3/5 Causes of Climate Change by Si Ying Soh https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf en-us 2017-08-17 01:39:29 UTC 2017-08-24 02:28:17 UTC hello@padlet.com Deforestation soh_si_ying https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181361743 Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests due to the clearance of trees for many reasons such as the production of paper and construction of materials etc.
Deforestation causes increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere as there are fewer trees to absorb carbon dioxide from the surrounding air for photosynthesis. Thus, the main reason onhow deforestation contributes to climate change is through the impact of increase of greenhouse gas.]]> 2017-08-17 01:56:27 UTC https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181361743 Natural Factors - variation in solar output https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181366844 Variation in solar output occurs due to changes in its magnetic field (11 years cycle).

Higher solar magnetic activity results in an increase in number of sunspot.

Sunspots are cooler areas on the sun's surface. Areas surrounding the sunspots radiate more energy to compensate for the cooler sun spot areas. This leads to more solar radiation being emitted.

This affects the earth's climate, as it is very sensitive to the amount of solar radiation it receives. The amount of solar radiation affects the global temperature.

The 11-year sunspot cycle as well as the increase in solar activity in the early 20th century lead to an increase in average global temperature of 0.1 to 0.2 Celsius.

The Maunder Minimum was a period of time where there was a prolonged reduction in solar activity, occurring roughly from 1645-1700. Only around 50 sunspots were recorded, which is a significant decrease from the usual 40-50 thousand.
The Maunder Minimum coincided with the "Little Ice Age", a time when Northern Europe and other parts of the world plunged into a long period of cool summers and long winters. This suggests that the decrease in amount of solar radiation given off by the sun, led to the decrease in global temperature.

Image of sun spots:]]> 2017-08-17 02:42:04 UTC https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181366844 Changing Landuse - Urbanisation https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181366947 It is the process by which an increasing number of people live in urban areas such as cities or towns. Urbanisation includes : land use changes, dense building development, heat emission and human activities. Urban transport also contributes large amounts of the greenhouse gas emission.]]> 2017-08-17 02:43:13 UTC https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181366947 Burning Fossil Fuels https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181367072 Fossil Fuels are formed from the remains of dead organic matter millions of years ago. 

The reason for burning fossil fuels is because oil, natural gases and coal are needed and used to produce electricity and power vehicles.

When fossil fuels are burnt, they release huge amounts of carbon dioxide, which contributes most to greenhouse gases which trap heat in the atmosphere and then keeps it warm to sustain life on earth. This results in global warming.

One example is in China. China is one of the world's biggest consumer of energy and most of the energy comes from  burning coal mined. The significant use of fossil fuels in China have led to a large emission of greenhouse gases.


]]> 2017-08-17 02:44:52 UTC https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181367072 https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181367530 2017-08-17 02:49:57 UTC https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181367530 Changing Landuse - Agriculture https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181367799 Agriculture is the cultivation of land and breeding of animals, plants and fungi for food, fiber, biofuel, medicinal plants and other products used to sustain and enhance human life. It is also one of the higher contributor of greenhouse gases.

Example of how Agriculture affects Climate Change -
Farming releases significant amounts of methane and nitrous oxide, two powerful greenhouse gases. Methane is produced by livestock during digestion due to enteric fermentation (a natural part of digestion in animals and releases methane as the byproduct)  and is released via belches. It can also escape from stored manure and organic waste in landfills. Methane is likely to be produced when manure is left for a long period of time in an anaerobic environment. Nitrous oxide emissions is an indirect product of organic and mineral nitrogen fertilisers. For instance, agriculture is accounted for 10% of Europe's total greenhouse-gas emissions in 2013. A significant decline in livestock numbers, more efficient application of fertilisers, and better manure management
reduced Europe's emissions from agriculture by 24% between 1990 and 2012.
source : European Environmental Agency

Below shows the animal agricultural contributions to green house gases
 
]]> 2017-08-17 02:52:39 UTC https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181367799 Deforestation - explain impact https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181367998 The main impact of deforestation is that it contributes to climate change through the production of greenhouse gas and it is considered the second largest source in the contribution of greenhouse gases. 

