Lesson 9: Impacts of Climate Change PDF

Impacts of Climate Change SNC 1W1 Lesson # 09 Recap: What is a greenhouse gas? Give some examples. How are greenhouse gases produced? What is the difference between natural and artificial greenhouse effect? A. Terrestrial Ecosystems 1. Changing Organisms - Enda...

Impacts of Climate Change SNC 1W1 Lesson # 09 Recap: What is a greenhouse gas? Give some examples. How are greenhouse gases produced? What is the difference between natural and artificial greenhouse effect? A. Terrestrial Ecosystems 1. Changing Organisms - Endangerment and extinction - Organisms cannot adapt quickly to the new environment - Changes migration patterns 2. Melting Land Ice - Thawing permafrost damages homes and infrastructure - “Drunken forests” 3. New Deserts - Higher evaporation rates cause desertification - Less agriculture causes food shortages - Drinking water shortages - https://youtu.be/5N-_69cWyKo Aral Sea (5 min) 4. Flooding - Changed precipitation patterns (drier areas in one place cause wetter areas in other places) - Severe storms (more heat energy causes more energetic storms) - Displaces people 5. Human Health Inhaling air pollution from forest fires--gets into blood & causes disease More diseases in warmer climates (malaria, ebola…) Injury or death from energetic storms, heat waves, flooding etc. Homelessness negatively affects mental and physical health B. Aquatic Ecosystems 1. Melting Sea Ice Affects the poles the most Destroys polar bear habitat Destroys ways of life of Inuit and other indigenous people 2. New Food Chains Disappearance of krill, a major food source Threatens biodiversity Migration patterns change 3. Warmer Oceans Causes coral bleaching Changes ocean currents ○ therefore nutrient cycles ○ Changes climate of nearby land masses 4. Rising Sea Levels Heat causes water to expand Melting glaciers and land ice Displaces people and organisms via habitat destruction 5. More Violent Storms Warmer air has more energy Energizes storms Want to reduce your impact? Try this! https://www.lawntowildflowers.org/?authuser=0 Convert your lawn to a productive piece of land!  Practice Questions 1. Identify three impacts of climate change that occur in aquatic ecosystems. 2. List three ways in which climate change affects terrestrial ecosystems 3. Explain how food chains can change as sea ice melts. 4. Describe two ways climate change affects human health. 5. Explain why many countries may experience water shortages as climate changes. 6. Explain how fisheries in the Arctic Ocean could be affected by warming temperatures. 7. By using examples, assess the impacts of climate change on a local (small-scale) ecosystem, and on a global (large-scale) ecosystem? How does climate change affect the sustainability of each ecosystem?