Chapter 12

Question 1

what is the ideal ambient earth temperature?

Answer 1

15 deg C

Question 2

true or false, the shorter the wavelength, the greater the radiation

Answer 2

true

Question 3

t/f gamma is the climate sensitivity factor

Answer 3

true

Question 4

what is laughing gas and where does it come from?

Answer 4

N2O, it comes from lawn cuttings

Question 5

what 3 factors does radiative energy depend on?

Answer 5

frequency, speed of light, wavelength

Question 6

what is the layer immediately above the earth’s surface called?

Answer 6

troposphere

Question 7

describe the greenhouse effect?

Answer 7

the trapping of the sun’s warmth in earth’s lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet’s surface. the more GHGs there are, the more infrared rays absorbed in the atmosphere, the more heat trapped

Question 8

what are important compounds that contribute to radiative forcing

Answer 8

CF-11, CF-12, Aerosol,

Question 9

which compounds reduce radiative forcing, (ie negative forcing)?

Answer 9

1. CFCs reduce the stratospheric Ozone, which means less trapping.
2. Sulfur particles arising from the combustion of fossil fuels reflect incoming solar radiation back to space. this also causes negative forcing

Question 10

which compounds cause positive radiative forcing?

Answer 10

aerosol particles in atmosphere absorb radiation and cause heating.

Question 11

what is the climate sensitivity factor ratio?

Answer 11

gamma = change in temp/change in radiative forcing

Question 12

what is carbon sequestration?

Answer 12

the ability for biomass to absorb CO2 in the atmosphere