Climate Flashcards
How do you measure climate through Ice cores
Tiny air bubbles that have been trapped for thousands of centuries and can be tested for various gases
How do you measure climate through tree rings
The thickness of a tree ring indicates the growing conditions
How do you know if the growing conditions of a tree were good or bad
Warm and wet means thicker rings
How do you measure climate through coral reefs
They have layers of growth each season and gives clues about temperature of the ocean
Is earth a closed system?
No
How is earth powered?
By the sun
When radiation contacts a particle of matter, what three things may occur?
- The radiation may be ABSORBED by the particles, causing the particles to gain energy
- Radiation may be TRANSMITTED through the particle
- Radiation may be REFLECTED off the particle
What is an example that can do all three?
Water
How much solar energy reaches the earth
70%
If 70% of solar energy that reaches Earth some sort, why doesn’t earth heat up tremendously
As the earth surface warms up it gains thermal energy and they converts it into low energy infrared radiation
The amount of energy radiated by earths system is equal to the amount of energy earths system absorbed from the sun
And because of this balance, the gloves temperature stays pretty consistent
What is the equilibrium
The balance between energy absorbed from the sun and energy emitted from earth
Without a climate system, would the earth still reach an energy equilibrium?
Yes but it would be much colder
How does the green house effect contributes to the earth not being so cold?
Because it provides sort of a barrier that keeps heat in???? CHECK
What triggers changes in climate?
The earths energy balance (if the sun is absorbed differently, climate changes)
What is the continental drift?
When continents move, over and wind patterns change causing changes in climate
What happens as mountain ranges form?
Regional climate change
How does late bodies of water effect climate in regions?
When surrounded by larger bodies of water you get a moderate climate (SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE) and when you have fewer, you get harsher winters and hotter summers ( NORTHERN HEMISPHERE)
What is a negative feedback loop?
Self-regulating system that works to maintain stability. The response to a stimulus minimizes the stimulus
Give and example of a neg feedback loop
CO2
What is positive feedback loop
Changes in the system results In more changes int be system and was stability. A produces more of B which in turn produces more of A
What is albedo
A measure of how much of the Suns radiation is reflected by a surface (related to % of radiation reflected)
What is the albedo effect?
An increase in the earths temperature causes ice to melt, so more radiation is absorbed by earths surface, leading to a further increase in temperature
What type of feedback loop I the albedo effect?
Positive feebback loop
In terms of climate, what is considered a short period of time?
FIND
What is El Niño?
change in the pacific winds and ocean currents tha tbrings warm moist air to the west coast of south america
What is the greenhouse effect
A natural process that has been happening for hundreds of years absorbs infrared radiation emitted from the earths surface (everything gets warmer)
What happens in the greenhouse effect
Gases and clouds absorb infrared radiation emitted from the earths surface and radiate it, hearing the atmosphere and earths surface
What does earth emit?
IR radiation
What are green house gases
Any gas in the atmosphere that absorbed lower energy infrared radiation
Give examples of greenhouse gases
Oxygen, nitrogen, CO2, water vapor, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide
What would happen if the amount of gases presented in our atmosphere increased
Climate and temperature would increase majorly
What does anthropogenic mean
Human influenced
Give exams of gases that are anthropogenic influenced
CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and Chloroflouro carbons (CFCs)
What are proxy records?
