PAC Module 9 GE11-EENSCI PDF

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE COLLEGE MODULE 9 Subject: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (GE11-EENSCI) AISAT COLLEGE – DASMARIÑAS, INC. This material has been developed in support to the College Prog...

SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE COLLEGE MODULE 9 Subject: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (GE11-EENSCI) AISAT COLLEGE – DASMARIÑAS, INC. This material has been developed in support to the College Program implementation. Materials included in this module are owned by the respective copyright holders. AISAT College – Dasmariñas, the publisher and author do not represent nor claim ownership over them. This material will be reproduced for educational purposes and can be modified for the purpose of translation into another language provided that the source must be clearly acknowledged. Derivatives of the work including creating an edited version, enhancement or a supplementary work are permitted provided all original works are acknowledged and the copyright is attributed. No work may be derived from this material for commercial purposes and profit.  Unit ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Module Climate Change GE11-EEnSci Environmental Science Units: 3.0 Page |2 INFORMATION SHEET MD-9.1.1 “Climate Change” Objectives Define climate change Identify the factors that affect climate change Cite ways on how we can stop climate change Climate Change The term climate refers to the general weather conditions of a place over many years. Climate change is a significant variation of average weather conditions—say, conditions becoming warmer, wetter, or drier—over several decades or more. It’s that longer-term trend that differentiates climate change from natural weather variability. And while “climate change” and “global warming” are often used interchangeably, global warming—the recent rise in the global average temperature near the earth’s surface—is just one aspect of climate change. EVIDENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE A. Global Temperature Rise The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2.05 degrees Fahrenheit (1.14 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere. Most of the warming occurred in the past 40 years, with the six warmest years on record taking place since 2014. Not only was 2016 the warmest year on record, but eight months out of that year — from January through September, with the exception of June — were the warmest on record for those respective months. B. Warming Ocean The ocean has absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 100 meters (about 328 feet) of ocean showing warming of more than 0.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.33 degrees Celsius) since 1969. C. Shrinking Ice Sheets The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019, while Antarctica lost about 148 billion tons of ice per year. D. Glacial Retreat Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world — including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska, and Africa. E. Decreased Snow Cover Satellite observations reveal that the amount of spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased over the past five decades and the snow is melting earlier. SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION: MIDTERM MODULE 9 WEEK 9 MS. PATRIQUE ERIKA CANCEL MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA Subject Teacher School Director  Unit ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Module Climate Change GE11-EEnSci Environmental Science Units: 3.0 Page |3 F. Sea-level Rise Global sea level rose about 8 inches (20 centimeters) in the last century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century and accelerating slightly every year. G. Declining Arctic Sea Ice Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades. H. Extreme Events The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events. I. Ocean Acidification Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30%. This increase is the result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the ocean. The ocean has absorbed between 20% and 30% of total anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions in recent decades CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE Scientists attribute the global warming trend observed since the mid-20th century to the human expansion of the "greenhouse effect"- warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space. Certain gases in the atmosphere block heat from escaping. Long-lived gases that remain semi-permanently in the atmosphere and do not respond physically or chemically to changes in temperature are described as "forcing" climate change. Gases, such as water vapor, which respond physically or chemically to changes in temperature are seen as "feedbacks." Gases that contribute to greenhouse effect a. Water vapor. The most abundant greenhouse gas, but importantly, it acts as a feedback to the climate. Water vapor increases as the Earth's atmosphere warms, but so does the possibility of clouds and precipitation, making these some of the most important feedback mechanisms to the greenhouse effect. b. Carbon dioxide (CO2). A minor but very important component of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is released through natural processes such as respiration and volcano eruptions and through human activities such as deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil fuels. Humans have SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION: MIDTERM MODULE 9 WEEK 9 MS. PATRIQUE ERIKA CANCEL MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA Subject Teacher School Director  Unit ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Module Climate Change GE11-EEnSci Environmental Science Units: 3.0 Page |4 increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by 47% since the Industrial Revolution began. This is the most important long-lived "forcing" of climate change. c. Methane. A hydrocarbon gas produced both through natural sources and human activities, including the decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture, and especially rice cultivation, as well as ruminant digestion and manure management associated with domestic livestock. On a molecule-for-molecule basis, methane is a far more active greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but also one which is much less abundant in the atmosphere. d. Nitrous oxide. A powerful greenhouse gas produced by soil cultivation practices, especially the use of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production, and biomass burning. e. