Skip to main content
Biology LibreTexts

24: Human Impact on Global Climate

  • Page ID
    78298
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Learning Objectives
    • Describe how humans have changed greenhouse gas concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere and how scientists have identified this as the cause of recent changes in climate.
    • Discuss how humans have changed Earth's energy balance through changes in albedo.
    • Characterize feedbacks to climate change from changes in temperature, carbon cycling, and albedo.
    • Explain predictions for future changes in temperature, precipitation, storm events, ice cover and permafrost.
    • Define ocean acidification and how it will change with changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.
    • Describe changes in plant productivity, species interactions, and diseases that may occur with changes in climate. 

    Summary

    This chapter discusses recent changed in climate caused by human activity and how scientists have attributed those changes to increases in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere from human activities.  Section 24.1 also describes changes in the earths reflectivity (albedo) due to humans and feedbacks to global climate.  Section 24.2 characterizes future climate changes expected due to the changes in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere including changes in temperature, precipitation, storm events, ice cover and permafrost, sea level, ocean acidification, plant productivity, species interactions, and disease prevalence.  For more information on Earth's energy balance, atmospheric and oceanic circulation, natural climate forcings, and past climate change, see the chapter on "The Physical Environment".


    24: Human Impact on Global Climate is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

    • Was this article helpful?