They store info in tree rings, Ice cores and fossils that can be measured to give clues to what the climate was like in the past
What are anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide
Burning fossil fuels and also Deforestation which inhibits photosynthesis and removes CO2 from the atmosphere
What anthropologetic sources releases methane
Agricultural activities such as rice farming and ranching caddling, landfills and sewage treatment plants releases as organic material and Coal mining and natural gas extraction Releases methane
What anthropogenic sources releases nitrous oxide
Management of livestock feed and pure Waste, use of nitrogen fertilizers
What anthropogenic sources releases CFCs
There are no natural sources of CFCs but leaks out of refrigerators and air conditioners
How does an increase in atmospheric CO2 affect global temperature
Higher levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities which is leading to global warming
Effects on human society in a natural environment are caused by what
Changes in climate such as rises and earth global temperature
What organization formed in 1988 in order to assess and evaluate the risk of human caused climate changes
Intergovernmental panel on climate change [IPCC]
List some impacts of climate change as reported by the IPCC
Rising sea levels, impacts on agriculture, impact, impact on human and animal and plant cells
Explain rising sea levels
Increase flooding and loss of large areas of land, people become homeless and example is southern Florida or Bangladesh
Explain impacts on agriculture
Dry areas get even less rainfall, crops become less productive and millions of people enter famine, other countries will get more rain which will cause damage to their crops
Explain impact on ecosystems
Save some species will be extinct by 2015, plants and animals that migrate to Poles when their habitats get an inhabitable, biodiversity will be lost, plus the wetlands will be drawn by rising seas
Explain impacts on human animals and plant health
Pests, diseases and disease carriers can spread to the poles
An example is malaria and Pinebeetles that destroy forests and will expand to other places
What is the impact of melting ice on polar bears
Harder for them to reach their food
How are sinkholes created
Permafrost melts, creating sink holes
Describe five different ways that climate changes in the archive affect the world
Release of CO2, sea level rise, ocean currents, biodiversity and changes in shipping/tansportayion
How does the release of CO2 affect thereat of the world
Permafrost may contain more co2 and methane than in the atmosphere
How does the rising sea level effect the world
More water will flow into ocean as glaciers melt
How does ocean current effect the world?
Fresh water flowing into the archive Ives from melting ice may slow or stop ocean currents that transport thermal energy around the globe ocean currents affect climate
How does biodiversity effect climate changes around the world
Many migratory species have breeding grounds in the arctic. If archive ecosystems change, this could affect species around the world
How is changes in shipping/transportation
Ships will have shorter travel routes as the ice melts. Reducing energy cost and use
How many degrees could ontarios ave temp. Increase
Winter-3-6 and summer -4-8
How will lake levels in Ontario be impacted?
Less ice to cover lakes in winter, more evaporation year round but more precipitation as well
Fish in cold water lakes may die or migrate
As CO2 increases, what happens to Eco zones in Ontario?
Loads of plants will migrate if they need cold weather
What disease things will be affected if the climate increases
Heat related illnesses increase
And same with disease carrying organisms
Will there be a growth of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere?
Yes
What will happen to forests?
More forest fires, carbon source instead of carbon sink and increase in pest
What about electricity?
More hydroelectric power produced but also more blackouts
Define weather
Atmospheric conditions including temperature, precipitation, wind and humidity in a particular location over a short period of time
Define climate
Average of the weather in the region over a long period Of time
what is a climate zone
And area classified according to the temperature percopitation and plant communities
Regions different plants of the world can do the same climate zone and climate zones have an impact on the type of species that can live in an area
What are eqozones
A particular set of final conditions and natural features including soil landscape featured plants animals and climates
How many climate ecozones does Canada have?
20
Define a carbon sink
Place in nature that has the ability to absorb carbon
What are some of the causes of long-term climate change
The shape of the orbit, the tilt of the earth, and the wobble
What is a feedback loop
The cause that creates the effect that impacts the original cause
Give three examples of feedback loops in earths climate system
Water vapor effect, albedo warming affect in albedo cooling affect
is the albedo to affect the positive feedback loop
Yes
Compare how thermal energy circulates in the ocean and how thermal energy circulates in the atmosphere
In the atmosphere, warm air cools and sinks, warm air is displaced upward by syncing cooler air and then the rising current of warm air
In the oceans, thermohaline circulation happens
The thermohaline current
The continuous flow of water Around the earth’s oceans driven by Differences in water temperature and saltiness
As water travels to the polls become saltier and as it freezes the ice rejects The salt so the water that is salty becomes more intense and since to the bottom while warmer freshwater replaces it at the top
How is water vapour a positive feedback loop?
