Combined Science - Biology - Key stage 4

Ecology

Global Warming

Dr Clapp
 Ecology

Greenhouse effect

Global warming

Data evaluation

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Human population

Source: Wikipedia, User:Clevercapybara, Human population growth

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Human population

Consequences of population growth:

- More food
- More space to live
- More use of resources
- More transport
- More waste

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 The Earth’s atmosphere

Carbon dioxide
Atmosphere Methane
Water vapour

Source: Flickr, NASA Johnson, iss042e307643

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What is the atmosphere?

A layer of gases that surround the planet

What are the three main greenhouse
gases?
Carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour
The natural greenhouse effect

Source: Pixabay

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The natural greenhouse effect

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The natural greenhouse effect

1. Short wave infrared radiation is emitted by the sun

2. This infrared radiation passes through the atmosphere and reaches
Earth
3. Some of the energy from the infrared radiation is absorbed by the
Earth
4. Some of the infrared radiation is reflected by the Earth, but is now a
longer wavelength
5. The longer wavelength radiation cannot pass through the
greenhouse layer – it is trapped

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What wavelength radiation is
emitted by the sun?

Long wavelength Short wavelength

What happens to the radiation when
it reaches Earth?

Some of it is absorbed and All of it is absorbed

some of it is reflected
What happens to the wavelength of
the radiation after it is reflected?

It gets longer It gets shorter

What happens to the longer
wavelength radiation?

It reflects back into space It gets trapped in the

atmosphere
Independent practice

1. Name the three main greenhouse gases.

2. What type of radiation is emitted from the sun (include the
wavelength)?
3. What happens to the radiation from the sun when it reaches
Earth?
4. How is the wavelength of the radiation emitted from the sun
different from that reflected from the Earth’s surface?
5. What happens to the reflected radiation?

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Independent practice - answers

1. Name the three main greenhouse gases.

Carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour
2. What type of radiation is emitted from the sun (include the
wavelength)?
Short wavelength infrared radiation
3. What happens to the radiation from the sun when it reaches
Earth?
Some of it is absorbed by the Earth and some of it is
reflected

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Independent practice - answers

4. How is the wavelength of the radiation emitted from the sun

different from that reflected from the Earth’s surface?
The radiation reflected from the Earth’s surface has a longer
wavelength than that emitted from the sun
5. What happens to the reflected radiation?
It gets trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere

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The enhanced greenhouse effect

This is when increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the

atmosphere trap more radiation from the sun.

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Rising greenhouse gases

Flickr, markjhandel, Peat bog

Pixabay, 15661, Cows field herd
Pixabay, Pexels, Rice field
Wikipedia, Cunningchrisw, Madagascar dry deciduous deforestation
Wikimedia Commons, B137, Miami traffic jam
Wikimedia Commons, FunksBrother, Miami Fort power station

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Rising greenhouse gases

Flickr, markjhandel, Peat bog

Pixabay, 15661, Cows field herd
Pixabay, Pexels, Rice field
Wikipedia, Cunningchrisw, Madagascar dry deciduous deforestation
Wikimedia Commons, B137, Miami traffic jam
Wikimedia Commons, FunksBrother, Miami Fort power station

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Peat bogs

- Peat is partially decayed vegetation

- It forms in boggy areas, where the lack of
oxygen and acidic conditions stop decay
happening
- Peat can be dried out and used as a fuel
- Burning peat releases more carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere

Source: Flickr, markjhandel, Peat bog

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Global warming

- Scientists generally agree that man made climate change is

happening.
- However, the global climate is extremely complex and making
accurate predictions about what may happen is difficult.
- This can lead to speculation and biased reporting in the media.

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Global warming

Effects of global warming:

- Rising sea levels
- Melting ice caps
- More extreme weather
- Increased ocean and land temperatures

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Consequences of global warming

- Rising sea levels

- Habitat loss
- Melting ice caps
- Habitat loss, rising sea levels
- More extreme weather
- Decreased crop production, more storm damage
- Increased ocean and land temperatures
- Habitat change, crop changes, coral reef damage, animal and
plant life cycle changes

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What is the enhanced greenhouse
effect?
An increase in the greenhouse effect caused
by rising levels of greenhouse gases
Which is a reason that carbon
dioxide levels are increasing?

Deforestation Less cattle farming

Which is a reason that methane
levels are increasing?

More rice being grown More fossil fuels being

burnt
What is peat?

Partially decayed vegetation

Which is an effect of global
warming?

Falling sea levels Rising sea levels

Which is an effect of global
warming?

