Chapter 21: Regional and Global Atmospheric Changes

increase in earth’s average temperature over time.

Glacier National Park has about 50 small glaciers, 37 ofwhich are still large enough to be officially classified asglaciers under U.S. Geological Survey requirements.Studies indicate that glacial retreat began about 1850when there were more than 150 glaciers in Glacier NP.These glaciers are direct remnants from an ice age thatended about 11,000 years ago. Because of their relativelylow elevations and inland location, the park’s glaciers arehighly sensitive to ____.

the additional trapping of heat in theatmosphere by gases that absorb infrared radiation.

– gases that absorb infrared radiation (heat)

carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons and tropospheric ozone.

how to slow down the rate of climate change

Mitigate
1. develop alternatives to fossil fuels
2. control human population
3. increase energy efficiency in transportation and appliances
4. planting and maintaining forests to absorb carbon dioxide
5. Carbon management – ways to convert or capture or convert CO2 during the combustion of fossil fuels and keep it from being released in to the atmosphere.

making adjustments to deal with climate change.

Adapt

1. move people inland away from the coast where they are subject to increased sea levels and away from the dangers of storm surges.
2. construct dikes and levees to coastal land
3. adapt to shifting agricultural zones.

a high energy form of radiation that can be lethal athigher levels of exposure.

O3 (three Oxygen atoms)

Layer of the atmosphereclosest to the earth (to 10 Kilometers (6.2miles))

Layer of atmosphereimmediately above the troposphere 10Kto 45 K

tropospheric ozone is a human–made pollutant in thetroposphere.

stratospheric ozone is a naturally produced, protectiveshield in the stratosphere.

a high energy form of radiation that can be lethal athigher levels of exposure.

Layer of the atmosphereclosest to the earth (to 10 Kilometers (6.2miles))

Layer of atmosphereimmediately above the troposphere 10Kto 45 K

tropospheric ozone is a human–made pollutant in thetroposphere.

stratospheric ozone is a naturally produced, protectiveshield in the stratosphere.

**If the protective layer of ozone in the stratosphere were not present,the earth could become uninhabitable for most forms of life.**

The ozone molecule that serves as a pollutant at the earth’s surface, is thesame molecule that serves to protect us in the stratosphere.

–thinning of the protective ozone layer

1. Increased cataracts (lens of eye becomes opaque)
2. increased skin cancer
3. weakened immune system
4. ecosystem disruption – Antarctic food chain asphytoplankton productivity is declining
5. mutations in ice fish eggs and larvae
6. amphibian population decline
7. possible crop and forest damage - more work needs to be done on plants

CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons) destroy ozone
• CFC’s = chlorine containing compounds that attack the ozone layer.
• CFC’s include propellants for aerosol cans, Freon = AC and refrig coolants,some solvents, and foam blowing agents in the manufacture of Styrofoam.

acid rain, acid fog, acid snow, acid hail, and acid sleet.

– a type of air pollutionthat includes acid that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation or as dry particles. Acid deposition is produced when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides mix with water in the atmosphere to produce sulfuric acid, and nitric acid.

1. kills aquatic organisms
2. causes forest decline
3. corrodes metal products
4. erodes stone, including famous statuary

• The pH Scale is used tomeasure acidity. The scaleranges from 0-14

The pH scale is a logarithmic scale where a pH of 3 is 10x more acidic than a pH 4 and100x times more acidic that pH of 5.

gradual deterioration and eventual death of trees.

Air pollution and acid deposition contribute to forest decline.

1. damage to leaves and bark
2. reduced photosynthesis
3. increased susceptibility to other problems
4. plant death
5. cell membrane damage
6. root damage
7. damage to beneficial root fungi
8. impairment of water and nutrient uptake