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Science > Climate Change > Flashcards

Climate Change Flashcards

1
Q

As mountain ranges form, _______ climates change.

A

Regional

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2
Q

What is the difference between regions with large bodies of water, and those regions without large bodies of water?

A

When surrounded by large bodies of water, you get more moderate climate, when you have fewer large bodies of water you get harsher winters and hotter summers.

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3
Q

Explain how eccentricity, precession and tilt contribute to interglacial and glacial periods.

A

Earth’s orbit around the sun changes due to eccentricity, tilt and its wobble.

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4
Q

What is Albedo?

A

A measure of how much of the suns radiation is reflected by a surface.

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5
Q

Ice and snow have high Albedo (therefore it’s ____)

A

Cold

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6
Q

Grass and trees have a low albedo (therefore it’s _____)

A

Warm

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7
Q

What is the albedo effect?

A

An increase in the earths temperature causes ice to melt, so more radiation is absorbed by earths surface, leading to further increases in temperature.

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8
Q

The albedo effect is a ______ feedback loop

A

Positive

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9
Q

In terms of climate, what is considered a short period of time?

A

10s to 100s of years.

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10
Q

How can volcanoes affect climate short term?

A

More dust in the air inhibits the suns energy from reaching that area causing it to cool down

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11
Q

What is El Niño?

A

Change in prevailing winds lead to a change in the direction of ocean currents which causes drastic changes in climate.

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12
Q

What are proxy records?

A

Stores of information in tree rings, ice cores, and fossils that can be measured to give clues to what the climate was like in the past.

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13
Q

The suns radiation reaches earths surface at different _______

A

Intensities

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14
Q

Water and land absorb energy at _________

A

Different rates

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15
Q

Water absorbs _____ thermal energy than air

A

More

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16
Q

Thermal energy is _______ from areas that receive _______ of radiation to areas that receive _______ radiation

A

Transported, a lot, less

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17
Q

Is cold or hot air more dense?

A

Cold

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18
Q

Is hot or cold water more dense?

A

Cold

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19
Q

What does the uneven heating of air or water create?

A

Currents

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20
Q

A circular current in air and other fluids (water) caused by the _____ of warm fluid as cold fluid _______

A

Rising, sinks

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21
Q

As warm air rises, it creates an area of ____ pressure below it

A

Low

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22
Q

As cool air falls, it creates an area of ____ pressure

A

High

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23
Q

Air flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure - this makes air currents or ______

A

Wind

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24
Q

High and low pressure along with the rotation of the earth causes winds that curve around the globe in the ____________ almost all the time

A

Same direction

25
Q

As water travels to the poles, it gets colder and saltier and therefore ____ dense

A

More

26
Q

Dense water at the poles will _______ to the ocean floor

A

Sink

27
Q

Warm ocean currents ______ the air above them which moves to the land and produces rain

A

Heat

28
Q

Cold ocean currents ______ the air above them causing cool, dry air to reach the land creating desert areas

A

Cool

29
Q

What is the greenhouse effect?

A

It is a natural process that has been happening for hundreds of years. Gases and clouds absorb infrared radiation emitted from earths surface and radiate it, heating the atmosphere and earths surface.

30
Q

What are greenhouse gases?

A

Any gas in the atmosphere that absorbs lower energy infrared radiation

31
Q

Name the greenhouse gases

A 
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Carbon dioxide
Water vapour
Methane
Ozone
Nitrous oxide
32
Q

Which gases have the highest contributions to the greenhouse effect?

A

Carbon dioxide
Water vapour
Methane

33
Q

What is a positive feedback loop?

A

A continuous cycle of cause and effect

A produces more of B which in turn produces more of A

34
Q

What are 3 examples of positive feedback loops?

A

Water vapour + temp
CO2 + temp
Albedo effect

35
Q

What is negative feedback loops?

A

A Self regulation system that works to maintain stability

Ex. Thermostat

36
Q

When was the industrial era?

A

1750

37
Q

What does anthropogenic mean?

A

Human influenced

38
Q

What are the anthropogenic gases?

A

Carbon dioxide
Methane
Nitrous oxide
Chlorofluorocarbons

39
Q

What anthropogenic sources cause carbon dioxide?

A

Burning fossil fuels (coal, gasoline)

Deforestation

40
Q

What anthropogenic sources causes methane?

A

Agricultural activities-rice farming, cattle ranching

Landfills and sewage treatment plants- methane is created when organic material decays

Coal mining and natural gas extraction

41
Q

What anthropogenic sources cause Nitrous oxide?

A

Management of livestock feed and waste

Use of nitrogen fertilizers

42
Q

What anthropogenic sources causes CFCs?

A

No natural sources of CFCs

Leaks out of refrigerators and ACs

43
Q

How does an increase in atmospheric CO2, affect the global temperature?

A

More GHG causes more infrared radiation back to earth causes higher temps

44
Q

As the surface of the earth warms up from the suns energy it gains ______ energy and then converts it to ________ _______ radiation

A

Thermal, low-energy infrared

45
Q

The amount of energy ______ by earths system is equal to the amount of energy earths system _______ from the sun

A

Radiated, absorbs

46
Q

Because of this balance of energy, earths global temperature stays ______ _______

A

Fairly consistent

47
Q

The balance between energy _______ from the sun and energy _______ from earth ensures that earths global temperature remains fairly consistent

A

Absorbed, emitted

48
Q

Without a climate system, the earth would still reach an energy ______ however, earth would be much _____

A

Equilibrium, colder

49
Q

The energy from the sun is ______ ______ near the earths equator since it hits earths surface directly

A

More intense

50
Q

Energy from the sun is ______ _____ near the earths equator since it hits earths surface directly

A

More intense

51
Q

Energy from the sun is ______ ________ near the two poles since energy hits earths surface at an angle and spreads over a larger area

A

Less intense

52
Q

What is weather?

A

Atmospheric conditions, including temperature, precipitation, wind and humidity in a particular location over a short period of time.

53
Q

What is climate?

A

The usual pattern (the average) of the weather in a region over a long period of time (usually 30 years)

The climate of a region determines the types of plants and animals that live there

54
Q

What are the factors affecting the climate?

A 
Distance from equator (latitude)
Presence of large bodies of water
Presence of ocean and air currents
Land formations
Height above sea level (altitude)
55
Q

What is the climate system?

A

The complex set of components that interact with each other to produce earths climate

56
Q

What components include the climate system?

A

Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Lithosphere
Living things

57
Q

What is the climate system lowered by?

A

The sun

58
Q

The energy that earth receives from the sun interacts with the components of the climate system to produce ____ _____

A

Climate zones

59
Q

What happens when radiation contacts a particle of matter?

A
  1. The radiation may be absorbed by the particle to gain energy
  2. The radiation may be transmitted through the particle
  3. The radiation may be reflected off the particle

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