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EAS 212: The Oceans > 20. Climate Change > Flashcards

20. Climate Change Flashcards

1
Q

What did Einstein say about energy? What does this mean for any system?

A

Energy cannot be created or destroyed: it is conserved

Energy input- energy output = change in energy storage

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2
Q

rate of energy addition- rate of energy subtraction=

A

rate of change of stored energy

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3
Q

more ___wave energy is absorbed in the tropics, and __wave emission is relatively smaller

A

short
long

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4
Q

For any planet in space, energy input=

A

solar radiation absorbed

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5
Q

for any planet in space, energy output=

A

solar and longwave radiation lost to space

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6
Q

T/F
If the stored energy on a planet is not changing, then energy input= energy output

A

true

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7
Q

Absolute zero=

A

the lowest temperature possible. At a temperature of absolute zero, there is no motion and no heat

0 degrees kelvin/ -273C

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8
Q

What must be true for an object to emit longwave radiation?

A

any object that contains heat (ie is above absolute zero) emits longwave radiation

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9
Q

At what rate does an object emit longwave radiation?

A

Emits LW radiation at a rate proportional to its temp
L=σT^4 over its entire area

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10
Q

The steady state global energy balance assumes energy stored ___(is or is not changing)

A

NOT changing

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11
Q

Give the equation for earth’s energy balance

A

write it down

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12
Q

Based on the Earth’s energy balance equation, what is the temperature required for the Earth’s outgoing radiation to balance the incoming solar radiation?

A

255K or -18C

This is not the actual avg temp of the earth!

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13
Q

Earth’s average temp is 33C warmer than it should be according to the earth energy balance equation. Why?

A

Because for that equation, we assume no atmosphere, which is not true.

Greenhouse effect!

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14
Q

T/F

The atmosphere easily transmits solar radiation but almost completely absorbs earth’s longwave radiation

A

true

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15
Q

What kind of radiation does earth’s sfc emit? Is it absorbed?

A

longwave radiation

it’s absorbed by certain atmospheric gases and clouds

*the atmosphere almost completely absorbs outgoing LW

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16
Q

T/F

The atmosphere emits LW radiation in one direction: out to space

A

false

emits LW in ALL directions, including back towards earth, heating it

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17
Q

Give the 5 primary gases that absorb earth’s outgoing LW radiation. What are these known as?

A
  • H2O (water vapor)
  • CO2
  • CH4 (methane)
  • N2O (nitrous oxide)
  • O3 (ozone)

= The Greenhouse Gases

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18
Q

Explain what happens to the heat when more GHG are present in the atmosphere

A

More LW radiation is absorbed by these atmospheric GHG, so less heat energy is emitted to space. This results in the Earth’s temp increasing

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19
Q

Climate=

A

avg atmospheric conditions that prevail in a region over extended time span (usually min 30 yrs)

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20
Q

Give the 5 main components of the earth system.
These components determine climate

A

Atmosphere
Vegetation
Ice
Ocean
Land Surface

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21
Q

When one component of the Earth climate system changes, what happens to the others?

A

When one component changes, the others react (likely also change)

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22
Q

Changes in the 5 components of the climate system are analyzed in terms of which 2 things?

A

Cause (forcing)
and
effect (response)

23
Q

Describe what “climate forcing” is

A

= a factor that causes changes in the climate system (energy budget)

eg. differing sun cycles, changes in albedo, etc

24
Q

How often do earth-orbital changes occur? Do these contribute to alternating glacial/ interglacial periods or not?

A

occur over 10s to 100s of thousands of years

yes

25
Q

Describe the following earth-orbital changes

  • precession
  • obliquity
  • eccentricity
A
  • precession= the direction that earth’s axis of rotation is pointed
  • obliquity= angle earth’s axis is tilted with respect to the earth’s orbital plane
  • eccentricity= shape of earth’s orbit
26
Q

describe 2 ways in which incoming solar radiation can change, causing changes in the climate (climate forcing)

A
  • Sun cycles= internal variations in the strength of the sun
  • Earth-orbital changes= alter the amount of solar radiation received on earth by season & latitude
27
Q

Give 4 types of climate forcing that are not related to sun cycles or earth orbital changes

A
  1. changes in earth’s albedo: distribution of land masses/ ecosystems & their snow cover
  2. Tectonic processes: alter ocean circulation and distribution of heat
    - volcanism= aerosols + tectonic control of CO2
  3. Changes in atmospheric composition: eg. early evolution of plant life/ volcanic outgassing changes output of GHG
  4. Anthropogenic climate forcing: changes in atmospheric comp. from emissions, land use changes albedo
28
Q

Paleoclimatology=

A

the study of past climate using archives (techniques such as radioactive isotopes, fossils, annual layers, etc)

29
Q

Different components of the climate system have different response times. What does this mean?

