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Aerosols, Clouds, Atmospheres > Basics Of Climate Change > Flashcards

Basics Of Climate Change Flashcards

1
Q

What is climate?

A

The statistical properties of meteorological conditions over a given period

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2
Q

What is the given period for studying climate?

A

30 years

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3
Q

What is the atmosphere?

A

A relatively thin layer of gases that is held around the Earth by gravity

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4
Q

Where is the troposphere?

A

Between the surface and 8-15km

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5
Q

Where is the troposphere deepest and shallowest

A

Deepest at the tropics, shallowest at poles

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6
Q

Does temp increase or decrease with altitude in the troposphere?

A

Temp decreases with altitude

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7
Q

What is the lapse rate?

A

Lapse rate is the gradient of temperature in the atmosphere

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8
Q

Where is the tropopause?

A

Top of the troposphere

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9
Q

Where is the stratosphere?

A

From top of tropopause to 50km

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10
Q

Does temp increase or decrease with altitude in the stratosphere?

A

Temp increases with altitude

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11
Q

Where is the ozone layer located?

A

In the stratosphere

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12
Q

Where is the mesosphere located?

A

From the stratosphere to 80-100km

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13
Q

Does temp increase or decrease with altitude in the mesosphere?

A

Temp decreases

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14
Q

Where is the thermosphere?

A

From the mesosphere up to 600km

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15
Q

What is the exosphere?

A

The uppermost layer of the atmosphere

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16
Q

What is the relationship between sunlight received and latitude?

A

Sunlight received (Wm^-2) is proportional to cos(latitude)

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17
Q

Where is the most and least sunlight received?

A

Max at equator, minima at poles

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18
Q

Is incoming sunlight long or shortwave?

A

Shortwave

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19
Q

Is outgoing terrestrial radiation long or shortwave?

A

Longwave

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20
Q

What is a cell e.g. Hadley cell, polar cell

A

Direct circulations caused by heating and ascent in atmosphere/surface

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21
Q

Where is the Hadley cell? What direction are the solar winds?

A

At the equator between 0 and 30 degrees, direction away from equator

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22
Q

Where is the polar cell, what direction are the solar winds?

A

At the poles, between 60 and 90 degrees, direction away from equator

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23
Q

Where is the Ferrel cell, what direction are the solar winds?

A

Between Hadley and polar cell between 30 and 60 degrees, direction towards equator

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24
Q

What is the relationship between sunlight absorbed and outgoing terrestrial radiation?

A

Sunlight absorbed=outgoing terrestrial radiation

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25
Q

What does Coriolis force do?

A

Leads to the deflection of flows to the right in northern hemisphere and to the left in Southern Hemisphere

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26
Q

What is the net function of atmosphere and ocean?

A

To distribute the heat from the equator pole wards

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27
Q

What are the characteristics of cirrus clouds?

A

Cold, thin, high up, made of ice

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28
Q

Why do high clouds trap more energy than low clouds?

A

Not much solar radiation reflected back to space, lots of terrestrial radiation absorbed

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29
Q

Do high clouds warm or cool environment

A

Warm

30
Q

Why do low clouds trap less energy that high clouds

A

They reflect more solar radiation to space, and smaller LW radiative forcing

31
Q

Do low clouds warm or cool the environment?

A

Cool

32
Q

What is cloud radiative forcing?

A

The difference between radiation emitted to space for average atmospheric conditions, and then also without clouds for same region and time period

33
Q

Describe why SW CRF is negative

A

More clouds in the sky create a higher albedo, and more SW is reflected back to space.
Therefore SWCRF fullsky > SWCRF clear, so SWCRF is -ve

34
Q

What is the equation for SW CRF

A

SW CRF = SWclearCRF - SWfullskyCRF

35
Q

Describe why LW CRF is positive

A

More clouds in the sky mean more LW radiation trapped at the surface, so less LW radiation is emitted to space.
LWclear CRF > LWfullsky CRF,
Therefore LW CRF =+ve

36
Q

What is the equation for LW CRF?

A

LW CRF= LWclear CRF - LWfullskyCRF

37
Q

What is the equation for net CRF

A

Net CRF = SW CRF - LW CRF

38
Q

What is the atmospheric pressure equation?

