CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)

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solvents for micro chips, aerosols, air conditioning, blowing agents for plastic foam; drift high in atmosphere; break down into Chlorine & Bromine; Chlorine and Bromine are efficient destroyers of ozone

 

 

 

-Antarctica: 

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Coldest place on the earth.  Every winter a swirling mass of air forms called the Winter Vortex; 1985 -- 40% of ozone missing; destruction speeds up under cold conditions; winter vortex can swirl over Australia & South America

 

 

 

Greenhouse Gases:

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-#1:  Carbon Dioxide CO2--up 25%; by-product of burning coal, oil, gas, & burning of forests

-#2:  CFCs (blowing agents in foam, aerosols, cleaning agents for microchips, air

conditioners)

-#3:  Methane (from cattle--produce gas during digestion, rice paddies, coal mining)

 

 

 

-YEAR 2050:   CO2 levels doubled

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*2-4 degrees hotter in tropical

*6 degrees in continental areas

*10-12 degrees warmer in polar zones

*some places drier, others wetter

*Over Russia it will be wetter at all times of the year

*Drier over US in the summer

*storms more intense

*increase of monsoons in Indian Ocean

*sea levels rise causing flooding

*huge tracts of forests die out because of temperature &

    precipitation changes.

 

 

 Verifying the computer model

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Earth's axis changed 11,000 years ago. Earth's axis wobbles every 22,000 years. Monsoon rains drenched all of the Sahara region for several thousand years.  Took 3000 years for people & animals to adjust to drier climate.  Between 6,000 - 3,000 years ago the lakes began to dry up.  Djibouti -- where climate model was verified.

 

 

2050-Sea levels  will rise significantly; almost every country will lose land:  Cape Cod & Florida Keys will disappear in USA.

 

Locations that would suffer with flooding:  Indonesia, Maldives, Holland, Bangladesh, Everglades, Cape Cod, Long Island, Florida Keys, Outer Banks, & most coast lines

 

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-Methane Hydrate (thawing tundra of north & buried beneath floor of Arctic Ocean)-- will add to greenhouse gases

===================================

 

 

 

SOLUTIONS -- How to Reduce the Gamble

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-20 billion tons of greenhouse gases goes into atmosphere each year

-biggest opportunity is with North America & Western Europe (10% of population & 40% of greenhouse gases)

--3% switching to cars that get 50 mpg

---2% houses insulated

----6% alternative fuels

------2% if recycling CFCs

-------2% trees planted.

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15% reduction in nation's emission of greenhouse gases

 

 

 

 

VOCAB LIST #2

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LCP          CFC          Chlorine & Bromine

Methane Hydrate

Winter Vortex       

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

C₁₀H₁₂N₂O₃S = Bentazone