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5.2: The Greenhouse Effect
5.2: The Greenhouse Effect
2: The Greenhouse
Effect
Topic 5: Ecology & Evolution
Miss Friedman
5.2.1: The Carbon Cycle
► Carbon is one of the 4 main elements found
in all organic molecules including
carbohydrates, lipids and proteins
► Carbon is found in one of four “pools”
►Biosphere
►Oceans
►Atmosphere
►Sediments
5.2.1: The carbon cycle
► Carbon is moved between these four pools
by a variety of biological, geochemical &
industrial processes
►Photosynthesis
►Respiration
►Feeding
►Fossilization
►Combustion
5.2.2: Historical Records
► Trends in atmospheric gases are studied as
indicators of potential climate change
► Carbon dioxide has been monitored at
Mauna Ioa atmospheric laboratory on
Hawaii since 1958
► The basic trend is an increase in
atmospheric carbon dioxide levels
•Carbon dioxide concentration has increase since 1960 from around 315 ppm
to 380 ppm
•Graph is not smooth but goes up and down to reflect changes in the amount of
atmospheric carbon dioxide due to the seasons
•Autumn leaves drop & plants no longer take up CO2
•Spring when plants start to photosynthesize CO2 levels drop
5.2.3: Atmospheric gases &
enhanced greenhouse effect
Greenhouse effect
A natural process that creates moderate
temperatures on earth to which life has
adapted.
Earth is about 30oC warmer than it would be
without any greenhouse gases in the
environment. This is needed to sustain life
on earth.
5.2.3: continued
Enhanced greenhouse effect
The concern that the activities of humans may
be increasing the levels of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases (methane,
oxides of nitrogen) in the atmosphere.
This may lead to increased global
temperatures and climate change.
•Increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will increase
particles in atmosphere
•More infra-red will be absorbed, scattered and retained as heat
•Average global temperature will rise
5.2.4: The precautionary
principle
► The concept that someone wishing to take a
certain kind of action should prove that the action
does not cause serious or irreversible harm to the
public if there is no scientific consensus about the
outcome of the action.
► Both the European Union and the United
Nations have adopted the principle as a
foundation for some policies
► Montreal protocol (1987)
► Rio Declaration (1992)
► Maastricht Treaty (1993)
5.2.4: continued
► Read the article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle