What Are Some Consequences Of Climate Change – Climate Literacy: Essential Principles of Climate Science summarizes the most important principles and concepts of climate science. It presents the information that individuals and communities need to understand the Earth’s climate, the impacts of climate change, and approaches to adapting to and mitigating change. This article provides the scientific knowledge to understand Essential Principle 7: Climate change will have consequences for the Earth system and human life. This theory describes the current and predicted consequences of climate change. The importance of this theory is readily apparent: our world is changing, the amount of change is projected to increase, and many of the consequences will be troubling for humans. Some key points are:
The following concepts are fundamental to understanding Principle 7. You can click on a concept to find background knowledge to help you understand the concept.
Contents
What Are Some Consequences Of Climate Change
Note: Visit the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network for additional ideas and resources for teaching each of the essential principles of climate science. Another good introduction to the seven essential principles is Meaning: The Operator’s Manual, a one-hour film shown on PBS and based on the book of the same name by Richard Ely. The entire film is available but the site also provides
Opinion: Climate Change Is Dangerous To Your Health
Short segments for teachers to preview and download (free, simple registration required), with closed captioning for both ESL and science comprehension support. U.S. A video from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
Explores what climate change is, the signs or indicators that the planet is warming, and why it matters. Watch the video to learn more about the causes and effects of climate change and practical solutions to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
An excellent rebuttal of climate change skeptics is found in Global Warming Skeptics Are Wrong (published 2/22/2012).
Concept a. Sea levels are rising due to ocean warming along with melting of ice sheets and glaciers, thermal expansion of ocean water. Seawater begins to move over low-lying land and contaminate coastal freshwater sources and inundate coastal features and barrier islands. Rising sea levels increase the risk of damage to homes and buildings from storms such as hurricanes.
Causes And Effects Of Climate Change On Our Surrounding Environment
Concept B. Climate plays an important role in the global distribution of freshwater resources. Changing rainfall patterns and temperature conditions will alter the distribution and availability of freshwater resources, reducing reliable access to water for many people and their crops. Winter snowpack and mountain glaciers that provide water for human use are shrinking as a result of global warming.
Concept c. Extreme weather events are projected to increase as a result of climate change. Many places will see a significant increase in the number of heat waves they experience each year and a possible decrease in extreme cold episodes. Rainfall events are expected to become less frequent but more intense in many areas, and droughts will be more frequent and severe where average rainfall is projected to decrease.
Concept d. The absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere changes the chemistry of ocean water. Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are making ocean water more acidic, threatening the survival of shell-producing marine species and the entire food web of which they are a part.
Concept e. Ecosystems on land and in the ocean have been and will continue to be disrupted by climate change. Animals, plants, bacteria and viruses will migrate to new areas with favorable environments. Infectious diseases and certain species may invade areas where they did not previously live.
File:projected Impact Of Climate Change On Agricultural Yields By The 2080s, Compared To 2003 Levels (cline, 2007).png
Concept f. Human health and mortality will be affected to varying degrees in specific regions of the world as a result of climate change. Although cold-related deaths are predicted to decrease, other risks are predicted to increase. The incidence and geographic range of climate-sensitive infectious diseases – such as malaria, dengue fever and tick-borne diseases – will increase. Drought-induced crop yields, degraded air and water quality, and increased risks to coastal and lowland areas will contribute to unhealthy conditions, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.
You can also see where these concepts appear in national standards documents as well as common misconceptions.
Sea levels are rising due to ocean warming along with melting of ice sheets and glaciers, thermal expansion of ocean water. Seawater begins to move over low-lying land and contaminate coastal freshwater sources and inundate coastal features and barrier islands. Rising sea levels increase the risk of damage to homes and buildings from storms such as hurricanes.
According to a 2011 study, ice sheets are now the largest contributor to sea level rise. The study was conducted over a period of 20 years and was published in a journal
Causes And Effects Of Climate Change
(Rignot et al. 2011). The researchers examined monthly satellite measurements between 1992 and 2009 using climate model data. Research shows that in 2006, the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets lost a combined mass of 475 gigatons – one ton (or metric ton in the US) is equivalent to 1000 kilograms (1 kg = 2.2 pounds); A gigaton would be 10
Tonnes of this ice loss could cause global sea levels to rise by 1.3 millimeters per year. The research also found that the ice sheets are melting at an ever-increasing rate. During the study, the ice sheets lost an additional 36 gigatons per year compared to each previous year.
The report’s lead author, Eric Rignot of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is not surprised that ice sheets are now the biggest contributors to sea level rise. But, Rignot comments, “Surprisingly, this increase is already being contributed by the ice sheets. If current trends continue, sea levels are likely to be significantly higher than levels projected by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007.” Trends suggest that by 2050, melting ice sheets could raise sea levels by about six inches—an amount that needs to be added to projected values from melting ice sheets and thermal expansion of the oceans. The resulting calculations show that sea level rise could total 12.6 inches by 2050.
Another study showed that 180 US cities could be at risk by 2100 due to sea level rise (Weiss, et al. 2011). The study was based on projections that sea levels would rise by about three feet over the next century. Cities such as Miami, New Orleans and Virginia Beach are expected to lose more than 10 percent of their land. New York and Washington, DC. is also expected to be affected, albeit to a lesser extent.
Climate Change Education Across The Curricula, Across The Globelesson Plan: Climate Change Impacts On Mental Health
This map shows where sea level rise could affect New Orleans, Virginia Beach, Va., Miami, Tampa, Fla., New York and Washington, DC. Colors indicate coastal areas that have an elevation of 1 m or less (russet) or 6 m or less (yellow) and are connected to the sea. Image courtesy of Jeremy Weiss, University of Arizona. Usage restrictions: This image may only be used to illustrate a story about research described in the accompanying publication, Rising Seas Will Affect Major US Coastal Cities by 2100.
This map shows where sea-level rise could affect the southern and Gulf coasts of the US. The colors indicate areas of coastline that have a height of 1 meter or less (russet) or 6 meters or less (yellow) and connected with the sea. . Image courtesy of Jeremy Weiss, University of Arizona. Usage restrictions: This image may only be used to illustrate a story about research described in the accompanying publication, Rising Seas Will Affect Major US Coastal Cities by 2100.
Nationwide, about 5,000 square miles of dry land are within two feet of high tide. Although much of this land is currently undeveloped, many coastal counties continue to grow. Sea level rise can submerge land within a few feet of high tide, unless additional dikes and bulkheads are built. Sea-level rise inundates wetlands and other low-lying lands, erodes beaches, increases the intensity of floods, and increases the salinity of rivers, creeks, and groundwater. Some of these effects may be compounded by other effects of a changing climate. In addition, actions people take to protect private property from rising sea levels can have adverse effects on the environment and on public use of beaches and waterways. Some property owners and state and local governments are already beginning to take steps to prepare for the consequences of sea level rise.
This article is about Jason Box, a research scientist at Ohio State University. He is researching lakes and ponds that form on the surface of the Greenland ice sheet during the summer season. Studying these bodies of melted snow and ice (meltwater) helps scientists understand the behavior of glaciers and their response to changes in climate.
Built Environment: Measuring Climate Change Impact
An acclaimed photographer teams up with scientists to document the runaway melting of Arctic glaciers. The video, which you can watch in its entirety, aired on PBS on December 28, 2011.
This article describes a study that shows the loss of ice from massive snow cover
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