A

= time it takes to fully react to an imposed change

Can be hours to thousands of years

30
Q

T/F

The atmosphere has a very fast response time & land sfc reacts more slowly

A

true

but land sfc still shows heating & cooling changes on time scales of hours to weeks

31
Q

What is the relative response time of water?

A

Slower than air/ land because of its heat capacity

Upper ocean= weeks to months
Deeper ocean= decades to centuries

32
Q

Explain the long term carbon exchanges between volcanos and chemical weathering

A
  • volcanic input of C from rocks to atmosphere
  • removal of CO2 from atmosphere by chemical weathering

Removal of C via chem weathering must balance changing volc inputs over long timescales

33
Q

Describe how chemical weathering is influenced by:
- temp
- precip
- vegetation

A
  • Temp inc= weathering inc
  • precip inc= weathering inc
  • veg inc= weathering inc *?
34
Q

During warm periods, how does chemical weathering influence the temp?

A

during warm periods, weathering removes CO2 from the atmosphere faster than volcanoes can build it up

  • this causes the total volume of CO2 to go down, cooling the planet
35
Q

During cool periods, how does chemical weathering influence the temp?

A

During cold periods, volcanoes add CO2 faster than it can be removed by chem weathering, warming the planet

36
Q

Climate variability=

A

the way climate fluctuates yearly above or below a long term avg value

37
Q

climate change=

A

long-term continuous change (inc or dec) from avg weather conditions
- slow & gradual, unlike weather variability
- it’s difficult to perceive without scientific records

38
Q

T/F

Climate change is the same as climate variability

A

false

39
Q

Zoom out and look at climate change in the past 100 million years. What did the climate look like at each of the following times?

  • 100 million years ago
  • 21,000 years ago
  • 1830s
  • 1930s
A
  • 100 million years ago: warmer conditions had eliminated ice from the face of the earth
  • 21,000 years ago: climate was so cold that huge ice sheets covered CAN and N. Europe (sea level was ~120m lower than present)
  • 1830s: air temps were cooler than now
  • 1930s: hot, dry interval produced the dust bowl
40
Q

T/F

Faster changes in climate at shorter timescales are embedded in and superimposed on the slower changes at the longer time scales

A

true

41
Q

What is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change?

A

IPCC= the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change

42
Q

T/F

Global Warming means it is getting warmer in every single point of the earth

A

false

It’s an AVERAGE increase in global temp

43
Q

T/F

Global warming does not mean that each year is successively warmer than the previous one

A

true!

This is just interannual variability

44
Q

When studying recent global warming, surface temperature measurements have some uncertainty. How do we decrease this uncertainty?

A

Analyze other parts of the climate system, not just the sfc

45
Q

[GHG] in 2011 exceeded the range of [ ] recorded in ice cores during the past ___ years

A

800 000 years

46
Q

What are shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs)?

A

= projections of future emissions that take into account a wide range of socioeconomic factors like pop and GDP

47
Q

Does the IPCC predict an inc or dec in the following?

  • global temp change
  • global land precip change
  • sept arctic sea ice area
  • global mean sea level change
A
  • inc
  • inc
  • dec
  • inc
48
Q

Is it likely that our current global warming is due to sun cycles?

A

No

Current research shows an imbalance at the top of the atmosphere

  • more energy absorbed, less emitted= avg temp of earth is increasing
49
Q

T/F

CO2 always legs temperature

A

false

It can, but it doesn’t have to
- feedbacks are very important! CO2 acts as a forcing sometimes, and sometimes as a positive feedback on climate change

50
Q

__% of climatologists who are active publishers on climate change believe that human activity is a significant contributing factor in changing mean global temperature

A

97%

51
Q

93% of the extra energy from enhanced greenhouse warming has been absorbed by the _____

A

oceans!

Oceans are a major heat & C sink

52
Q

The oceans have absorbed a lot of the extra energy from greenhouse warming. Give ~4+ impacts this has had on the oceans

A
  • more frequent extreme El Nino events
  • inc in ocean temp
  • inc in ocean stratification
  • changes in ocean circulation
  • sea level rise
  • acidification
  • harmful algal blooms
53
Q
A

EAS 212: The Oceans (18 decks)

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