Chapter 15: Air, Weather, and Climate Flashcards
Where is all the weather we see?
10-12 km in the air; Troposphere
What two gases almost completely dominate our atmosphere?
Nitrogen; 78.08%
Oxygen; 20.94%
Aerosols
Minute particles and liquid droplets
What are the 4 atmospheric zones?
(In order from lowest to highest)
Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere
Troposphere
The layer of air immediately adjacent to the earth’s surface; tropein means to turn of change, in Greek; Depth ranges from 18km near the equator to 8km near the poles
Convection Currents
Air in the troposphere that constantly redistributes heat and moisture around the globe
What percent of the total mass of the atmosphere does the troposphere hold?
75%
Tropopause
A sharp reversal of the temperature gradient between the troposphere and the stratosphere; Limits mixing between the troposphere and upper zones
Stratosphere
Extends from the tropopause up to about 50km; More dilute that the troposphere, but nearly identical composition; Almost no water vapor and nearly 1,000 times more ozone;
Ozone
A highly reactive molecule containing three oxygen atoms; a dangerous pollutant in ambient air. In the stratosphere, however, ozone forms an ultraviolet absorbing shield that protects us from mutagenic radiation
Mesopause
Where the temperature changes between the stratosphere and the mesosphere
Mesosphere
The middle layer of Earth’s atmosphere
Thermosphere (Heated layer)
Begins at about 80km; Region where highly ionized (electrically charged) gases are heated by a steady flow of high-energy solar and cosmic radiation
Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) or Aurora Australis (Southern Lights)
A phenomenon that happens when intense pulses of high-energy radiation causes ions to glow
Insolation
Incoming solar radiation
Albedo
The reflectivity of a surface
Which surface has the largest percentage of albedo?
Dense clouds; 70-90%
What is an example of a low albedo?
Black soil
What is an example of high albedo?
Fresh snow
Greenhouse Effect
Gases in the atmosphere are transparent to visible light but absorb infrared (heat) waves that are reradiated from the earth’s surface
Greenhouse Gases
Chemical compounds that trap heat in the atmosphere. The principal anthropogenic greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons, nitrous oxide, and sulfur hexaflouride.
How many calories of energy are consumed for every gram of evaporated water?
580 calories
Latent Heat
Stored energy in a from that is not sensible (detectable by ordinary senses)
Coriolis Effect
The influence of friction and drag of air layers near the earth; Deflects air currents to the direction of the earth’s rotation
Jet Streams
Located in the troposphere; Powerful winds or currents of air that circulate in shifting flows; Similar to oceanic currents in extent and effect on climate
Air Masses
Large sections of air with similar conditions throughout (moist, dry, warm, cool)
Front
When 2 different air masses meet each
other, they do not mix but form a boundary
What are the 4 types of fronts?
Warm, cold, stationary, and occluded
What are cyclonic storms the result of?
Low-pressure systems of air. The can produce
powerful winds and be very destructive.
What direction do low pressure systems turn in the Northern Hemisphere?
Counter-clockwise
Describe these:
Hurricanes;
Typhoons;
Cyclones;
All these are names for cyclones; Hurricanes are Atlantic cyclones; Typhoons are Pacific cyclones;
Hurricanes have wind speeds categorized by what scale?
Saffir-Simpson scale (1-5)
Tornadoes
Swirling funnel clouds that form over land. They can be highly destructive when they touch down. Intensity of winds
are F0-F5.
What kind of cell spawns tornadoes?
Supercell frontal systems
Ice Cores
The core of glaciers that helped scientists understand climate change; Every 30 meters, the core is pulled up
Milankovitch Cycles
Periodic shifts in the earth’s tilt and orbit. This resulted in periods of heating and cooling.
El Nino
(Ocean atmospheric cycle); named for the Christ child. Begins off coast of South America.
AKA - ENSO or El Nino Southern Oscillation
Begins near December. It is a warm ocean current.
Pacific decadal Oscillation (PDO)
Anthropogenic
Human-caused
In what year, who hypothesized that humans could alter CO2 levels?
1895; Svante Arrhenius
For the past 5 years, CO2 levels have risen where?
Mauna Loa; Because of volcano emissions
Since 1988, IPCC has been doing what?
Bringing together other environmental scientists to investigate human impact on climate change. Their fourth meeting produced the AR4 report. It states that 90% of climate changes are human induced.
Why can scientists not perform a controlled study on climate changes?
There is only one Earth, there is nothing to compare Earth to.
How do scientists collect and analyze climate change data?
They use computer models
Computer Models
Use equations, input data, and variables to “predict” changes. If the models correctly predict past changes, that is in indication that future predicted changes may be accurate.
What IPCC report said that most temperature changes are very likely caused by anthropogenic GHG (Greenhouse Gases)?
4th IPCC report
What are the 3 main greenhouse gases produced from human activity?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) Methane (CH4) Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
Which greenhouse gas is the most important and why?
Carbon dioxide (CO2); our CO2 emissions have grown by 80% in the past 34 years (from 14 Gt/yr to 30 Gt/yr)
Gt is a gigaton
Our greatest source of CO2 is burning fossil fuels. Next is
deforestation because it releases CO2 stored in standing
trees.
What is the 2nd most important greenhouse gas and why?
Methane (CH4); Methane is produced by decaying plant matter, natural gas wells, and ruminant animals such as cows.
What is the 3rd most important greenhouse gas and why?
Nitrous Oxide (N2O); It comes from agricultural processes, cars, plant decay and soils.
What are 3 minor greenhouse gases?
Chlorofluorocarbon, sulfur hexaflouride, and fluorine gas
Where does 50% of all greenhouse gases come from?
Burning fossil fuels
Where does 30% of all greenhouse gases come from?
Deforestation and agriculture
Where does 20% of all greenhouse gases come from?
Industry
What country has the most amount of greenhouse gases contribution?
China; 24%
What countries have a greenhouse gas input?
U.S.A.; 21% Western Europe; 12% India; 8% Russia; 6% Japan; 4% Everywhere else; 25%
What are some climate changes that have been observed around the world?
Average global temperature change of 1 degree Fahrenheit.
Polar regions are warming fastest; permafrost is melting.
Arctic sea ice is thinning, by 2040 it may all melt.
Antarctic ice shelves are breaking up, melting, or retreating.
Alpine glaciers are retreating. Glacier National Park is melting ☹
Higher CO2 levels in the ocean increase acidity making it harder for shellfish to make their shells.
Sea level has risen 6-8 inches in the past century.
Droughts seem more frequent and widespread.
Biologists report that many animal species are breeding earlier.
Amphibian numbers are declining.
Coral reefs are bleaching (losing key algae residents)
Storms seem stronger and more damaging.
