Biodiversity: Who cares?

1. Biodiversity: Who cares?

2. Which do you like better? B A

3. Which do you like better? B A

4. B A Which do you like better?

5. B A Which do you like better?

6. Which do you like better? B A

7. Which do you like better? A B

8. Which do you like better? A B

9. What do you think biodiversity means?

10. Biodiversity What does “Bio” mean? Life Bio =

11. Biodiversity What does “Diversity” mean? Diversity = Variety

12. Scientists have identified more than 2 million species. Tens of millions -- remain unknown • The tremendous variety of life on Earth is made possible by complex interactions among all living things including microscopic species like algae and mites. Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth and the essential interdependence of all living things

13. There are 3 components of biodiversity • Diversity of genesChihuahuas, beagles, and rottweilers are all dogs—but they're not the same because their genes are different. Beagle Chihuahua Rottweilers

14. There are 3 components of biodiversity Diversity of speciesFor example, monkeys, dragonflies, and meadow beauties are all different species. Golden Skimmer Meadow Beauty Saki Monkey

15. There are 3 components of biodiversity Variety of ecosystemsPrairies, Ponds, and tropical rain forests are all ecosystems. Each one is different, with its own set of species living in it. Paines Prairie Florida Sand hill Pond Hoh Rain Forest

16. Which is more diverse? B A

17. Which is more diverse? B A

18. B A Which is more diverse?

19. B A Which is more diverse?

20. Which has more cultural diversity? B A

21. Which has more biodiversity? A B

22. Which has more biodiversity? A B

23. Biodiversity has Intrinsic Value Intrinsic Value = Something that has value in and of itself

24. Biodiversity also has utilitarian Value Utilitarian Value = the value something has as a means to another’s end. • Utilitarian values include: • Goods • Services • Information

25. What do we get from biodiversity? Oxygen Food Clean Water Medicine Aesthetics Ideas

26. Should we be concerned about biodiversity? What we know:The Earth is losing species at an alarming rate • Some scientists estimate that as many as 3 species per hour are going extinct and 20,000 extinctions occur each year. • when species of plants and animals go extinct, many other species are affected.

27. Threats to biodiversity Habitat destruction Pollution Species Introductions Global Climate Change Exploitation

28. Climate Change: Fitting the pieces together

29. The topic of climate change is like a puzzle with many different pieces—oceans, the atmosphere, ecosystems, polar ice, natural and human influences. Scientists have been working on this puzzle for more than a century, and while there are still gaps in our knowledge, most experts feel we have the puzzle is complete enough to show that human activities are having an adverse effect on our planet. This talks looks at many of those puzzle pieces, the evidence behind them, and the conclusions we can draw from them.

30. Outline What changes climate? Is it real? How do we know? Why should we care? How sure are scientists? What next—what can we do?

31. What changes climate? • Changes in: • Sun’s output • Earth’s orbit • Drifting continents • Volcanic eruptions • Greenhouse gases

32. Scientists have a good understanding of what has changed earth’s climate in the past: • Incoming solar radiation is the main climate driver. Its energy output increased about 0.1% from 1750 to 1950, increasing temperatures by 0.2°F (0.1°C) in the first part of the 20th century. But since 1979, when we began taking measurements from space, the data show no long-term change in total solar energy, even though Earth has been warming. • Repetitive cycles in Earth’s orbit that occur over tens of thousands of years can influence the angle and timing of sunlight. • In the distant past, drifting continents make a big difference in climate over millions of years by changing ice caps at the poles and by altering ocean currents, which transport heat and cold throughout the ocean depths. • Huge volcanic eruptions can cool Earth by injecting ash and tiny particles into the stratosphere. • Changes in the concentration of greenhouse gases, which occur both naturally and as a result of human activities, also influence Earth’s climate

33. “Greenhouse effect” Increasing greenhouse gases trap more heat

34. Greenhouse gases Carbon dioxide Nitrous oxide Methane Water Sulfur hexafluoride

35. CO2 comes from a variety of sources. For example, plants take up carbon dioxide in the air to make wood, stems, and leaves, and then release it back into the air when the leaves fall or the plants die. The concern today is that fossil fuel use is putting huge amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere at a rate faster than the climate system can adapt to.

36. Certainly, past temperatures past have been higher (and lower) than today, and CO2 concentrations have also varied. Large global swings were probably caused by such things as changes in Earth’s orbit, which changed the distribution of sunlight over the planet. When this caused warming, more CO2 and other greenhouse gases were released, producing additional warming.

37. Could the warming be natural?

38. Earth is getting warmer by virtually every measure we know, and the temperature has been well above normal for more than 25 years. Although increases of 1.0-1.6°F (0.6-0.9°C) over the last century or so may not sound very threatening, remember that’s a global average. The warming is stronger over land than over oceans and in the higher latitudes than in the tropics.

39. Is it real?

40. Snow and ice reflect the sun’s energy back to space. Without this white cover, more water can evaporate into the atmosphere where it acts as a greenhouse gas, and the ground absorbs more heat. Snow and ice are melting at rates unseen for thousands of years. In Glacier National Park, for example, there were 150 glaciers in 1850. Today, there are 26.

41. Effects: Snow and ice Grinnell Glacier, Glacier National Park 1900 and 2008

42. More water vapor held by a warmer atmosphere also leads to heavier rains and more snowfall. Intense precipitation over the U.S. has increased 20% over the last century.

43. Effects on precipitation

44. Increased warmth has also affected living things. For example, the Japanese keep very detailed records on the blossoming of their Tokyo cherry trees, so they know they are blooming 5 days earlier on average than they were 50 years ago.

45. Effects on ecosystems

46. Scientists learn about the past climate conditions from such things as tree ring analysis, fossil evidence, and analysis of patterns and chemical composition in coral skeletons and ice cores.

47. How do we know?

48. Present day observations We know about the present changes from observations taken at the surface and in the atmosphere.

49. [Image 1] The main tool for both past and present climate analyses are computer climate models. Much like the models used to forecast weather, climate models simulate the climate system with a 3-dimensional grid that extends through the land, ocean, and atmosphere. The grid may have 10 to 60 different levels in the atmosphere and surface grid spacings of about 60 by 90 miles (100 by 150 km)—the size of Connecticut. The models perform trillions of calculations that describe changes in many climate factors in the grid. [click, Image 2] The models project possible climates based on scenarios that cover a range of assumptions about global population, greenhouse gas emissions, technologies, fuel sources, etc. The model results provide a range of possible impacts based on these assumptions.

50. Computer models