Lecture 16

November 26, 2008

1. Discuss Malaria and environmental health

2. Look at some concepts in chapt 19

3. Abrupt Climate Change

thresholds and mechanisms

http://web.pdx.edu/~rueterj/courses/esr221/lectures/lecture17.html

Chapter 19:

a. Figure 20-5 Dynamic formation of smog components

• components formed
• light
• reactions take place
• smog drifts - air shed

b. Asia's brown cloud

c. Figure 20-11 natural capital degradation from acid deposition to soils

• ecosystem to regional landscape picture
• ecoregion assessments, represent a lot of work of looking for indicators of impact
  • Pan - algae and micro-invertebrates in streams
• aggregated to larger level using GIS
  • Duh and others, effect of NOx gases on vegetation (GIS tools to extrapolate)

d. indoor air pollution - not usually thought of as part of "environmental science" but the built environment is dominant

• many people don't get outside much

Chapter 20: Climate change

• history of global climate - there have been abrupt changes
• importance of CO2 and other greenhouse gases
  • trapping heat
  • other gases, notably methane and CFCs
• CO2 in atmosphere - figures 20-4 and 20-5
• positive and negative feedback loops
• Ocean currents
• "consensus" science