Canada in a Changing Climate Flashcards
A review of recent evidence and projections of the impacts of climate change in Canada
Who published the report “Canada in a Changing Climate”, and when; and how does it relate to previous such efforts?
From Natural Resources Canada in 2014, this report is an update to similar reports in 2004 and 2008.
Name the five major components of Earth’s climate system.
Earth’s climate system includes the atmosphere, hydrosphere (liquid water), cryosphere (frozen water), lithosphere (soil and rock) and biosphere.
List five lines of evidence pointing to global warming over the past century.
- atmospheric and oceanic temperature data
- declining sea ice, snow cover and glacier extents
- sea-level rise
- timing of biological events and shifting species ranges
- shifting trends in weather extremes
What does science identify as the major cause of climate change - and how?
Carbon-isotope studies, the patterns of temperature-increase observations, and climate models incorporating all known candidates point to human emissions of greenhouse gases as the dominant driver of climate change over the last century.
Quantify Earth’s warming trend over the last 100 years.
AR4, the 2007 4th Assessment Report of the IPCC, notes a 100-year (1906-2005) warming trend of 0.74° ± 0.18° in surface air temperature.
Describe recent global temperature trends on a decade-by-decade basis.
The decade 2001-2010, the warmest on record, was 0.21°C warmer than the previous one, which in turn was warmer than previous decades.
How does global warming vary by regions of the globe?
Surface temperatures have warmed faster over land than over the oceans, with the greatest warming over northern high latitudes: the Arctic continues to warm about twice as fast as lower latitudes.
Has global warming slowed down in recent years?
No. When short-term variability isaccounted for, the underlying warming trend warming has been steady.
How does Canada’s warming rate compare with the global average?
Canada’s average surface air temperature over land has warmed by 1.5°C from 1950 - 2010, ie., at twice the global rate.
What’s the warmest year on record for Canada?
In 2010, Canada’s average surface air temperature over land was 3.0°C above normal.
What’s the pattern of Canadian warming: spatially, daily and seasonally.
Warming trends are strongest
- in the north and west
- for daily minimums and
- during winter and spring
In general, how does a warming surface and atmosphere affect the water cycle?
In general, a warmer atmosphere promotes stronger surface evaporation and can hold more moisture, which in turn favors heavier precipitation events.
Has Canada become wetter or drier over the last several decades?
Annual precipitation in Canada has increased 16% over the period 1950 - 2010, dominated by large increases in BC and the Atlantic. Many stations show increases in the spring and fall; western Canada shows declining precipitation in winter (mainly due to less snow as opposed to rainfall).
