BIO 103 SimUText Section 3 Flashcards
Hindcasting
A process where models are seeded with data about past conditions and drivers (volcanic eruptions, initial climatic conditions, etc) and then used to recreate past climate changes
Forecasting
The process where models are used to make predictions about how Earth’s climate might change in the future under different scenarios
Spatial Variation
Differences that result from observations made in different locations, but at the same time
Temporal Variation
Differences in observations that were made at the same location, but at different points in time
General Circulation Model (GCM)
Three-dimensional models of Earth’s climate
Trend
A long-term change in the value of a variable
Electromagnetic Spectrum
The range of all types of electromagnetic radiation
Black Body
An idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation it intercepts, reradiates energy in all directions, emits a wavelength of radiation that is a function of its temperature, and reradiate energy with respect to its temperature
Solar Radiation
Electromagnetic radiation
Equilibrium
No net change or movement in the quantity of interest
Total Solar Irradience
The total amount of solar radiation striking a surface perpendicular to the Sun, per unit time per unit area
Inverse-Square Laws
A physical law stating that some physical quantity is proportional to the square of the distance from its source
Astronomical Unit (AU)
The approximate mean distance between the Earth and the Sun
Eccentricity
The extent to which an orbit of an object (such as a planet) around another object (such as a star) differs from a perfect circle
Albedo
Reflectivity to incident light
Greenhouse Gases
Gases in the atmosphere that are transparent to incoming solar radiation but absorb outgoing longwave radiation emitted from Earth’s surface
Residence Time
The average amount of time a substance or chemical is in a given system
Greenhouse Effect
The process by which certain components of the atmosphere (greenhouse gases) “trap” heat close to Earth’s surface
Feedback
The process by which a system is changed or controlled by the output or product it produces
Forcings
Factors that can affect Earth’s climate
Positive Feedback
When the process involved is accelerated or amplified by the product or output of that process
Negative Feedback
When he process involved is slowed or stabilized by the product or output of the process
Longwave Radiation
Electromagnetic radiation with “longer” wavelengths, usually 3 to 100 um
Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity (ECS)
The equilibrium change in global annual mean surface air temperature resulting from a doubling of the atmospheric CO2 concentration relative to pre-industrial levels
Energy Budget
An accounting of energy received by and radiated from a system
Thermal
Of or relating to heat
Evapotranspiration
The sum of transpiration and evaporation
Global Energy Imbalance
Earth absorbs more energy than it consumes
Topography
The configuration of a planet’s surface including relief and the position of features, such as mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and coast-lines
Biogeochemical Cycles
The cycling of matter through an ecosystem
Validate
The process by which something is tested and confirmed
Pre-Industrial Period
The span of time before the Industrial Revolution
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Summarizes the current state of climate-change science, as well as the potential effects of climate change on environmental and socio-economic systems
Emergent Property
One that arises from the interaction of the component parts of a more complex system or structure
Coupled Model Intercomparison Project
A set of experiments designed to help assess the mechanisms responsible for differences between different climate change models
Multi-Model Mean
An average value some model output, such as global surface temperature, across a variety of different but related climate models