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Synthetic compounds entirely of industrial origin used in a number of applications, but now largely regulated in production and release to the atmosphere by international agreement for their ability to contribute to destruction of the ozone layer. They are also greenhouse gases. EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE A. Temperatures will continue to rise Because human-induced warming is superimposed on a naturally varying climate, the temperature rise has not been, and will not be, uniform or smooth across the country or over time. B. Frost-free season will lengthen In a future in which heat-trapping gas emissions continue to grow, increases of a month or more in the lengths of the frost-free and growing seasons are projected across most of the U.S. by the end of the century, with slightly smaller increases in the northern Great Plains. C. Changes in precipitation patterns Projections of future climate over the U.S. suggest that the recent trend towards increased heavy precipitation events will continue. This trend is projected to occur even in regions where total precipitation is expected to decrease, such as the Southwest. D. Droughts and Heat waves Droughts in the Southwest and heat waves (periods of abnormally hot weather lasting days to weeks) everywhere are projected to become more intense, and cold waves less intense everywhere. E. Stronger and More Intense Hurricanes/Storms The intensity, frequency and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the frequency of the strongest (Category 4 and 5) hurricanes, have all increased since the early 1980s. The relative contributions of human and natural causes to these increases are still uncertain. Hurricane-associated storm intensity and rainfall rates are projected to increase as the climate continues to warm. F. Sea-Level Rise Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. It is projected to rise another 1 to 8 feet by 2100. This is the result of added water from melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms. G. Ice-Free Arctic The Arctic Ocean is expected to become essentially ice free in summer before mid-century. SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION: MIDTERM MODULE 9 WEEK 9 MS. PATRIQUE ERIKA CANCEL MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA Subject Teacher School Director  Unit ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Module Climate Change GE11-EEnSci Environmental Science Units: 3.0 Page |5 RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE 1. Mitigation Mitigation – reducing climate change – involves reducing the flow of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, either by reducing sources of these gases (for example, the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat or transport) or enhancing the “sinks” that accumulate and store these gases (such as the oceans, forests and soil). The goal of mitigation is to avoid significant human interference with the climate system, and “stabilize greenhouse gas levels in a timeframe sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner”. 2. Adaptation Adaptation – adapting to life in a changing climate – involves adjusting to actual or expected future climate. The goal is to reduce our vulnerability to the harmful effects of climate change (like sea-level encroachment, more intense extreme weather events or food insecurity). It also encompasses making the most of any potential beneficial opportunities associated with climate change (for example, longer growing seasons or increased yields in some regions). SELF-CHECK MD-9.1.1 Answer the following questions briefly. 1. What is climate change? 2. What is the main cause of climate change? 3. Explain the greenhouse effect. SELF-CHECK ANSWER KEY MD-9.1.1 1. Climate change is a significant variation of average weather conditions—say, conditions becoming warmer, wetter, or drier—over several decades or more. 2. Greenshouse effect 3. It is the warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space. SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION: MIDTERM MODULE 9 WEEK 9 MS. PATRIQUE ERIKA CANCEL MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA Subject Teacher School Director  Unit ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Module Climate Change GE11-EEnSci Environmental Science Units: 3.0 Page |6 References: Earth and Life Sciences. Rex Book Stores, Inc. 856 Nicanor Reyes Sr. Street Sampaloc Manila Philippines Earth Science. Maria Chona Sulit Braganza. Rex Book Store, Inc. 856 Nicanor Reyes Sr. Street Sampaloc Manila Philippines Singh, Y. K. (2006). Environmental Science: Definition, Scope and Importance. In Environmental Science. New Delhi, India: NEW AGE INTERNATIONAL (P) LIMITED. Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://faculty.psau.edu.sa/filedownload/doc-5-pdf-d78456fce3bebc84d9320fa2f9cf9e2a- original.pdf https://climate.nasa.gov/ https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-climate-change-what-you-need-know SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION: MIDTERM MODULE 9 WEEK 9 MS. PATRIQUE ERIKA CANCEL MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA Subject Teacher School Director  Unit ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Module Climate Change GE11-EEnSci Environmental Science Units: 3.0 Page |7 STUDENT NAME: __________________________________ SECTION: __________________ WRITTEN TASK MD-9.1.1 WRITTEN TASK TITLE: Climate Change WRITTEN TASK OBJECTIVE: To raise awareness on climate change Instruction: Write an open letter to yourself that detailing of your predictions on what the future will look like if humans will not change their ways and continue polluting the environment. ASSESSMENT METHOD: WRITTEN TASK CRITERIA CHECK LIST WRITTEN TASK CRITERIA CHECK LIST MD-9.1.1 5 -Excellently Performed 4 -Very Satisfactorily Performed 3 -Satisfactorily Performed 2 -Fairly Performed 1 -Poorly Performed PATRIQUE ERIKA CANCEL TEACHER SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION: MIDTERM MODULE 9 WEEK 9 MS. PATRIQUE ERIKA CANCEL MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA Subject Teacher School Director  Unit ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Module Climate Change GE11-EEnSci Environmental Science Units: 3.0 Page |8 SUBJECT TEACHER: APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION: MIDTERM MODULE 9 WEEK 9 MS. PATRIQUE ERIKA CANCEL MR. WILBERT A. MAÑUSCA Subject Teacher School Director