The GHE and Global Climate Change

GPH 100P SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY Dr. John Hayes

Weather and Climate Geog. & Sustainability

Spring 2021

Exercise #1: Review for Ch. 14 - The GHE and Global Climate Change

The goal of this Exercise is to review the science of our planet’s naturally-occurring greenhouse effect (GHE) and its enhancement from our human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution.  This enhanced GHE is causing global air and ocean temperatures to rise and many other changes in our planet’s functioning climate system.  Climate change will impact our human-built society profoundly as it will our planet’s other biological-hydrological-geophysical systems.

The planet’s greenhouse effect is discussed in Chapter 2 of your text.  Climate change due to greenhouse gases is discussed in Chapter 14.   This exercisewill assume these readings have taken place; some of the questions will directly benefit from your consulting of the text.My PowerPoint #7 is critical to this exercise and I have a Canvas folder on climate change that has many useful weblinks and other resources.

Please do NOT cut and paste information as your answer.  You are to use your own words – because you have studied and read your text and my PPoints.  Please do not use a search engine on the web as the basis for this exercise.

You will be submitting this Exercise via Canvas email as an attached Word document (or as an open document text (.odt) file).  A pdf is OK but not preferred. Please do not send me an Apple .PAGES file as I cannot open such files.

I will NOT accept assignments turned into me via my campus email.  

Your Name: ______

1. I care that you know the 4 most important naturally-occurring GHG’s – in the order of their importance –and list their important naturally-occurring sources: Do not be vague.

a. 

b.  

c. 

d.  

2. During my Zoom for PPoint #6 and then again in #7 – I discussed the GHE of the planets Venus, Earth, and Mars. Why is the GHE of Venus so strong and why is the GHE of Mars so weak?

3.  Climate change from human-caused increases in GHG’s are causing air 

temperatures and ocean temperatures to rise globally.  What are the main human activities(actions) leading to theincreases of the following greenhouse gases?

carbon dioxide: 

methane: 

nitrous oxide: 

High GWP gases: 

4.  Figure 14.22 of your text:  CO₂concentrations from glacial ice cores for the past 400,000 years. Briefly explain the importance of approximately 180 ppm, 280 ppm, and today’s value of almost 415 ppm.

5. Positive vs. negative feedbacks in the climate system:

Natural systems are governed by negative (self-restoring) feedbacks. Prof. Hayes discussed this when covering the systems approach.Our climate system exhibits several positive feedbacks which can enhance the warming of our planet. One very important positive feedback that is already enhancing the warming of our Arctic landsis the following:

snow/ice albedo positive feedback (especially occurring in the Arctic region 

regarding sea ice) – [see Fig. 14.28 which Prof. Hayes adds to in his PPoint #7.]

I will start the feedback loop for you.  Please finish itusing text and arrows as seen below and use the term albedo properly.

As GHGs increase air temperatures increase ……

6. Sea level rise (SLR) – Briefly explain the two main causes of SLR due toglobal warming.  Which one dominated in the past century and which one is most worrisome now and going forward?

7. Summarize what the USGS Repeat Photography program is and briefly describe two examples that interest you.[See page 403 and the link in my Canvas folders.]

8. Summarize what the high, intermediate, and low emissions scenarios are according to the IPCC.  Which one is the “business as usual” scenario?

9.  Below is a list of GHG emission sources – please write the principal GHG that goes with each source:

a) paddy rice agriculture:

b) fossil fuel combustion: #1)

#2) 

c) cattle and sheep:

d) use of chemical fertilizers:

e) respiration by plants:

f) termites:

g) biological decomposition in

swamps, bogs, wetlands: 

h) deforestation and other land clearing,

often combined with intentionally set fires: 

i) mining of coal & drilling for oil and gas:  

j) urban air pollution: 

k) cement manufacturing:

DUE DATE:  MONDAY, MARCH 1, 10 PM submitted to mevia Canvas email as a MS Word attachment to a short email message to Prof. Hayes.  If I detect “cutting and pasting” for answers, the answers will receive no credit.  You are to read, study, paraphrase, and use your own words.  If you do refer to a specific source, please give me the citation.  Good luck with this assignment!

PS:  It would be very helpful if you name your file as indicated below:

100P-Sect02-Exercise#1-YourName-spr21

If you are in Section 04, you would substitute ‘04’ for the ‘02’.  Thank you!

©  2021   John T. Hayes, Ph.D., Salem, MA  01970