Climate Change

Shelby Ball
The evidence:

Scientists have been able to gather data from all over the
globe which displays evidence of the current climate crisis.
The following categories are just a few of the many lines of
evidence this data falls into:

● Global rise in temperature

● Ice Sheet and glacier reduction
● Extreme weather events
Global Rise in Temperature

● Heat from the sun enters the Earth’s atmosphere, and is either reflected
by light colored surfaces or absorbed by dark colored surfaces. The light
that is reflected, then is captured by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
which then slowly raises the overall temperature of the planet.
● Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water
vapor. (NASA, 2020).
● “According to the NOAA 2019 Global Climate Summary, the combined land and
ocean temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.07°C (0.13°F) per
decade since 1880; however, the average rate of increase since 1981 (0.18°
C / 0.32°F) is more than twice as great.” (Lindsey & Dahlman, 2020).
“History of Global Surface Temp. since 1880”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Ice sheet and Glacier Reduction

● Though it may seem unimportant, the loss of the planet’s ice

sheets and the reduction of glaciers are detrimental to the
overall heat balance of the earth.
● As the planet’s ice and glaciers melt, this causes more
exposed soil/dirt, which is darker in color, which allows
more heat to be absorbed by the surface, instead of being
reflected by the ice sheet/glacier. This is an example of a
positive climate feedback.
● “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.” (NASA, 2020).
Bering Sea Ice Loss

April 29, 2013 April 29, 2018

Source: NASA, using data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Extreme Weather Events
● As the earth’s heat balance is thrown out of whack, the globe’s
weather will also be negatively affected.
● With the rise in global temperature, the likelihood of severe weather
events will increase, as well as the intensity of such events.
● Extreme weather events that are likely to become more frequent and
stronger include heat waves, hurricanes, tornadoes, among several
others.
● “In total, the 2020 season produced 30 named storms (top winds of 39
mph or greater), of which 13 became hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph
or greater), including six major hurricanes (top winds of 111 mph or
greater). This is the most storms on record, surpassing the 28 from
2005, and the second-highest number of hurricanes on record.”(NOAA,
2020).
2020 Hurricane Statistics

Source: NOAA National Weather Service

The Cause of Climate Change:
● Though greenhouse gases are a natural occurrence, the current rate of
accumulation of these gasses has not been seen before.
● Scientists use ice cores to examine the atmospheric composition of
Earth’s past. By comparing the elements found in the ice cores, they
can compare them to the current greenhouse gasses found in the
atmosphere today.
● They found that the amount of greenhouse gasses significantly jumped
after the industrial revolution, due to the burning of oil and fossil
fuels.
● According to NASA, “The industrial activities that our modern
civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide
levels from 280 parts per million to 414 parts per million in the
last 150 years.” (NASA, 2020).
The Future of Climate Change

● If nothing is done to help limit civilization’s output of greenhouse

gasses, climate change will continue and become more severe, causing
detrimental impacts on all aspects of life.
● These impacts include:
○ Continued rise in temperature
○ Lengthening of Frost-free season
○ Changes in Precipitation
○ Heat wave and drought frequency increases
○ Stronger and more intense Hurricanes
○ Sea level will rise
○ Arctic could lose all ice
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

● In order to prevent the negative effects of climate change, changes must be

made now to reduce the impact and try to change the course the globe is
currently on. This is what climate change mitigation and adaptation are meant
to address.
● According to NASA:
○ “Mitigation – reducing climate change – involves reducing the flow of
heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, either by reducing
sources of these gases or enhancing the “sinks” that accumulate and store
these gases.” (NASA, 2020).
○ “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).”
(NASA, 2020).
“Slaying Climate Zombies” - Dr. Marshall Shepherd
References

“Climate Change Evidence: How Do We Know?” NASA, NASA, 6 Oct. 2020,

climate.nasa.gov/evidence/.

TEDxTalks. “Slaying the ‘Zombies’ of Climate Science | Dr. Marshall Shepherd |

TEDxAtlanta.” YouTube, YouTube, 29 May 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=O019WPJ2Kjs.

Lindsey, Rebecca, and LuAnn Dahlman. “Climate Change: Global Temperature: NOAA
Climate.gov.” Climate Change: Global Temperature | NOAA Climate.gov, 14 Aug. 2020,
www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “Record-Breaking Atlantic Hurricane

Season Draws to an End.” Record-Breaking Atlantic Hurricane Season Draws to an End |
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
www.noaa.gov/media-release/record-breaking-atlantic-hurricane-season-draws-to-end.
References Cont.

National Snow and Ice Data Center, and NASA Earth Observatory . “Bering Sea Ice at Record
Low.” NASA, NASA, 2020, climate.nasa.gov/images-of-change/?id=646.Switzerland, 32 pp.

IPCC 2007, Summary for Policymakers, in Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.
Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, p. 17.

IPCC, 2013: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis.
Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung,
A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,
United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

“Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.” NASA, NASA, 18 Sept. 2020,

climate.nasa.gov/solutions/adaptation-mitigation/.