Science 107 Environmental Conservation Exam 3Read Essays

Science 107: Environmental Conservation Exam 3Read each question thoroughly and consider each question carefully before answering. Each question below is worth 10 points. Since this is a "take-home" exam, full points will be awarded only for detailed answers that thoughtfully explore each question. In other words - Be sure to provide as much detail as possible. Vague statements will result in the loss of points. In the Ted Talk The Emergent Patterns of Climate Change, climate scientist Gavin Schmidt stresses that the issue of climate change cannot be studied using methods of "reductionism." Dr. Schmidt stresses that one must instead consider climate change to be an "emergent property." What exactly does this mean? Why would Dr. Schmidt recommend this approach? How does the form (aka structure) of the lungs make the organ susceptible to air pollutant induced illnesses and/or diseases? Name some of the ways in which the body helps to protect itself from air pollution. Describe some affects that long term exposure to air pollution can have on the body. Be sure to cite specific examples. The lungs are highly susceptible to many air pollutants. People with diseases like asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), or lung cancer are much more vulnerable to harmful pollutants. Children and young adults are at high risk as their lungs have not fully matured but older adults have about the same level of risk since as we age our bodies become more compromised. Long term exposure to air pollutants like smog or a thick haze can cause effects such as emphysema, lung cancer, stroke and/or chronic bronchitis. The NASA website for Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet can be found at this link - HYPERLINK http://climate.nasa.gov/http://climate.nasa.gov/ . What exactly are the "vital signs" of our planet? How are they related to the concept of "tipping points?" Is the planet close to hitting any of these tipping points? The "vital signs" o f Global climate change is: Carbon Dioxide in parts per million,Global Temperature in comparison to record temps of 1880, arctic ice minimum percentage decrease per decade , and land ice decrease per gigatonnes each year. The tipping point concept defined as a point where the global climate change goes from one stable to another stable. Our planet isn't near any of these "Tipping Points". The NASA website Climate Time Machine can be found at this link - HYPERLINK http://climate.nasa.gov/interactives/climate-time-machinehttp://climate.nasa.gov/interactives/climate-time-machine . This is an interactive website with a series of visualizations that show the changes of sea ice, potential sea level, carbon dioxide, and global temperature over time. Choose 1 of these simulations to examine in detail. Discuss your observations and your thoughts below.The simulation I chose was sea level, according to the site, recent observations southeast of the United States detected a thinning of some pa rts of Greenland ice sheet at lower elevation levels. A small bit of this ice sheet melting can cause a three foot to a meter rise and if it melted fully, it would be enough water to raise the sea level up by five to seven meters or even so much as sixteen to twenty feet. Changes to the ozone layer above Antarctica can be observed through the following link - HYPERLINK http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/ozone_maps/movies/OZONE_D1979-11%2525P1Y_G%255e1280X720.MMERRA_LSH.mp4http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/ozone_maps/movies/OZONE_D1979-11%25P1Y_G%5e1280X720.MMERRA_LSH.mp4 . (Note that you can pause the video to observe a specific year by clicking along the lower line). Note your general observations and discuss the following: Is this an actual "hole" in the atmosphere? What is the cause of the issue? How has the world attempted to correct the situation? Have these actions had an impact? After watching the animations I can see there is a huge hole the atmosphere that varies greatly in size from 1979 to the present day. The hole is a result of chlorofluorocarbons which is a chemical found in aerosol cans as well as refrigerants. Canada enacted the Montreal Protocol in 1989 to reduce emissions of CFC's drastically by using a phase out method. I think that the Montreal Protocol has definitely made an impact- the proof is in the animations f the atmosphere. Although there is still visible damage to the atmosphere, there seems to be a way that it is being repaired due in part to