GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY

BS GEOLOGY SHAHZEB HASSAN 2016

BUIC
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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to out Professor who gave us task to
show our understanding and interest related to course. I am highly thankful to my instructor
because of him I am able to learn environmental geology.

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ABSTRACT

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 Table of Contents

Page No.
Review: Rivers and flooding………………………………………………...05

 Historical use………………………………………………….……..05

 Streams and rivers…………………..…………………………….....05

 Sediments in river …………………………………………………05-06

 River velocity discharge erosion and sediment deposition……..….06

 Effect of land use changes.….…………………………………..……07

 Channel pattern and floodplain formation………………..….07

 River flooding………………………………………………………….07

 Flash flood and downstream flood………………..………..……….07-08

 Urbanization and flooding…………………………………………….08

 Factors that cause flood…………….…………………………………08

 Effect of flood. .………………… .………………… .………………...08

Case Study…………………………………….………………..………….…... 9-10

References ………..……………………………………………………………...11

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 GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
1: Review
The main goal of the emerging integrated field of study known as Earth systems
science is to obtain a basic understanding of how our planet works and interact. Earth
is a planetary system with linkages between air, water, soil, rock, and living things
that changes in many ways. The geologic record is the primary source of data and
evidence for understanding Earth’s history and changing environment. The organic
material that is often deposited with sediment may be dated by using a variety of
methods to provide a chronology. Glacial ice contains trapped air bubbles that may be
analyzed to provide information concerning atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and
methane (CH4) concentrations when the ice formed. Glaciers also contain a record of
heavy metals, such as lead, that settle out of the atmosphere, as well as a variety of
other chemicals that can be used to study recent Earth history.

Real-time monitoring refers to collecting these data while a process is actually

occurring. Methods of monitoring vary with the subject being measured. the most
reliable data are often derived from ground measurements that establish the validity
of the airborne or satellite measurements.

Mathematical models use numerical means to represent real-world phenomena and

the linkages and interactions between the processes involved. The models are based
on physical principles that are used to produce a mathematical representation of
Earth’s climate system.

2: Earth’s climate and atmosphere

Climate is the characteristic atmospheric conditions that is, the weather at a particular
place or region over time periods from seasons to years to decades. Global circulation
and movement of air masses in the atmosphere produce the major climatic zones.
There are three cells of circulation in each hemisphere. Air temperature and
concentration of oxygen decrease with altitude in the troposphere. Nearly 99%
atmosphere by weight is below an altitude of about 30 km (20 mi).

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3: The Greenhouse effect

The temperature of Earth is determined by three factors

 the amount of sunlight Earth receives

 the amount of sunlight Earth reflects
 atmospheric retention of reradiated heat.

Earth receives energy from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation.
Absorbed solar energy warms Earth’s atmosphere and surface, which then reradiate
the energy back into space as infrared radiation. the lower atmosphere of Earth is
about 40°C warmer than it would be if all of its radiation escaped into space without
this intermediate absorption and warming. This effect is referred to as the greenhouse
effect.

4: How we study past climate change

There are three main time periods for which data are available

 The instrumental record- this record is shown in figure

which varies from year to year. Accurate measurements
of the production of solar energy have been taken over the
past several decades.
 The historical record- These are not generally quantitative data, but they
contain qualitative information about the climate of the past. This is taken
from people’s written recollection.
 The paleo-proxy record - The term proxy data refers to data that are not
strictly climatic but that can be correlated with climate, such as temperature of
the land or sea. Data includes natural records of climate variability, as
indicated by tree rings, ocean sediments, ice cores, fossil pollen, corals, and
carbon-14 .

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5: Global Warming

Global warming is defined as the observed increase in the average temperature of the
near surface land and ocean environments of Earth. Many scientists now believe that
human processes in the past 100 years, as well as natural ones over geologic time,
have contributed significantly to global warming. The GWP is a weighted value
where the warming potential of a greenhouse gas is compared as a ratio to that of
carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is assigned a GWP of 1, methane is 21, and nitrous
oxide 310.

Figure 1 Concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide Figure 2 Average concentration of atmospheric carbon
for the past 160,000 years, based on evidence from dioxide from 1500 to 2000.
Antarctica.

Why does climate change?

Climate is changing due to change in following factors

 Increases of greenhouse gases

 Increase of CH4
 Tropospheric O3 is increasing.
 Black carbon (”soot”), a product of incomplete combustion
 Human-made reflective aerosols include sulfates, nitrates, organic carbon, and
soil dust.
 Indirect effects of aerosols on cloud

Major forcing variables that influence global warming, including solar emission,
volcanic eruption, and anthropogenic input.

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6: Potential effects of Global Climate Change

All climate models are consistent in predicting that warming will continue, due to
greenhouse gases now in the atmosphere, and possibly accelerate in the coming
decades. That holds true even if greenhouse gas emissions by people are nearly
eliminated; warming of about 0.5 to 1.0°C would still occur in coming decades.

Melting of Glacial Ice and Sea Ice and Thawing of Permafrost with Global
Warming - glacier is a land-bound mass of moving ice. Glaciers of all sizes are an
important agent of erosion and landscape development. Melting of the ice of the
Greenland ice sheet has doubled since about 1998. Melting produces surface water
that flows through openings and fractures and down to the base of the glacier, where
it lubricates the bottom of the ice, resulting in an acceleration of glacial movement.
When glacial ice melts and bare ground is exposed, there is a positive feedback
because white ice reflects sunlight while darker rock reflects less sunlight. The more
ice that melts, the faster the warming and increased melting and sea levels rises that
would be the major problem for the living being on earth. The temperature of
stratosphere rises.

Strategies for Reducing the Impact of Global Warming

 Reduce emissions through improved engineering of fossil fuel–burning power

plants
 Use fossil fuels that release less carbon into the atmosphere, such as natural
gas, which, on burning, releases less carbon dioxide than does coal and oil
 Conserve energy to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels; use more
alternative energy sources

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 CASE STUDY

What Does Our Recent History Tell Us About Potential Consequences of Global
Warming?

The repetitive nature of many natural processes and hazards, even if they result from
different reasons, are indisputable. It turns out that, over an approximately 300-year
period from A.D.1000 to 1300, earth was considerably warmer than normal. shorter
interval, such as between 1961 and 1990 this period is known as the Medieval Warm
Period (MWP), and we can possibly learn some lessons from that event.

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REFERNCES

 Introduction to environmental geology by Edward A. Keller (fifth edition

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