Climate and Biomes

Question 1

How is Earth’s temperature maintained?

Answer 1

Earth’s effective temp depends on solar radiation and albedo.

Solar radiation: sunlight and energy emitted from the sun

Albedo: its the fraction of reflected to incident light.

Question 2

Solar Radiation > Radioactive equilibrium

Answer 2

Radioactive equilibrium is when the input radiation to earth is equal to the outgoing radiation

Question 3

What is albedo?

Answer 3

The albedo for earth on average is ~0.3. Changes in earths albedo % depends on on if the surface of the earth. If the earths becomes darker then there will be less radiation reflected, thus more is absorbed. if the earths surface becomes lighter than more radiation is reflected, less is absorbed.

Question 4

Green House Effect

Answer 4

The green house effect when there are excess gasses that get trapped in our atmosphere. Because the earth is heating up and emitting radiation back out at longer wavelength, the atmosphere traps the heat back in. Ultimately heating up the Earths temperature

Question 5

What is the general circulation of the atmosphere?

Answer 5

Refers to large-scale patterns of atmospheres motion that re-distribute heat from the equators to the poles, helping to regulate the Earths temperature.

Question 6

What drives the patterns if general circulation?

Answer 6

As the earth rotates, it creates wind patterns that deflect towards the right in the northern hemisphere and towards the left in the southern hemisphere. The air circulates clockwise in the southern hemisphere or counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere.

Question 7

Hadley cells

Answer 7

Near the equator, solar radiation is most intense, causing warm air to warm and rise. The rising air creates a low-pressure zone. As the air rising, it cools and forms clouds, leading to heavy rainfall in the equatorial regions. At higher altitudes, the cooled air diverges toward the poles, creating the trade winds.

Question 8

Trade winds

Answer 8

Trade winds blow from east to west, meaning they move from the subtropical high-pressure belts (around 30 degrees latitude) toward the equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, they are generally northeast trades, and in the Southern Hemisphere, they are southeast trades.

Question 9

Subpolar Biome

Answer 9

Sub-polar gyres are colder and they have a lot of nutrients

Question 10

Sub tropical Biomes

Answer 10

Sub-tropical biomes gyres are warm, and they don’t have as much nutrients

Question 11

Coriolis effect

Answer 11

The Coriolis effect, caused by the Earth’s rotation, influences the direction of the trade winds. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Coriolis effect deflects the winds to the right, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it deflects them to the left.

Question 12

What is the general circulation of the ocean, and what drives these patterns?

Answer 12

Earth’s rotation, atmospheric circulation patterns, and differences in temperature and salinity.

Question 12

Ekman pumping

Answer 12

Upwelling occurs when surface waters are transported away from a location, leading to the upward movement of deeper, nutrient-rich waters to the surface.

Question 12

Ekman Trasport

Answer 12

The net transport of water across the ocean’s surface is called Ekman transport.
Ekman transport is 90 degrees to the right of the wind direction in the Northern Hemisphere and 90 degrees to the left of the wind direction in the Southern Hemisphere.
Over large areas and timescales, Ekman transport contributes to the formation of ocean currents.

Question 12

What are the major pools and fluxes in the global carbon cycle?

Answer 12

Pools: The terrestrial biosphere, oceans atmosphere and sediment are the major pools.

Fluxes: Photosynthesis, respiration, decay and oceanic absorption/release of CO2 are the major fluxes.

Question 12

Why does the ocean hold so much more carbon compared to the atmosphere?

Answer 12

The ocean holds more carbon because as CO2 dissolves into the ocean surface it reacts with seawater to form bicarbonate (hco3-)and carbon dioxide(CO2^2-). The ocean can also store co2 in its depths for centries.

Question 13

The biological pump?

Answer 13

The biological pump is when the pelagic carbon cycling which consists of organic detritus and its CaCO3 skeleton content pumps carbon and nutrients form the ocean surface to the depth.

Question 13

Turn-Over/Residence time

Answer 13

The less biomass the faster the turnover time is. For example:
- The ocean, don’t have a lot of biomass and so its turning over very quickly which means they only live a few days to a month.
-In terrestrial ecosystems turnover time is longer, it has a lot more biomass which means biomass lives longer.

Question 13

What is the solubility pump?

Answer 13

The solubility pump is when the bottom water formations in the polar seas transport dissolved carbon down into depths where it i stored for thousands of years before returning to the surface (upwelling).

Question 14

Overturing circulation in the ocean

Answer 14

In the winter the north Atlantic water gets cold/salty, it sinks to and water from the south moves northward to replace that sinking water. Overturning circulation absorbs greenhouse gasses. When the gasses reach cool waters they sink down and are buried deep below.