Plants help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide by converting it into oxygen through photosynthesis. Since deforestation refers to the clearance of trees, less photosynthesis takes place, therefore less carbon dioxide is being converted to oxygen. There will be more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which means that more heat will be trapped and not be able to escape back into space, therefore increasing the global temperature. 

Another impact is the change of weather patterns. There is water vapour in the atmosphere, which traps heat from the sun. Deforestation contributes to an increase in water vapour in our surroundings, which means that there would be more heat trapped in the atmosphere, therefore increasing the global temperature. 

Thus, deforestation contributes to climate change, more specifically global warming, by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide and water vapour in the atmosphere. ]]> 2017-08-17 02:55:28 UTC https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181367998 Explanation regarding urbanisation affecting climate change https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181368044 Best-known effects of urbanisation  is the urban heat island also known as the UHI effect, which develops when urban cooling rates are slower than rural ones. The high heat capacity of the buildings in the urban areas result in more of the Sun's energy being absorbed and stored, as compared to the surrounding of the rural areas. Also, the high density buildings in the urban areas causes the reduce in heat being release back to space. This causes more heat to be absorbed by the Earth's surface and being emitted, affecting the climate change. For example, China. China has experienced rapid urbanization and dramatic economic growth since its reformed process started in late 1978]]> 2017-08-17 02:56:01 UTC https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181368044 Deforestation - Impacts https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181368202 There are many impacts of deforestation and a few of these impacts include global warming and change in weather pattern. ]]> 2017-08-17 02:57:59 UTC https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181368202 Changing Landuse - Industries https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181368367 Production of necessities within a country. Secondary factories have been said to be contributing the most amount of carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere, through the burning of fossil fuels. 

When such greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere , it creates the enhanced greenhouse effect, which is the retaining of heat due to the presence of a large amount of greenhouse gases in the air. Even though greenhouse effect occurs naturally, it is being exacerbated by anthropogenic actions such as the building of industries. As these industries require lots of fossil fuels like coal, greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide are released at great amounts into the air . This forms a barrier which traps heat in our atmosphere, causing climate change.

An example of industrialisation affecting us is China. China is currently the world's largest carbon emitter, releasing 10.6 million kilotons of carbon dioxide in 2015, double that of the next highest, the United States. As a result of the constant spewing of greenhouse gases in China, it is facing rising temperatures in cities like Beijing.

Image of Beijing industry:]]> 2017-08-17 03:00:21 UTC https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/181368367 Natural Factors - Volcanic eruption https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/182073776 Volcanoes are a natural phenomenon, essentially a mountain or a hill that emits molten lava from the depths of the Earth to the surface due to the difference in densities and this process is known as a volcanic eruption. 

As a volcano erupts, it emits gases and dust into the surrounding atmosphere, thus increasing the cloud cover. These "clouds"  reflect away incoming solar radiation from the sun back to the dark abyss of nothingness know as space, creating an area of cool air below the clouds on a local scale and this will eventually affect the global temperature as well. 

One example of this happening in the world is in Europe in 1783 . The enormous Laki fissure system in Iceland triggered drastic changes in the temperature. The ash cloud that followed the eruption caused a haze across the whole of Europe, deflecting much of the sun's rays. As a result, the climate in Europe was abnormally cold. 

Another example is the  Tambora volcano that erupted twice, spreading a gigantic ash cloud that "blackened the region". This ash cloud reflected and deflected most of the incoming solar radiation back to space for a prolonged period of time, which led to a global temperature drop, droughts that destroyed crops and extreme weather conditions like heavy monsoons and summer snows across the Northern Hemisphere.

Image of Tambora erupting in 1815:]]> 2017-08-22 13:26:09 UTC https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/182073776 Examples Of Deforestation https://padlet.com/soh_si_ying/gh2rp3nt3zyf/wish/182090458 Indonesia is a country that experiences high deforestation rates. Like much of Southeast Asia, it was historically entirely covered in forest,  with some 65% of the land covered in forest over the whole nation. However, it has seen a serious decline in that forest cover over the past two decades.

Another example,  in Borneo (the world's third largest island) between 1985-2000, more logs had been cut away than in all of South America and Africa combined. Half of the lowland forest is gone and that could increase to two-thirds in approximately ten years.

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