In what ways do human activities create climatic hazards?

?
  • Created by: Jake199
  • Created on: 21-05-14 17:10
View mindmap
  • In what ways do human activities create climatic hazards?
    • Evidence for Human Induced Global Warming
      • 315 ppm CO2 in air in 1950s, now 380 ppm
      • Keeling Curve shows increase in overall CO2 in recent years
      • 10 of the hottest years in the last have all been in the last 15
      • Average temp increase of 1 degree since 1900
      • Models predict average 3 degree rise in next 50 years
      • 98% of glaciers are in retreat
      • Anthropogenic Greenhouse effect creates Global Warming, which creates Climate Change
    • Air Pollution
      • Physical causes
        • Sunlight
        • High Temperatures
        • No wind
        • High pressure
      • Human causes
        • Traffic
        • Industry
        • Urbanisation
        • Pollutants e.g SOx, COx, NOx
        • Pm10 and Pm2.5
    • Los Angeles smog- worst through 1970s
      • 11 million vehicles
      • Located in sub-tropical high pressure belt
      • Only 35 wet unsettled weather days per year
      • Surrounded by hills, creating a temperature inversion for half the year
      • Lack of public transport
      • 1600 premature deaths due to respiratory disorders per year
      • Children have a 10-15% reduction in lung capacity
      • Dangerous levels of Smog for 100 days per year in 1970s
    • Smog
      • 'Soup of harmful chemicals
      • NOx, COx and SOx react with sunlight to produce photochemical smog and ozone
    • Evidence against human induced warming
      • Ice cores show that the Earth's temperature fluctuates naturally- Malinkovitch cycles cause ice-age about once every 10000 years
      • Some past temperature records are flawed
      • Sunspot activity increases temperature on Earth
    • Impacts of warming
      • 2 degrees- Migrations further North, flooding of low lying areas, severe impacts on marine environments due to ocean acidificaiton
      • 3 degrees- Ice free Arctic, drying out Amazon, more extreme weather
      • 4 degrees- Flooded coastal Deltas, disappearing glaciers, 1bn depend on meltwater from Himalayas
      • 6 degrees- Oceans become wastelands, desert expands greatly

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Geography resources:

See all Geography resources »See all Weather systems resources »