A

mat g /A

39
Q

90% of atmospheric mass is less than what altitude?

A

Less than 10km

40
Q

What is atmospheric pressure measured in?

A

Pascals

41
Q

What is the ideal gas law?

A

P = ρR T
ρ= density
R= specific gas constant
p=pressure

42
Q

What is the first law of thermodynamics?

A

du = dq + dw
u = internal energy
q = heat energy
w = work

43
Q

How is the first law of thermodynamics written for atmospheric sciences?

A

dq = cpdT -alpha dp
cp = specific heat at constant pressure
Alpha =1/density
p =pressure

44
Q

What is radiative forcing?

A

The change in the net energy balance at the tropopause from pre-industrial to present day caused by a perturbation to atmospheric conditions

45
Q

What are the units for radiative forcing?

A

Wm-2

46
Q

What things may radiative forcing impact?

A

Incoming solar radiation
reflected solar radiation
outgoing longwave radiation

47
Q

What effect does positive radiative forcing have?

A

More energy going in than going out, so earths overall temp will increase

48
Q

Why effect does negative radiative forcing have?

A

More energy going out than in so earths overall temp will decrease

49
Q

What does GCM stand for?

A

General circulation model

50
Q

What is a GCM (not what the letters mean)

A

A type of climate model built up from discretised Navier Stokes equations

51
Q

What is the relationship between global mean temp change and radiative forcing?

A

They’re proportional
dTsurf =λ RF
λ= climate sensitivity parameter (K/W m-2 )

52
Q

What do GCMs do?

A

Allow for assessment of the evolution of global mean temperatures (and more)

53
Q

What is lambda? (GCM context)

A

-Climate sensitivity parameter
-normally determined from equilibrium GCM simulations
-approx independent of forcing mechanism
-differs among climate models :(

54
Q

What is the directional relationship between magnetic and electric fields?

A

They’re perpendicular

55
Q

What is the relationship between wavenumber an wavelength?

A

Wavelength (lambda) = 1/wave number (nu)

56
Q

Which has the higher wavelength, red or blue light?

A

Red

57
Q

What temp and wavelengths is black body radiation emitted from the sun?

A

6000K
UV, visible, near IR

58
Q

What temp and wavelengths is black body radiation emitted from the Earth

A

300 K
Near and far IR

59
Q

What is the equation for isotropic emission?

A

M(T) =pi B(T)

60
Q

What are some assumptions about the ‘Ball-Bearing Earth?’

A

1) no atmosphere
2) So invariant between equator and poles
3) alpha =reflected solar radiation/So =planetary albedo

61
Q

What are some assumptions about the Stefan-Boltzmann law?

A

1) no atmosphere
2) black body (emissivity =1)
3) surface area of Earth = 4 pi R2

62
Q

What is the relationship between solar radiation and terrestrial radiation at steady state?

A

Solar radiation absorbed =terrestrial radiation emitted
So(1-α) πR2 = 4π R2σ T4

63
Q

What does the atmosphere consist of?

A

78% N2
21% O2
1% other gases

64
Q

What is Rayleigh scattering?

A

Scattering of radiation caused by interaction of radiation with molecules

65
Q

What are the most significant absorbing components in the atmosphere?

A

O2 and O3
CO2
H2O

66
Q

How does the atmospheric absorption vary between solar and terrestrial wavelengths?

A

0.3-3.0 microns: mostly non-absorbing
3.0-100 microns: mostly absorbing

67
Q

How can the ‘ball-bearing’ earth model be improved?

A

Add an atmosphere layer characterised by emissivity =absorptivity

68
Q

What is an atmospheric aerosol?

A

Consists of suspension of fine solid/liquid particles suspended in the troposphere or stratosphere

69
Q

Name some effects of aerosols on clouds

A

Increase cloud albedo
Increase cloud height
Increase cloud lifespan
Drizzle suppression

70
Q

Name the orders of the atmosphere

A

Troposphere -> stratosphere -> mesosphere -> thermosphere -> exosphere

Aerosols, Clouds, Atmospheres (12 decks)

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