Chapter 14

Question 1

The average weather conditions of a location or region over time

Answer 1

Climate

Question 2

Present-day warming of the world’s climate that most scientists believe is likely to continue and is at least partly caused by human activities

Answer 2

Global Warming

Question 3

The realm of human activity

Answer 3

Anthroposphere

Question 4

The sun varies in total energy output, variously expressed as ___ or ___

Answer 4

Solar Luminosity or Radiant Flux

Question 5

A relatively cold period, when Earth’s ice cover greatly exceeded its present extent

Answer 5

Glaciation (or glacial period or Ice Age)

Question 6

A relatively warm period, when Earth’s ice cover and climate resembled those of the present day

Answer 6

Interglaciation (or interglacial period)

Question 7

Dark, relatively cool spots that are visible on the surface of the sun

Answer 7

Sunspots

Question 8

The period of dramatically low sunspot activity from 1645 to 1717, had very harsh winters and cold weather

Answer 8

Maunder Minimum

Question 9

Departure from circularity

Answer 9

Eccentricity

Question 10

The combined influences of astronomical-orbital factors that produce changes in Earth’s climate

Answer 10

Milankovitch Cycles

Question 11

The reflectivity of a surface, as a percentage of total reflected radiation

Answer 11

Albedo

Question 12

Extremely fine, suspended particles of dust, volcanic ash, ice, pollutants, and other substances

Answer 12

Aerosols

Question 13

___ clouds are high-altitude and have a net effect of warming, wispy clouds have low albedos, allows the shortwave radiation to pass through it and absorb some of the outgoing long wave radiation - re-radiating it back down to the surface

Answer 13

Cirrus

Question 14

___ clouds are low-altitude, thicker and less transparent. They have high albedos and reflect incoming solar energy back to Elon’s Satellites in space but also trap outgoing longwave energy and send it back to the surface

Answer 14

Stratocumulus

Question 15

The warmer ocean temperature that likely contributed to a rise in global surface temperature that culminated about 55 million years ago in an event termed ___

Answer 15

Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Question 16

A cycle in which output from a process becomes an input into the same process

Answer 16

Feedback

Question 17

A ___ feedback is when a system is stabilizing or self-limiting, responds to change in a way that is opposite from the initial input

Answer 17

Negative

Question 18

A ___ feedback is self-perpetuating and self-reinforcing (vicious cycle). Response to change is in same direction as initial input

Answer 18

Positive

Question 19

The set of processes by which ___ from reservoir to reservoir through the global environment

Answer 19

Carbon Cycles

Question 20

Long-term storage of a material, in isolation from the atmosphere

Answer 20

Sequestration

Question 21

A place in the Earth system where a material is stored for a period of time

Answer 21

Reservoir

Question 22

A reservoir that takes in more of a given material than it releases

Answer 22

Sink

Question 23

An enormous volume of methane is trapped in frozen molecules of ice in seafloor sediment

Answer 23

Gas Hydrates

Question 24

A long-term or underlying pattern in a time series of data

Answer 24

Trend

Question 25

The climate of an ancient time

Answer 25

Paleoclimate

Question 26

Records of natural events that are influenced by, and closely mimic, climate

Answer 26

Climate Proxy Record

Question 27

The portion of greenhouse warming that results from human activities rather than from natural processes

Answer 27

Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect

Sometimes called Accelerated or Enhanced Greenhouse effect

Question 28

A computer model of the climate system, linking processes in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere

Answer 28

General Circulation Model

Question 29

An international, interdisciplinary panel of scientists and other experts, established to keep the world community up to date on the science of the global climate system.

Answer 29

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)