221 study this and cheat sheet Flashcards
1
Q
surface station
A
- a weather observing location that reports weather conditions
- show temperature, pressure, wind, radiation, turbidity
2
Q
IPCC SROC
A
- special report on the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate
- 2019
- Observed changes and impacts, projected changes and risks, and implementing responses to ocean and cryosphere change
3
Q
temperature
A
- the sensible heat at a given location
4
Q
marine observations
A
- provide current information on the Ocean water
- info on sea surface temperature, surface winds, marine weather
5
Q
moisture
A
- the precipitation and humidity
- the precipitation is water, in liquid or solid form, that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the earth
- humidity is the amount of water vapor in an air mass at a given time
6
Q
pressure
A
- the weight exerted by an air mass
7
Q
solar energy
A
- energy from the sun that is transformed into heat at or near the earth’s surface
8
Q
radiation
A
- Can be absorbed or emitted by all matter, depending on temperature and “emissivity” of the material
- All objects warmer than 0 Kelvin emit radiation
9
Q
Insolation
A
- The amount of incoming solar radiation
- not equal everywhere on Earth
- Amount depends on the intensity and duration of radiation from the sun
- these depend on the number of daylight hours and angle of the sun’s ray
10
Q
three ways that precipitation can occur
A
- orographical- warm moist air rises over hills
- convectional- rising moist air that cools down
- cyclonic- cool and warm air masses meet
11
Q
jet streams
A
- flow from west to east
- guide movement of weather systems
12
Q
shortwave vs longwave radiation
A
- Shortwave radiation refers to high-energy radiation with shorter wavelengths (sun)
- Longwave radiation refers to lower-energy radiation with longer wavelengths (Earth)
- only shortwave is visable
13
Q
high emission scenario vs low emission scenario
A
- high emission scenarios project continued, rapid increase in greenhouse gas emissions
- Ex: RCP8.5
- low emission scenarios look at substantial and substained reduction in greenhouse gas emission
- RCP2.6
14
Q
why are Temperatures heavily moderated by large bodies of water?
A
- Some earth surface materials (like water) store solar energy more effectively than others
15
Q
is cold or warm water more dense?
A
- cold water
16
Q
energy balance
A
- the equilibrium between the amount of solar energy that Earth receives from the sun (incoming radiation) and the amount of energy it radiates back into space (outgoing radiation)
17
Q
outgoing longwave radiation
A
- the heat that Earth radiates back into space
- differences in surface temperature makes OLR different across world
- determined by cloud amount and height, and surface temperature
18
Q
heat transfer
A
- Heat transfers in air and ocean, which balances the surplus of energy in the tropics and the deficit of energy at the poles
19
Q
greenhouse effect
A
- Natural process
- Certain gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap heat from the sun, warming the planet’s surface
20
Q
keeling curve
A
- A graph that shows us the concentration of carbon dioxide in parts per million
- Observed in Mauna Loa, Hawaii, where the Earth’s air is sampled
- concentration rises throughout the year, but then decreased in September
- This is because in the fall, plants decay and decompose, releasing CO2
- the entire curve has been increasing exponentially
21
Q
albedo
A
- how reflective a surface is
- Earth’s albedo is reflected by clouds, aerosols, and the surface
- Ex: snow and ice have a high albedo and water has a lower one, absorbs more of the sun’s energy
- High allbedo surfaces bounce sunlight back
- about .30 for Earth as a whole
22
Q
what temperature water holds more gas?
A
- cold water
23
Q
ocean acidification
A
- A decrease in ocean pH over decades or more that is caused primarily by uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere (CO2 reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid)
- Because human activities are releasing CO2 into the atmosphere very quickly, the ocean is taking up CO2 faster today than it has in the past
24
Q
plate tectonic theory
A
- Theory that Earth is composed of numerous plates that
move independently of one another at varying speeds, over the earth’s surface
25
Q
ice albedo positive feedback
A
- Cooling produces more ice and snow cover, which further cools the Earth
- Warming reduces the ice and snow cover, which further enhances the warming
26
Q
last glacial maximum
A
- A period in Earth’s climate history when ice sheets were at their maximum extension, between about 26,500 and 18,000 years ago
- Vast ice sheets covered much of North
America, northern Europe and Asia
27
Q
holocene
A
- A period from about 11,500 years ago to present, characterized by relatively stable warm climate
28
Q
6 land biomes
A
- Rainforests, deserts, grasslands, deciduous forests, boreal forests, tundra
29
Q
2 water biomes
A
- marine (saltwater) and freshwater
30
Q
phytoplankton
A
- absorb CO2 through the atmosphere through photosynthesis
- when they die, the CO2 sinks to the ocean floor and reenters the atmosphere
- this is called the biological pump
31
Q
zooplankton
A
- eat phytoplankton and add more carbon to the ocean
- make the ocean a carbon sink
32
Q
sunspot activity
A
- more sunspots deliver more energy to the atmosphere, so that global temperatures should rise
- A spot or patch appearing from time to time on the sun’s surface
- Can fluctuate year to year, and change all the time
33
Q
Global Dimming
A
- A gradual decrease in the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface
- Anthropogenic aerosols are major cause for this anomaly
34
Q
global brightening
A
- As air pollution has decreased in many areas, more sunlight is now reaching the planet, causing a “brightening” effect
- considered better than global dimming because brighening is associated with a reduction is atmospheric aerosols
35
Q
kelvin boiling of water, freezing of water , and absolute 0
A
- boiling: 373.15
- freezing: 273.15
- absolute 0:0
36
Q
Celcius boiling of water, freezing of water , and absolute 0
A
- boiling: 100
- freezing: 0
- absolute 0: -273
37
Q
Fahrenheit boiling of water, freezing of water , and absolute 0
A
- boiling: 212
- freezing: 32
- absolute 0: -460
38
Q
CO2 emission by source and from fossil fuel
A
- from source: land use and coal
- from fossil fuel: electricity generation and heating