As the earth warms, water evaporates and because it is a green house gas, it makes the earth even warmer and evaporate more water
What are some short-term climate variations
Volcanic eruptions and water vapour
Describe for possible global impacts of climate change
Rising sea levels, agriculture, ecosystem and human/animal/plant health
What are carbon offset credits
Credits that can be shared and allow other countries to produce more greenhouse gases if other countries have produced less
Describe Canada’s role in the Kyoto protocol
Canada never met its target and pulled out into thousand and 11
List the different spheres of earth
Atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere
What is the hydrosphere
Water
What is the atmosphere
The air
What is the lithosphere
The physical land
What is the biosphere
Living organisms
All about carbon dioxide in our atmosphere
385 ppm (0.0385%) causes up to a quarter of the natural greenhouse effect on Earth’s
All about methane in our atmosphere
much less than carbon dioxide but can absorb much more thermal energy, about 23X more powerful than carbon dioxide
All about water vapor in our atmosphere
⅔ of natural greenhouse effect is caused by water vapour in the atmosphere
Do we know anything about ozone
Not really
All about nitrous oxide
300X more effective as a greenhouse gas over carbon dioxide. very small concentration in atmosphere
How does the greenhouse effect work
trap infrared energy and re-radiate it back out in every direction
How does the water vapor feedback loop become more complicated when clouds are involved
Low clouds = a positive feedback loop
warmer temperature → more (low) clouds → even warmer temperatures
If clouds are higher up they reflect radiation back out to space. High clouds = negative feedback loop
warmer temperatures → more (high) clouds → cooler temperatures
What is a positive feedback loop
When it increases the cause
Describe the water vapor feedback loop
As climate warms more water vapour enters the atmosphere because evaporation from our lakes and oceans increases.
(causes climate to warm even more because water vapour is a greenhouse gas). Conversely, if the climate cools there is less water vapour and the climate will cool further. These are positive feedback loops.
What is the albedo of forests, Sand in deserts and fresh snow
forest (10%)
sand and desert (25%)
fresh snow (85%)
What is the albeto of water
water (8%)
What is the albedo of clouds
clouds (40-70%)
What is the video of forests, Sand in deserts and fresh snow
forest (10%)
sand and desert (25%)
fresh snow (85%)
Factors affecting climate
distance from the equator (latitude) presence of large bodies of water presences of ocean or air currents land formations the height above sea level (altitude)
Why is the climate different if you live in the poles or near the equator
energy from sun is more intense near the equator since it hits Earth’s surface directly. Energy from the sun is less intense near the two poles since energy hits Earth’s surface at an angle and spreads over a larger area.
How come the earth maintains a balanced energy
the balance between energy absorbed from the sun and energy emitted from Earth ensures that Earth’s global temperature remains fairly constant.
What are heat sinks?
?
What are the prevailing winds
High and low pressure, along with the rotation of the earth causes winds that curve around the globe in the direction almost all the time
Give evidence of changing climate
Rising Temperatures Melting glaciers, Ice sheets and Sea Ice Rising Sea level - idea of thermal expansion Changes in Severe Weather Changes in Precipitation patterns Changing Seasons Changes in Ecosystems
What is happening at the equator
NE and SE trade winds meet
What is happening at 30 and 60 degrees?
The westerlies are going to opposite way of the NE and SE trade winds
Why don’t the winds move directly north or south?
Because it rotates
What do the prevailing winds do
Push warm air and water from the equator to the poles
What happens to the land around warm ocean currents?
The air above becomes warm and moves to land and produces rain and a warmer and more damp climate
What happens to the land around cold ocean?
water cools the air, and air goes to land as cool and dry, creating desert-like climate
What is an interglacial period
The time in-between ice ages when earth warms up
What is the shading effect
When a volcano erupts, the gases released reflect the suns energy outward and cools a portion of earth for a while
How can a forest become a carbon course?
When it is decomposing, it releases much CO2… so when pests destroy forest it becomes a source
