Climate Change

• “He who asks a question is a fool for five

minutes; he who does not ask a question
remains a fool forever”
Earth System Atmosphere: surface up to 400 km
• physical indicator of pollution response
• sink of pollutants
• direct impact on all biota

• Source of EM
radiation/light

Oceans, rivers,
ice sheets,
glaciers,
precipitation
etc.
Lithosphere:
Crust of earth,
Volcanoes,
Desert,
mountains, Vegetation
planes, tectonic Forests, crops etc.
plates etc.
Pollution; addition of substances at faster rate
than the Environment can accommodate

Air pollution means the presence in the outdoor

atmosphere of one or more contaminants such as
dust, fumes, gas, mist, odor, smoke or vapor in
quantities with characteristics and of duration
such as to be injurious to humans, plants or
animal life or to property or which unreasonably
interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life
and property (Florida Administration Code, 1982)
Air Pollution sources
Air Pollution

Global map of air pollution graphs fine particle (2.5 micrometers in

diameter >> PM2.5) pollution worldwide (averaged over 2001-2006)

Map: Aaron van Donkelaar, Dalhousie University

 Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere

Atmospheric layers:

1. Troposphere
• Tropo means turning(mixing)
• 10 to 15 km thick (depending
on latitude)
2. Stratosphere
• 40 km thick, dry stable air
• thick ozone layer
3. Mesosphere
• 50 to 85 km
4. Thermosphere
• 85 to 500 km
5. Exosphere
• Beyond 500 km

• Thickness of these layers is slightly different around the globe,

and also varies according to temperature and season.
 Criteria Air Pollutants
• Primary Criteria Pollutants
o Particulate Matter, PM10 & PM2.5
o Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
Major primary pollutants
o Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
(VOC including)
o Carbon Monoxide (CO)
o Particulate Lead

– Secondary Criteria Pollutants

o Ground level Ozone (photochemical oxidants)

– Acid Rain (Regional Scale Impact)

– Global Scale Impacts
o Ozone Depletion
o Global Warming – Climate Change

Sources
1. Natural events
(volcanic eruptions, dust storms and bigenic emissions from forests and oceans etc. )

2. Human activities
(emissions from cars and smoke from domestic and industrial activities)
 Greenhouse effect

Certain gases in the atmosphere

behave like the glass on a
greenhouse, allowing sunlight to
enter, but blocking heat from
escaping.

Gases that contribute to the

greenhouse effect include:

• Water vapor
• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Methane
• Nitrous oxide
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Sources of GHGs

• CO2: One of the main

• Greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide (CO2). As trees grow
they take in CO2 from the air. When the wood dies the CO2
is returned to the air.
• Forest clearance and wood burning (such as happens in
tropical rain forests) is increasing the latter half of the
process, adding to the CO2 in the atmosphere.
Deforestation is now out of control.
• Televisions, lights and computers use electricity that is
created mainly from burning coal. Every time we switch on
a light we are adding to the greenhouse effect. Cars are also
major sources of CO2.
CONTD…

• Methane: is released during coal-mining activities, oil exploration and

when vegetation is burnt during land clearance. The main source of
methane though is agricultural activity. It is released from wetlands and
from animals, particularly cud-chewing species like cows. The problem
with methane is that as the world population increases, agricultural
activity must increase and so emissions of methane will also increase.
Since the 1960s the amount of methane in the air has increased by 1%
per year - twice as fast as the buildup of CO2.
• NOx: comes from both natural and man-made processes. Man
influenced sources, which represent about 45% of output to the
atmosphere, are mainly: fossil fuel combustion, as in power stations;
use of nitrogenous fertilisers; burning rain forests and human and
animal waste.
CONTD…

• CFCs: found in fridges, air conditioners, aerosols

etc. are extremely effective greenhouse gases.
Although there is lower concentrations of CFCs in
the atmosphere than CO2 but they trap more heat.
A CFC molecule is 10,000 times more effective in
trapping heat than a CO2 molecule; methane is
about 30 times more effective. Methane molecules
survive for 10 years in the atmosphere and CFCs
for 110 years. It is this that causes people to want
to ban them completely.
Global Warming
• The warming effect caused by the absorption and
reradiating of IR radiation (LW) by the greenhouse
gases is commonly called the greenhouse effect, is
referred to as warming effect.
Global Warming
The terms global warming and
climate change are often used
interchangeably, but the two
phenomena are different.

• Global warming is the rise

in global mean temperature
due to an increase of heat-
trapping greenhouse gases such
as CO2 and CH4 in the
atmosphere

• Based on surface and

atmospheric temperatures from
thousands of locations, and
from satellites worldwide,
scientists have determined that
the global mean temperature
has risen 0.8 degrees C, since
1880 (IPCC, 2007).
Global Warming
Global warming
Properties of Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases

CO2 CH4 N2O CFC- CFC-23

11
Conc. ppm ppb ppb ppt ppt

Pre-Industrial ≈ 280 ≈ 700 ≈ 270 0 0

1750-1800
Current 370 1745 314 268 14

Current Rate of 1.5 7 0.8 -1.4 0.55

Change per Year
(1990 – 1999)
% Increase per Year 0.41 0.40 0.25 -0.52 3.92
Atmospheric Lifetime 5 - 200 12 114 45 260
(Years)
Effects of Global Warming

• Storms - storms and hurricanes will become more frequent and

stronger as oceans heat up causing more water to evaporate.
• Droughts - continental heartlands will dry out more in summer. In 1988
the US suffered its worst heat wave and drought for 50 years. It cannot
be proved that this was due to the greenhouse effect but it does give us
some idea of what to expect in the future.
• Floods - sea levels are already rising at a rate of 1 to 2mm each year
due to expansion of the top layer of the oceans as they warm and the
melting of the polar ice caps. The predicted rise by 2050 is between 20
and 50cm. This will cause increased flooding in coastal areas and river
estuaries such as Bangladesh and the Nile Delta. London and many
other British coastal cities will be threatened also.
 Control Measures

• It is important to slow the warming as much as possible. This means using less fossil fuel,
eliminating CFCs altogether, and slowing down deforestation. This can be achieved best
through energy conservation, including better use of public transport and cleaner, more
efficient cars; and energy efficiency by greater use of gas which produces less CO2 than
coal and oil, and through renewable energy such as solar power. We need to stop
destroying rain forests (deforestation) and start replanting trees (afforestation) to soak up
carbon dioxide.
• A United Nations panel has estimated that we need to reduce global fuel use by 60%
immediately in order to stabilize the climate. Current commitments by those
governments participating in CO2 reduction will only lower global CO2 by 4 - 6%. Although
the developed industrialized nations still produce most CO2, the rapidly developing
nations of South America and Asia are increasing their CO2 production at a much higher
rate, and by 2010 they will overtake the West as the main producers of CO2.
• The developing countries are reluctant to participate in any CO2 emission reduction plans,
arguing that they did not create global warming and that it is the responsibility of
developed countries to cut their own emissions or to support developing countries with
financial aid. Oil producing countries - including a significant lobby in the US - are also
reluctant to have their sales reduced and have protested against action on climate
change.
• Nuclear Power - does not produce CO2 so could replace other forms of energy. It is
necessary though, to find an effective means of safely disposing of the radioactive waste
that can remain dangerous for hundreds to thousands of years.
• Alternative Energy - more funding is required for research and development of
alternative pollution-free energy sources such as solar, wave and wind energy.