on the setting of the surface of the Earth

People in general

feel that the objects

and things in their

lives are eternal,

when theyre not.

When you see a full

moon, how many

times will you see it

again before you

die? Five? Six? You

never consider how

many opportunities

are lost and take

things for granted.

- Paulus McBurnett

Two comic strips of animals reacting to global warming, one being humorous and the other having a true but ironic observation

Other Factors to Con-

sider: When Absorbed

What about the sunlight that is absorbed into the Earth? About half of the sunlight is

absorbed by the land and oceans, and it can come out in the form of conduction, being

carried to the clouds through water vapor, and, just as mentioned before about emissivi-

ty, radiation that radiates the sunlight back to space. Because this radiation contributes to

more than half of the outgoing energy that is absorbed by the Earth, radiation is heavily

relied on. However, because of the Greenhouse Gas Effect, radiation is stalled and thus

the Earth is becoming more unable to release energy back out into space successfully

with rising concentrations of greenhouse gases. Now isnt that scary!

The intensity of the sunlight towards the Earth is also dependent of the surface area

that is illuminated. If a small area is illuminated, the temperature would increase much

more quickly than a large area because sunlight is focused on the smaller area. There-

fore, if the area of the ice sheets are large then it will be more difficult for them to melt.

Also, ice sheets reflect the sun-

light that spreads over the Arctic.

However, because it has been

melting, less light is being reflect-

ed and more heat is being

trapped into the Earth. That is

why the melting of ice sheets

through global warming is very

problematic in todays society.

Image showing suns rays across different latitudes

Carbonate Buffer Carbon dioxide, carbonic acid (H2CO3), bicarbonate ion (HCO3

-), and car-

bonate ion (CO32-) are the four forms in which CO2 can exist in the ocean. As

shown in the equation, these forms are connected by a chain reaction. While car-

bon dioxide contributes to ocean acidification, it does so indirectlyonly when it

reacts with water does H+ or hydrogen ions gets released. Also notice the double

arrows in the above equation, showing that each step in the chain reaction is read-

ily reversible.

As the equation suggests, carbonate and bicarbonate ions acts as a hydrogen

ion absorber, thus decreasing the rate of acidification. If that is the case, then why

is acidification such a big deal? The problem arises when carbonate ions in the

ocean get used up and there isnt enough to drive the backwards reaction. In other

words the hydrogen ions will remain in the ocean, causing pH levels to fall. That is

why the more carbon dioxide there is in water, the more acidic the water. Acidic

water is dangerous for organisms because the hydrogen ions interfere with the

functioning of enzymes, proteins that keep organisms healthy and alive.

Ocean Acidification Many people today have heard of the phenomenon of global warning. They also know that it has something or another to

do with the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. But less often we hear about the evil twin to global warm-

ing: ocean acidification.

Like its name suggests, ocean acidification is the phenomenon where the ocean increase in acidity because of the

oceans absorption of CO2. When CO2 and water combine, a chemical reaction causes the release of hydrogen ions, the par-

ticle that determines acidity.

Ocean acidification has detrimental effects on the ocean environment. Many important organisms such as plankton and

coral reefs are integral to the marine food web. Without them, many marine animals, such as fishes and lobsters, will become

extinct.

Although the effects of ocean acidification are catastrophic, there are ways to reverse it. The first step is to limit carbon

dioxide emission to decrease oceanic uptake of CO2. Then, work must be done to remove the CO2 already present in the wa-

ter. A global, cooperative effort is required if we are to save our oceans.

The Carbonate Buffer Equation

Top: Cartoon showing effects of acidified oceans on mollusks. Bottom: Pictures showing the same thing.

Carbon

Pumping

The carbon pump is the

biological-driven cycle of

carbon dioxide in the ocean.

Photosynthesis is a process

where carbon dioxide is tak-

en from the environment and

gets converted into energy

and oxygen. On land, plants

are the ones that photosyn-

thesize, but there are micro-

scopic creatures called phy-

toplankton in the oceans that

perform this process as well.

These organisms drive the

carbon pump, regulating the

oceans acidity, but ironical-

ly, ocean acidification is dis-

rupting their function.

Thus, we cannot entirely

depend on photosynthetic

organisms to solve the prob-

lem of acidification.

Graph showing projections of pH and carbon dioxide in the oceans in the next hundred years.

Ocean Ecosystem Many organisms in the ocean rely on calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to form their

exoskeletons or shells. Examples are coral reefs, lobsters and clams. These organ-

isms also form the base of many food webs in the ocean, meaning that predators

such as seals and many fishes rely on them to survive. Also, coral reefs are home to

many ocean species and the destruction of these habitats leave these organisms

defenseless.

Due to ocean acidification, many hard-bodied organisms face dissolution. Recall

that carbonate acts as a hydrogen ion absorber. When hydrogen ions are in the wa-

ter, they attract carbonate, thus diminishing the available carbonate for calcium car-

bonate formation. Even worse, hydrogen ions also strip carbonate from existing calci-

um carbonate, literally dissolving the shells of clams and lobsters, as well as the body

of reefs.

The level of pH indicates the concentration of hydrogen ions in the ocean. As the

pH of the ocean decreases, the ocean is becoming more acidic. Since the pH scale is

logarithmic, a decrease from pH eight to seven means the hydrogen ions concentra-

tion increased ten times. To put this into perspective, lets take a real life scenario.

Within the next ten years, pH levels are expected to decrease by 0.2. A seemingly

small drop translates to a whooping thirty-seven percent increase in hydrogen ion

concentration. And all these hydrogen ions are competing with calcium for car-

bonates in the ocean.

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Preview of Next Issue Just one month ago, an unprecedented blizzard attacked New York,

causing blackouts and property damages. Many people jumped at the opportunity

to scoff at global warming in the face of record low temperatures. However, ex-

treme cold and warm weather is consistent with the modeled effects of global

warming. The warming of the earth increases the effects of evaporation, worsen-

ing precipitation weather such as hurricanes and the New York blizzard. We must

also remember that global warming has to do with average temperature increase

across the planet. As a result, even if you hear about extremely cold tempera-

tures, global warming is still happening.

If you still express doubt about climate change, join us for our next issue

when we describe wind currents and how global warming affects it.

Our Environmental Writers: David Li

Joanna Hong

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