CH: 22 Climate change

Question 1

What is climate and how does it differ from weather

Answer 1

Climate is the long-term patterns or trends of meteorological conditions-weather is simply the meteorological conditions in a given place on a given day.

Climate changes at a much slower pace than weather

Question 2

What is Climate Change?

Answer 2

Alteration in long-term patterns and statistical averages of meteorological factors and events

Question 3

What are radioactive forces (that affect climate change)?

Answer 3

Radioactive forces are factors that alter the balance of incoming solar radiation relative to the amount of heat that escapes back out into space

Question 4

6 Radioactive forces

Answer 4

• Milankovitch cycles
• Changes in solar irradiance
• Volcanic eruptions
• Clouds
• Albedo effect
• Greenhouse effect

Question 5

What are Milankovitch cycles?

Answer 5

Predictable variations in Earth’s position in space relative to the sun that effect climate

Question 6

What does albedo effect refer to?

Answer 6

The albedo effect refers to the reflectivity of a given surface e- some surfaces on earth like Ice and snow have a higher albedo than dark surfaces and reflect incoming solar radiation.
-Colour and texture affect albedo the most

Question 7

Is the greenhouse effect bad?

Answer 7

No, it is in fact natural and keeps the Earth warm by trapping warm heat, without it the Bath’s average surface temperature would be -18 degrees celsius.

Question 8

Greenhouse gases (GHGs)

Answer 8

A group of radiatively active gases (RAGs) that both absorb and emits LW energy.

They vary in effectiveness, and in importance to the greenhouse effect

Question 9

The Greenhouse effect…

Answer 9

• The Earth absorbs less than 50% of incoming short-wave solar radiation, which is not warm
• Earth emits long-wave infrared energy, which is warm, back into the atmosphere
• GHGs absorb some of the long wave infrared that Earth emits, and some shortwave solar energy, which they cover to infrared
• GHGs re-radiate long-wave IR energy in all directions, including back to the lower atmosphere and Earth’s atmosphere, warming the planet

Question 10

Where is most of the carbon stored?

Answer 10

In the Earth’s crust- the lithosphere.

Question 11

Decreasing order of overall warming influence (GHGs)

Answer 11

1) Water vapour (H20)
2) Carbon dioxide (C02)
3) Methane (CH4)
4) Nitrous Oxide (N20)
5) Ozone (O3)
6) Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)
7) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Question 12

Increasing order of relative warming potential on a per-molecule basis

Answer 12

1) Carbon dioxide
2) Ozone
3) Methane
4) Nitrous oxide
5) Carbon tetrachloride
6) Chlorofluorocarbons

Question 13

3 main causes of increase in GHGs observed over the past 250 years?

Answer 13

1) Fossil Fuel Combustion
2) Land use change (conversion to agriculture, deforestation, urbanization)
3) Agricultural production

Question 14

How much has global average surface temperature increase since 1880?

Answer 14

Approximately 0.85 degrees celsius

Question 15

Effects of Global warming?

Answer 15

• Sea level rise
• Widespread melting of snow and land ice
• Increased heat content of the oceans
• Increased humidity
• Earlier spring events

Question 16

Positive Feedback. and example?

Answer 16

changes caused by an initial event that then accentuate that original event

ex) temp increases, more ice melts, more water is exposed, more heat is absorbed, repeat

Question 17

Negative feedback, and example?

Answer 17

Change caused by an initial event that trigger events which then reverse the response

ex) warm temp, cause formation of more high-albedo clouds, triggering cooling, decreases temp.