Environmental Science

Environmental Science

1. Weather Versus Climate

   • Weather is the meteorological conditions of a region at a given time
   • Climate is the average meteorological conditions of a region
   • Climate

2. Bisosphere

   • The different layers of our earth and how they interact to sustain life
   • Layers
     • Lithosphere: The layer that encompasses the solids portion of the earth that floats on the mantle
     • Hydrosphere: The part of the Earth that encompasses all the water
     • Atmosphere: The layer of the earth that concerns the gases that surround Earth
       • Troposphere: Contains most of the atmosphere's mass and can sustain life
       • Stratosphere: The layer of the atmosphere where most of the ozone on Earth can be found. Biotic material can be found, not much life here.
       • Mesosphere: The second-highest layer of the atmosphere that has extremely low air pressure.
       • Thermosphere: The highest layer of the atmosphere with temperatures that vary wildly and with very few gas particles
       • Thermal Energy Transfer
         • Imbalances in heat around the world cause winds and convection in both the seas and the atmosphere.
         • Conduction: The transfer of heat through direct contact.
         • Convection: The transfer of heat through a substance through its particles. The substance in question must be a fluid.
         • Coriolis Effect: The effect to winds cause by the turning of the Earth. It makes winds appear to move in a westward direction

3. Greehouse Effect

   • Natural Greenhouse Effect: A natural process that allows the Earth to retain heat.
     • Insoltaion: The amount of solar radiation received by a given area
     • Net Radiation Budget: The difference between incoming and outgoing radiation. It divides up the radiation reaching the Earth based on what happens when it reaches us
     • Water Vapour is the main contributor to the natural greenhouse effect
   • Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect: The escalation of the greenhouse effect due to human actions.
     • The result of greenhouse gases being introduced into the atmosphere.
     • Major Greenhouse Gases
       • Methane
       • Carbon Dioxide
       • Nitrous Oxide
       • CFCs
       • Ozone at ground level
       • Water Vapour

4. Climate Change

   • Indicators
     • Arctic Sea Ice Melt: The amount of Arctic sea ice melting each year is determined by the yearly temperatures. Changes in these values can detect if the Earth's average temperature is on the rise.
     • Greenhouse Gas Levels: Greenhouse gases cause the Earth to retain heat. An overabundance of such gases can cause the Earth to heat up and for climates to change
     • Global Surface and Water Temperatures: Temperature is a measure of the amount of energy on Earth, which is also known as heat. Heat is the main driver for climate change
     • Land Ice/ Glaciers: Land ice and glacier cover a certain amount of land. If this values changes, we can detect a change in temperature, and, thus, a change in climate
     • Sea Level: As ice deposits melt and water warms up, the sea level will rise. This means that the temperature is rising and that climate are changing.
   • Effects
     • Heat Waves: More hot humid smoggy, air masses that can cause breathing problems
     • Drought: A lack of rain in a region for a prolonged period of time
     • Wildfires: An increase in fires in forest due to trees being drier
     • Storms: An increase in extreme weather phenomenon as a result of climate change
     • Floods: The rising of water due to spring melt or massive rainfall