GLOBAL WARMING lab

GEOL 1330 Name:

Global Warming

Lab #9 Due Nov. 15

1. (20 points) Go to https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/effects/ and investigate how climate change may affect health. Give two examples each of how health can be affected by:

Temperature change:

Water cycle changes (rainfall/drought):

Vector-borne diseases:

Air quality changes:

2. (40 points) The figure below shows the number of days on which the temperature will likely exceed 100°F later this century, compared to the 1960s and 1970s (Source: Global climate change impacts in the U.S. report, 2009).

Determine the number of days of 100 °F or higher for the DFW area for i) the recent past, ii) the low emission scenario (comparable to RCP4.5) and iii) the higher emission scenario (comparable to RCP8.5).

Climate Scenario	Number of 100 °F days for North-Central Texas
Recent Past
Lower Emission Scenario
Higher Emission Scenario

The next figures show NOAA’s National Weather Service Heat Index which depends on temperature and humidity, and the predicted August mean (blue) and maximum (red) temperatures for the DFW area for the RCP8.5 scenario. Considering the mean August temperatures, and list the heat indices for 1991-2000, 2041-2050, and 2091-2100 using the relative humidities of 50%, 75%, and 100%.

Climate Period	Heat index for 50% rel. humidity	Heat index for 75% rel. humidity	Heat index for 100% rel. humidity
Recent past Aug. 1991-2000
Mid Century 2041-2050
End of Century 2091-2100

Discuss the health effects of these projected temperatures.

3. (40 points) Go to https://www.eia.gov/state/, click on the state of Texas, and investigate the electricity generation in Texas in July 2020. List the energy sources for electricity generation in decreasing order and list the amount of electricity generated for each.

Research the website to find out what the average annual electricity consumption per household is in Texas. How does it compare to the neighboring states and to the US overall?

How much money does the average household spend on electricity per year?

Now go to https://www.nrel.gov/gis/solar.html, and find out what the solar resource range for the DFW area is.

Extra Credit (20 points): Assume that a residential home in Arlington uses an 18 panel photovoltaic (PV) system. The size of each panel is 62 x 32 inches (1.3 m2) and the efficiency of the panels is 13%. What is the power generated (in kWh/day)? For your calculation, use the average of the range determined above.

What would be the output generated per year, and how does that compare to the average electricity consumption per household calculated above (what would be the percentage of the overall use generated by the PV system)?

Using this percentage, what would be the annual savings of the electricity costs for a typical Texas household (that you noted above)?

The average initial costs for such an 18 panel system are currently about $12,000. Based on your calculations above, how long would it take approximately to offset these costs?

Teamwork in the lab is encouraged. However, each student must provide his/her own answer. Copying of answers results in a grade of zero for all students involved.

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