Chapter 18-Global Climate Change Flashcards
The layer closest to the surface of the Earth. This layer extends from the Earth’s surface to 5-10 miles high (8-16 km). This layer contains practically all of the water vapor and clouds in the atmosphere and is the site and source of our weather. Temperature decreases as you go up in this layer
Troposphere
Caps the troposphere
Tropopause
Layer that extends from the top of the troposphere to about 40 miles high. This layer contains ozone (O3) which is a form of oxygen that absorbs high-energy radiation emitted by the sun. The temperature increases as you go up in this layer.
Stratosphere
The day-to-day variations in temperature, air pressure, wind, humidity, and precipitation
Weather
The long-term weather patterns in an area
Climate
The study of weather and climate
Meteorology
This brings us the day-to-day changes in our weather as it moves in a general pattern from west to east. Vertical air currents caused by warmer air from the surface rising, expanding, cooling, and then sinking again
Convection currents
Rivers of air high in the troposphere that flow eastward at speeds of more than 300 mph
Jet streams
Air masses of different temperatures and pressures meet at boundaries; regions of rapid weather change
Fronts
Major seasonal airflows which often represent a reversal of previous wind patterns; created by major differences in cooling and heating between oceans and continents
Monsoons
Established in 1988, by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Society; this panel, which consists of more than 2,000 unpaid workers from a hundred countries, gathers and examines scientific data in an attempt to gain a better understanding of whether humans are inducing climate change
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Climate shifts due to variations in Earth’s orbit
Milankovitch cycles
The effects that temperature and salinity have on the density of seawater
Thermohaline
System that acts as a giant belt, moving water masses from the surface to deep oceans and back again, according to the density of the mass
Conveyor system
A phenomenon of one of the most impressive demonstrations of the oceans’ impact on climate
El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
Occurs when a major shift in atmospheric pressure over the central equatorial Pacific Ocean leads to a reversal of the trade winds that normally blow from an easterly direction. Warm water spreads to the east, the jet streams strengthen and shift from their normal courses, patterns in precipitation and evaporation are affected, and the system is usually sustained for more than a year
El Niño
The easterly trade winds are reestablished with even greater intensity, upwelling of colder ocean water in the eastern Pacific from the depths replaces the surface water blown westward, the jet streams are weakened, and weather patterns are again affected; encourages cooling
La Niña
The influence a particular factor has on the energy balance of the atmosphere- ocean-land system
Radioactive forcing
Contribute to atmospheric warming; include water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases in the atmosphere
Greenhouse gases
Contributes to global cooling; clouds reflect 23% of solar radiation back to space before it ever reaches the planet. Low-lying, fluffy clouds have a negative forcing effect, while High-lying clouds have a positive forcing effect. Snow and ice (the cryosphere) also reflect sunlight. Soot originating from anthropogenic sources darkens the snow and ice. Therefore, the soot promotes the absorption of radiant energy rather than reflection
Planetary albedo
Contribute to global cooling. Particles and aerosols enter into the atmosphere and spread around the world, causing solar radiation to be reflected back to space
Volcanoes
From pollution can cause a haze to form in the atmosphere which reflects and scatters some sunlight and also contributes to the formation of clouds
Aerosols
(From fires) has an overall warming effect
Sooty aerosols
Oceans are experiencing a decrease in pH
Ocean acidification
Where most of the ice on earth can be found
Antarctic
Burning of fossil fuels and the burning of forest trees (deforestation)
Anthropogenic sources
Carbon emissions are removed annually
Carbon sinks
Absorbs infrared energy and is the most abundant greenhouse gas
Water vapor
As temperatures rise, water vapor in the atmosphere increases and warming accelerates; one of the more disturbing features of future warming
Positive feedback
The third-most important greenhouse gas; product of microbial fermentative reactions; its main natural source are wetlands and green plants
Methane
Levels have increased some 19% during the last 200 years. Sources of the gas include agriculture, the oceans, and the burning of biomass; lesser quantities come from fossil-fuel burning and industry. Produced in agriculture via anaerobic denitrification processes, which occur wherever nitrogen is highly available in soils. This gas accelerates warming in the troposphere and also contributes to depletion of the ozone in the stratosphere. Has a long residence time of 114 years in the atmosphere
Nitrous oxide (N2O)
A potent greenhouse gas which forms in the stratosphere and descends into the troposphere. Major sources contributing to increasing levels of ozone are automotive traffic, burning forests, and agricultural wastes
Ozone (O3)
Entirely anthropogenic; long lived and contribute to both global warming in the troposphere and ozone destruction in the stratosphere. Used as refrigerants, solvents, and fire retardants, have a much greater capacity (10,000 times) for absorbing infrared radiation than does CO2
CFCs and other halocarbons
Now called the Global Change Research Program (GCPR) places emphasis on the government’s approach to climate research; the focus of the plan is to address a number of issues in climate science especially climate change
Climate Change Science Program (CCSP)
Refers to actions designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Mitigation
Agreement to stabilize greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere to 1990 levels by the year 2000 which ended up failing
Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC)
In 1997, nations met in Kyoto, Japan and agreed on ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; agreement is to reduce six types of greenhouse gas emissions to 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012
Kyoto Protocol
Reached an agreement on two principles once the Kyoto process expires in 2012. First, there would be future meetings aimed at producing a new, tougher set of binding limits on GHG emissions that would take effect after 2012. Second, there would be broader dialogues towards reaching nonbinding accords addressing global climate change
U.N. Climate Control Conference
Accepting that climate change is happening and taking action to lessen the impact of this change
Adaptation
