Climate Change Phenomena

CLIMATE CHANGE
PHENOMENA
Explore the connections carbon, climate,
and weather have to our food supply.
WEATHER
is the short-term (day-to-day or minuteto-minute)
state of the atmosphere.
It is generally described using a combination of the temperature,
humidity, precipitation (rain or snow), cloudiness, and wind.
CLIMATE
is the average weather of a given
region over a long term, generally
30 years. Climate is impacted by various factors such as
latitude (how close a place is to the equator), elevation (how
many feet above sea level), terrain (mountains), and ocean
or wind currents. Visit the Climate Types interactive map to
see the 12 climates throughout the world and to learn more
about the plants and animals that live in each climate.
Take a closer look...
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How does CLIMATE impact
our food supply?
Some climates are too cold or too dry to grow food. On another hand, other climates may
be too wet to grow most of the foods we eat. Luckily, there are climates throughout the
world that are ideal for the growth of many crops and to raise livestock, allowing us to
consume a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, and other proteins. Does weather also
impact our food supply? Yes! Even after choosing a good climate for the location of a farm,
farmers are still dependent on suitable weather conditions. An abnormally late frost in a
fruit orchard can diminish or destroy an entire year’s crop. Rain in the spring can help seeds
germinate, but too much rain and the seeds might rot in the ground. An early snow storm
could destroy an entire crop right before harvesting.
CROP FORECAST
CLIMATE and WEATHER
are tightly correlated to our food
supply. The average diet in the United
States contains a variety of foods that were grown in a variety of climates. The successful
growth of any food crop relies on specific climate and weather conditions.
APPLES ORANGES POTATOES RICE PEAS
32 O - 45 O 70 O - 90 O 60 O - 80 O 60 O - 90 O 40 O - 70 O
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Apple trees need
a certain number
of winter days
between 32°F and
45°F to properly set
fruit the following
spring. This
process is called
vernalization.
Citrus fruit trees
cannot tolerate
cold. They need
warm winters and
hot summers.
Potatoes prefer
cooler summers.
They can even be
planted before the
last frost in the
spring.
Rice can be grown
where nighttime
temperatures stay
above 60°F and
where there is
plenty of water. The
roots should never
dry out.
Pea seeds can be
planted before
the last frost. Pea
plants stop growing
and producing peas
when the summer
temperatures reach
70°F.

CARBON
What is carbon?
Where is carbon found?
CARBON
is an important element for life on earth that is found in both living and
non-living parts of the planet. We encounter carbon each day of our lives.
While it could be pure, elemental carbon, it is usually a compound. Examples include carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane (CH4), and ethylene (C2H4). Carbon is present in all four spheres of the planet. The biosphere
includes parts of the land, sea and atmosphere where life can exist, the hydrosphere includes all of earth’s
water, the atmosphere is all of the gases surrounding the Earth, and the lithosphere is the rocky outer layer
of earth. Places where carbon is stored are called reservoirs. The movement of carbon from one reservoir
to another is called a flow. The total amount of carbon on Earth stays relatively stable except for very small
additions from meteorites. However, the carbon in any of Earth’s four spheres does not remain in the same
sphere forever. Carbon moves from one sphere to another in an ongoing process called the Carbon Cycle.
Atmosphere
Examples of natural carbon cycling
Biosphere
Biosphere
Lithosphere
Biosphere
Atmosphere
During photosynthesis,
plants take in carbon
dioxide from
the air.
Decomposition moves
carbon from plants
or animals to
the soil.
Respiration moves
carbon from plants
or animals to
the air.
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Biosphere
Hydrosphere
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CLIMATE CHANGE
What is climate change?
What causes it?
Is it different from global warming?
While there are natural fluctuations in the carbon cycle, humans have been changing the carbon flows on earth
at an unnatural rate. The most significant and impactful change is the increased amount of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere. The largest source of this change is the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas.
Fossil fuels power our vehicles, produce electricity, heat and cool our buildings, and produce plastics. Besides
fossil fuels, deforestation and some agricultural practices also put extra carbon in the atmosphere.
GREENHOUSE GAS
A
(sometimes abbreviated GHG) is a gas in the Earth’s atmosphere
that traps heat. These gases allow sunlight to pass through the atmosphere but prevent the
heat from ever leaving the atmosphere. As greenhouse gases increase, the Earth gets
warmer through a process called the
GREENHOUSE EFFECT.
Click
What is the GREENHOUSE EFFECT?
Meet the GREENHOUSE GASES
Click
Examples of how human activities accelerate carbon cycling
Tilling soil moves
carbon from the
soil to the air.
Erosion moves soil
carbon to streams
and rivers.
Deforestation
decreases
photosynthesis.
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Climate Change and global warming can
often be confused or used interchangeably,
but global warming refers only to the
long-term warming of the planet since
the early 20th century. Climate change
includes increased temperature trends but
also refers to a broad range of weather
phenomena.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Long-term warming of the earth
Sea levels rising
Drought
Heat waves
Flooding
Storm surges
Extreme weather events
GLOBAL WARMING
Long-term warming of the earth

AGRICULTURE
ADAPTATIONS
MITIGATIONS
What can we do in the
face of climate change?
There are two forms of action to respond to climate change.
MITIGATIONS are actions ADAPTATIONinvolves adjusting to the actual
we can take to reduce climate
change by reducing the flow of
carbon to the atmosphere. For
example, we can reduce sources of
greenhouse gases by driving less or
by using energy efficient appliances.
climate as well as the expected future climate so that
our food supply is secure despite the weather events
associated with climate change. While adaptation includes
dealing with the negative effects of climate change, it also
includes taking advantage of beneficial opportunities such
as longer growing seasons in some regions.
What are specific
examples of
ADAPTATION?
What are specific
examples of
MITIGATION?
In nature, we use the term “survival of the fittest.”
If plants and animals adapt to their changing
environment, they are likely to survive and
reproduce. Can we as a human population
adapt to the conditions of climate change?
Can science and technology intervene to change the
future climate of our globe? Scientists are researching
methods of capturing carbon in the atmosphere and
pumping it underground for storage. This process is
called
CARBON SEQUESTRATION.
The faster the climate changes, the harder it may be to adapt.
How can mitigations, adaptions, science, and technology
be used to secure a sustainable food supply?
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