More extreme weather Decreased ocean

conditions temperatures
What is a consequence of rising sea
levels?
Habitat loss
Which is a consequence of more
extreme weather?

Colder ocean temperatures Decreased crop production

Which is a consequence of
increased ocean temperatures?

Rising fish populations Damage to coral reefs

Independent practice

1. What is the human enhanced greenhouse effect?

2. Why is it difficult to make predictions about future climate change?
3. State two reasons why carbon dioxide levels are increasing.
4. State two reasons why methane levels are increasing.
5. Give two effects of global warming other than rising sea levels.
6. State a consequence of rising sea levels.

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Independent practice - answers
1. What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?
An increase in the greenhouse effect caused by rising levels of
greenhouse gases (caused in turn by human activity)
2. Why is it difficult to make predictions about future climate change?
Because the global climate is very complex and lots of things are
changing at once
3. State two reasons why carbon dioxide levels are increasing.
Burning fossil fuels/deforestation/burning peat

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Independent practice - answers

4. State two reasons why methane levels are increasing.

Increased cattle farming and increased rice production
5. Give two effects of global warming other than rising sea levels.
Melting ice caps/more extreme weather/increased land and ocean
temperatures
6. State a consequence of rising sea levels.
Loss of habitat

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Exam question
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

This question is about the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Some scientists say that an increase in global warming is part of a natural cycle.
Other scientists think that an increase in global warming will be disastrous for the world. They think that
the surface temperature of the Earth is increasing and that this is because more fossil fuels are being
burned.
Burning fossil fuels makes a lot of carbon dioxide.
Look at the graphs.
They show how the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and the temperature of the Earth have changed
over the last 160 000 years.

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Exam question
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

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Exam question
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

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Exam question
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

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Exam question - independent practice
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

ai. What is the highest level of carbon dioxide in the air during the
last 160 000 years? [1]
aii. Describe what has happened to the surface temperature of the
Earth in the last 160 000 years. [2]
aiii. Is there a link between the surface temperature of the Earth and
the level of carbon dioxide in the air? Explain your answer. Use
information from the graphs. [2]

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Exam question - answers
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

ai. What is the highest level of carbon dioxide in the air during the
last 160 000 years? [1]
292-298 parts per million

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Exam question - answers
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

aii. Describe what has happened to the surface temperature of the

Earth in the last 160 000 years. [2]
Any two from:
Initially the temperature increased up to 130,000
Between 130,000 and 20,000 the temperature fell
Gradual increase from 20,000 to the current time

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Exam question - answers
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

aiii. Is there a link between the surface temperature of the Earth and
the level of carbon dioxide in the air? Explain your answer. Use
information from the graphs. [2]
Yes, as carbon dioxide levels increase so does temperature (1)
and the peaks mostly coincide (1)
OR
There is no direct link (1) because the peaks do not coincide
exactly (1)

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Exam question
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

Look at the table. It shows the carbon dioxide emissions for some
countries in 2003.
It also shows the population for these countries in 2003.

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Exam question
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

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Exam question - independent practice
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

bi. Which three countries had the lowest carbon dioxide emissions in 2003?
Suggest why. [2]
bii. Show that the percentage of the world emissions of carbon dioxide in
2003 made by the USA was 22.9%. [1]
biii. In 2003, about 4.6% of the world’s population lived in the USA. 22.9% of
the world's emissions of carbon dioxide came from the USA. Some other countries
are concerned about the difference between these two percentages. Suggest why. [2]

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Exam question - answers
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

bi. Which three countries had the lowest carbon dioxide emissions in 2003?
Suggest why. [2]
Botswana, Ghana and Mozambique (1)
They are all developing (poor) countries/they have the lowest
populations (1)

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Exam question - answers
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

bii. Show that the percentage of the world emissions of carbon dioxide in
2003 made by the USA was 22.9%. [1]
(5729 ÷ 24983) x 100 = 22.9%

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Exam question - answers
ExamBuilder: OCR, B712/01, January 2013

biii. In 2003, about 4.6% of the world’s population lived in the USA. 22.9% of the world's
emissions of carbon dioxide came from the USA. Some other countries are concerned about the
difference between these two percentages. Suggest why. [2]
any two from:
idea that USA uses more than its fair share of resources (1)
idea that they produce more pollution than they should (1)
idea that they have a relatively low population (compared to the emissions) (1)
USA should contribute 4.6% of carbon dioxide emissions (1)

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 Ecology

Greenhouse effect

Global warming

Data evaluation

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Complete your quiz

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