The Impact of Climate Change on Georgia: Effects on Temperature, Rainfall, and Coral Reefs, Study notes of Biology

Download The Impact of Climate Change on Georgia: Effects on Temperature, Rainfall, and Coral Reefs and more Study notes Biology in PDF only on Docsity! Ecology Notes October 5th, 2010 The effects of climate on Georgia Within next century 5-14 degrees F. increase NH- avg,. temp 44, avg. rainfall 36 inches. NH will move to NC meaning temp to 59, increase rain to 42. MI- Temp. 44, 31 inches. Increase to OK, 59 degrees and 32inches. GA- Temp= 63 Rainfall= 49 inches Going to increase to Texas. Temp= 66 Rainfall= 35. We lose water! Georgia is 5th fastest growing state. We are losing forest lands to suburban growth Georgia is going to be drier and hotter. Why do we know, because it has happened before! The Bermuda High 1) Slightly elevated ocean cause the temporary formation of an area of high pressure called the Bermuda High. 2) Persistent elevated sea cause a persistent Bermuda High. 3) As it grows, the high prevents moist air from moving eastward from the Pacific onto the Great Plains, and northward from the Gulf of Mexico into Georgia. 4) When this occurs, both California and Georgia experience drought. Caused the Dust Bowl. Created heavy drought. Global warming will recreate and enhance these conditions. The average would be drier, but the fall would be wetter because of more Hurricanes. A main effect of drought is fire! Atlanta is the largest city in the world that isn’t on a major fresh water supply. Problems with CO2  Carbon Dioxide makes plants produce more pollen. This causes more asthma and allergies. High Count= 120, Typical day= 5,768!  Making P. Ivy grow more and more resilient Greenland Glaciers are water frozen in place, size of Mexico. If melted, sea level will rise 21 feet. Sonar Plane- 1st echo off the ice surface, 2nd echo off the underlying rock. Difference= thickness of ice 2 Poles, Greenland poles- 21 feet Antarctica- 23 feet……total 43 feet For every 1 foot rise in sea level, 1000 feet inland on GA. Fossil Fuels take carbon out of the ground; they put the carbon into the air. Stabilization Wedges Public Transportation, Fuel efficiency, renewable energy, food production, full recycling, and conversion from fossil fuels to Bio-fuels Bio-Fuels- Where does Co2 come from? Co2 comes from air, not ground. October 7th, 2010 Coral Reefs Most Diverse- 32 Phyla compared to Rainforest 8 Phyla Most complex- Symbiosis Most productive Oldest- 400 million years fossil record Coral was first discovered by Charles Linneaus. Classified animals, vegetables and minerals based on shapes. Linneaus described coral as plants, his grad student, John Ellis, says that coral is animals. Corals are 95% efficient Photosynthesis to Respiration ratio is an indicator of coral health. Bleaching- is like food rations cut in half. Sterilized, couldn’t reproduce. Hotter temperatures make coral lost their algae. Ocean’s temperature has changed, not hotter. P/R ratio: as temp goes up, P/R goes down and coral drops to net negative; this turns reef white. Corals are much closer to the high Temp. that kill them than to the low Temp. that kill them. Spiking temps 1.5c above average summer Temp are lethal. Prolonged exposure to 1c above average summer is lethal. Corals take carbon out of the atmosphere More Co2- Acidifies the ocean Acid rain dissolves limestone October 12, 2010 Coral are dying when warmer. Peak losses also correspond with periods of high runoff Coral reefs are connected to the mainland via groundwater October 27, 2010 97.5% Sea Water 2.0% Ice .5% Freshwater .0001% Air 100% of our drinking water is in the air Water use per person is raising 2x faster than population By 2030 more than 33% of all human beings will live where there is not enough fresh water 20% live on less water a day than water consumed than when flushing a toilet 3 Rules 1) Water is always recycled 2) Water is always in motion 3) Surface and subsurface waters are tightly linked Water Budget 1) Storage (Reserves) a. Surface (Lakes, Reservoirs) b. Subsurface (Groundwater) 2) Inputs (Deposits a. Surface (Rainfall) b. Subsurface 3) Outputs (Withdraw) a. Surface (Runoff) b. Evaporation/ Transpiration c. Subsurface (Pump out) By 2020 water use in the US will exceed supply by 13% *Assumes stable population (No growth!) *Assumes stable climate (No global warming) *Assumes average rainfall (No drought) We need to increase reserves and reduce withdraws. We need conservation and off-channel reservoirs! Herbicides stop photosynthesis, but they didn’t stop respiration Gulf of Mexico- dead zone has grown a lot November 2, 2010 The U.S. consumes in 1 year the energy it took 1 million years to produce geologically The average American can cut CO2 emissions by 60% per year w/o a drastic change in life. 1)Reduce 2) Reuse 3) Recycle Energy Conservation is our best hope for immediate giant step to save the planet 4th R- Refuse! These produce: More jobs, more profits, better efficiency. November 4, 2010 Cold water is dense and sink. Salty water is heavy and sinks. The loop current- carries warm water to Europe. Water that sinks must be cold and salty. Global warming raises temperature of water. Also melts the glaciers so it freshens the water. Substantial reductions in downward flow at the KSP have already been measured. 40% of Gulf stream 60% from the sun Europe’s mild winters are because the gulf stream. Ice cores- Past concentration of CO2. Past stable isotopic composition of CO2 i.e it’s C12/ C13 i.e where the new CO2 came from! Past temperatures. IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Greenhouse Gas: Co2 produced by burning fossil fuels Kyoto Protocol: Treaty promoting CO2 reductions November 9, 2010 Costs of war: Human, Financial, Political, Environmental 10% of carbon emissions due to war 15x10^6 of land is uninhabitable War and conservation- Biodiversity hotspots 2.3% of earth is where most species are found. 50% of plants and 40% animals Type of energy release is different, Thermonuclear, non-gradient Chemistry- Highly Volatile, Highly unusual- Carcinogens. Novel compounds Vieques paradoz- one of most biodiversity is also one of the most polluted Have 30% higher rate of dying of cancer than mainlanders November 11, 2010 GMOs and the Environment GMO- Genetically Modified Organisms. Motives- lots of money, potential benefits Glofish Why- to sell as a pet. Labeled as genetically engineered Can they co-exist? Do they have the same rights Cisgenic- genes from related sp. Selective Breeding vs. Genetic Engineering Selective Breeding takes years to decade, sexually compatible lineage Genetic- Days to weeks, unrelated species (spider and goats) Genetic engineering skips steps- uses enzymes to cut gene segments from species Frankenfish- big fish, super salmon. All female, triploid- extra chromosomes- abnormal development- sterility Escape from captivity? Will triploidy ensure female sterility? GM Salmon might outcompete wild salmon if they grow larger faster. Wild females might prefer to