Climate Flashcards
Climate
The average of the weather in a region over a long period of time
Weather
Atmospheric conditions in a particular location over a short period of time
Weather predicting technologies
Weather stations
Weather balloons
Aircraft
Satellites
Ice age
When most of earths surface is covered with ice
Often followed by a warm period
Evidence of climate change today
Global warming Rising sea levels Changes in weather patterns Changes in seasons Changes in ecosystems
When radiation hits a particle of matter, the radiation may be
ABSORBED by a particle
TRANSMITTED through the particle
REFLECTED off the particle
The energy absorbed by earths atmosphere, water, and land is converted into…
Thermal energy
Thermal energy
The energy of particles associated with temperature an changes of state
Heat sink
A reservoir (ocean) that absorbs and stored thermal energy
Proxy records
Stores info and found in natural materials hat give clues to what the climate was like in the past
Ex) ice cores. Tree rings. Coral reefs. Fossils.
Albedo
The proportion of the suns radiation that is reflected by a surface. Surfaces with a high albedo reflect more
Positive feedback loop between ice and earths surface/average temperature
- Ice melts
- Albedo increases
- Less incoming radiation from sun is reflected
- More energy is absorbed
- Earths temperature increases
- Ice melts
Earths climate systems
Keeps global temperature constant
- Atmosphere (gases)
- Hydrosphere (liquid)
- Lithosphere (rocks)
- Living things (people, plants &amimals)
Earths climate systems
1. Atmosphere
- Troposphere
- Stratosphere
- Mesosphere
- Exosphere
(Decreasing oxygen)
-ozone layer
Earths climate systems
2. Hydrosphere
- Water cycle
- ice
- ice reflects radiation
- more heat = ice melts = flooding
- ice reflects radiation
Earths climate systems
3. Lithosphere
- mountains effect air flow
- effects rainfall
- wet coasts and dry interiors
Earths climate systems
4. Living things
- plants use CO2
- animals produce CO2
- animals, insects, and bacteria produce methane
- CO2 and methane are greenhouse gasses
The greenhouse effect
- a natural process
- gasses and clouds absorb infrared radiation emitted from earths surface and radiate it
- heats the atmosphere and earths surface
Anthropogenic greenhouse gasses
- due to human activity
- carbon dioxide
- methane
The greenhouse effect
Carbon dioxide
Sources of carbon -volcanic eruptions - burning organic matter - cellular respiration Carbon sinks - absorb carbon from the atmosphere and store it in a different form
Greenhouse gasses
Any gasses in the atmosphere that absorbs thermal energy
- nitrogen
- carbon dioxide
- methane
- oxygen
- water
