Climate Change Observations and Implications

Observations of Climate Change

• Rising atmospheric and ocean temperatures at unprecedented rates.
• Significant changes in marine and freshwater organism diversity and health.
• Rapidly increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations.
• Dramatic reduction in polar and alpine ice cover.
• Species migration to new areas and altered seasonal occurrences.
• Gradual changes in the world's marine chemistry, including ocean acidification.

Questions Regarding Climate Change

• Is climate change real?
• Is climate change solely human-caused, or are natural factors involved?
• How certain are we about the observed changes?
• What are the future implications of continued climate change?

Research on Climate Change Causes

• Major sources of atmospheric CO2 include transportation, mining, and energy sectors.
• Human activities release significantly more CO2 than natural sources like volcanoes.
• CO2 is transparent to incoming solar radiation but opaque to outgoing thermal radiation, trapping heat.

Hypothesis Regarding Climate Change

• Increased anthropogenic (human-caused) atmospheric CO2 will lead to continued global warming.

Prediction Based on Hypothesis

• Increased atmospheric CO2 will cause increased global temperatures.

Testing the Hypothesis

• Requires gathering qualitative and quantitative data to support or refute the hypothesis.

The Scientific Method: An Overview

• Scientific inquiry begins with observing a phenomenon needing explanation.
• Observation drives the scientific method and remains crucial throughout.

Examples of Scientific Questions

• Earth and Environmental Scientists investigate questions like changing plant/animal populations, the impact of climate change on storms and flooding, and toxic algae outbreaks.

The Research Phase

• Scientists identify, observe the complexity, and research individual processes of a problem.
• This establishes the knowledge base needed to address complex issues.
• For example, studying climate change's effect on storms requires researching precipitation factors.

Hypothesis Formulation

• Before experimentation, scientists propose testable explanations (hypotheses).
• A hypothesis is an educated guess explaining a phenomenon or experimental outcome.

This quiz delves into the critical observations of climate change, including rising temperatures and shifts in biodiversity. It also explores the causes of these changes and the implications for the future. Test your understanding of the urgent issues surrounding climate change.