Climate Change Lab - Tagged
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School
Montclair State University *
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Course
101
Subject
Geography
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
5
Uploaded by CountViperPerson922
Name:
Paige Ritchey
Date:
10/24/2023
Climate Change
In this lab you will explore some of the most recent data on climate change and examine
the different systems that may be affected on the Earth.
Part 1: Carbon Dioxide Variations
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Carbon_Dioxide_800kyr.svg
The figure above shows the carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s atmosphere over the past
800,000 years. Use this figure to answer the following questions.
1. After the ice age cycles, pictured in blue, how quickly did the carbon dioxide levels
increase?
The carbon dioxide levels increased quickly within a few years.
2. How many ice age cycles have there been in the past 800,000 years? It may be easier to
look for the carbon dioxide spikes after an ice age.
There have been five spikes in carbon dioxide in the last 800,000 years.
3. What is the difference between the current carbon dioxide levels and the carbon dioxide
levels in the past 800,000 years?
Carbon dioxide levels have exponentially multiplied in the past 800,000 years. Notably
after the industrial revolution.
Part 2: Methane Variations
https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends_ch4/
The figure above shows the overall trend in methane (CH4) concentration in the Earth’s
Atmosphere. Use this figure to answer the following questions.
1. Look at the overall trend of the concentration of methane in the atmosphere, is the trend
positive or negative?
The trend is positive.
2. What is the difference between the trend in concentration on methane between 2000-2005
and the trend in methane concentration between 2010-2020?
Between 2000-2005 there was a slight decrease in methane concentration. In 2010-2020
there was only an increase.
3. What could be some of the possible connections between the production on methane and
increasing population size?
There seems to be a correlation that the greater
population the more methane is being produced.
Part 3: Variations in the Earth’s Surface Temperature
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https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/
The figure above shows the variations in average global surface temperature in 1919 and 2019.
Using this figure answer the following questions.
1. This figure shows the average global temperature in 1919 to 2019, do these graphs
provide any evidence that global warming is occurring?
Yes, you can see from the above graph that the temperature has drastically
increased between that 100 year period.
2. Look at the figure for 2019, what areas are the most affected by the changes surface
temperature? What might be heavily affected by the increase in temperature?
The North pole has been the most affected by the change in surface temperature. This
can cause glaciers to melt and wildlife to go extinct.
Part 4: Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Future
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-04/gases-by-co2-2020-caption.jpg
The figure above shows the primary sources of carbon dioxide emissions, broken down by their
sectors. Use this figure for the following questions.
1. Which two sectors provide the most carbon dioxide emissions? Why could this be
problematic in the United States?
Transportation and electricity cause the
greatest amount of carbon emissions. This is problematic in the United States
because almost every citizen uses both of these things in excess.
2. Based on the graph above, what are some changes that could be made to the two
dominant carbon dioxide producing sectors (provide at least one example of a change
that can be made for each of the two main CO2 producing sectors)? Are there any
changes to
the laws in the U.S. that could be made that could impact how this chart looks
in the
future?
I think we should utilize public transportation a lot more than we do
currently. In most other countries it is a lot more common to use public transport
than it is to drive your own car. Electricity wise, we should be mindful about leaving
lights and other sources of electricity on when not needed.