Environment

Environment
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(November 22, 2011)
Environment
1. Why does the graph show a line with the 1901 – 2000 average temperature?
The line 1901 – 2000 acts as a centerline that shows the difference the actual temperature at a given time is from the average temperature; it is the baseline temperature between 1901 – 2000 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011). The average temperature line is shown to indicate how far the global temperature of a given year would be, compared to the duration of years in question i.e. 1901 – 2000.
2. Would you expect the average temperature to be higher or lower if you calculated it for 1990 – 2000? Why?
If calculated from 1990 – 2000 the average temperature would be higher given that the global temperature continues to rise from the year 1901 and in 1990 it was above the average given on 1901. Higher temperatures would mean higher averages (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011).
3. How much has the global surface temperature risen over the past 100 years?
The global surface temperatures have risen by 1.3 degree Fahrenheit over the past 100 years (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011).
4. Describe three distinct pieces of evidence that suggest that climate change is affecting more than just the atmosphere.
There have been:
Changing patterns of precipitation;
Evidence of glaciers melting in the arctic and globally;
Rise in sea level; ocean temperatures increase;
Increased acidification of sea water due to increased carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases;
Species threatened with extinction due to change in environment (Letcher, 2009; Pew Center on Global Climate Change, 2001).
5. Carbon Dioxide Concentration
Is the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is calculated in parts per million (ppm) and indicates the amounts that are emitted in to the atmosphere in a given timeframe (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011).
6. Climate Change
Climate change is the major changes on the earth parameters of temperature, snow and wind patterns that last for a time frame due to anthropogenic or natural causes. It is mainly caused by emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that causes increase in temperatures (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011).
7. Average Surface Temperature (of Earth)
Average Surface Temperature is the amou...