climate change

Question 1

What is the difference between climate and weather ?

Answer 1

weather is what we experience day to day and climate is what we expect to happen season to season

Question 2

what are 4 types of natural greenhouse gases? What are the sources of these gases?

Answer 2

-Carbon dioxide
-Methane
-water vapour
-nitrous oxide

Question 3

What are 4 types of manmade (anthropogenic) greenhouse gases? What are the sources of these gases?

Answer 3

-carbon dioxide
-methane
-nitrous oxide
-halocarbons

Question 4

List 2 ways to reduce each one of these manmade greenhouse gases?

Answer 4

carbon dioxide:
methane:
nitrous oxide:
halocarbons:

Question 5

What is the biosphere?

Answer 5

Biosphere is a thin layer of earth that has conditions to sustain life .

Question 6

What “spheres” make up the biosphere?

Answer 6

The biosphere is made up of the atmosphere (air) , lithosphere (land) and hydrosphere (water).

Question 7

What are the layers of the atmosphere? (list one characteristics for each)

Answer 7

Exosphere (outer space)
Considered outer space
Very few particles

Thermosphere
Absorbs the Sun’s energy making it warmer

Mesosphere (‘middle’ layer)
Both temperature and density of air are very low

Stratosphere
Contains the Ozone layer (6-7 km thick)
Temperature rises as altitude rises
Troposphere (max. of 16 km thick )
75% of the atmosphere’s mass
Temperature decrease with altitude.
contains the most moisture
Layer for our weather systems

Question 8

Explain the greenhouse effect.

Answer 8

The greenhouse effect is the way in which heat is trapped close to Earth’s surface by “greenhouse gases.” These heat-trapping gases can be thought of as a blanket wrapped around Earth, keeping the planet toastier than it would be without them.

Question 9

Explain albedo

Answer 9

Albedo is a measure of how much light energy is reflected back to space from a planetary body like Earth. Different surfaces on Earth have a different albedo; polar ice has a high albedo and rainforests have a low albedo, so ice melting or cutting down trees can affect the total albedo and the climate.

Question 10

What are 3 effects of global warming aquatic ecosystems?

Question 11

What are 3 effects of global warming for terrestrial ecosystems?

Question 12

Explain 3 ways we know that global warming is happening (where do we get our data from?)

Question 13

Explain and describe 2 reasons why there are rising sea levels.

Question 14

Why are forest fires so bad for global warming? (2 reasons)

Question 15

Describe 1 unique thing that businesses are doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Question 16

Describe 1 thing that municipal governments are doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Question 17

What is the name of Ontario greenhouse gas emission plan? List the 5 points of the plan.

Question 18

What is the international agreement that Canada has signed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Describe the specifics of this agreement.

Question 19

What is a Carbon Footprint. Why is it important?

Question 20

List 5 things that you can do to help reduce your carbon footprint

Question 21

List 5 things that you might be able to talk your parents into doing to reduce their carbon footprint

Question 22

List 5 things that governments (municipal, provincial, or federal) can do to to reduce their carbon footprint.

Question 23

Explain the Albedo feedback cycle. Is this a positive or negative feedback cycle?

Question 24

What is meant by the term “proxy record”

Question 25

Climate is affected by 6 factors that can be remembered by using the mnemonic LOWER+N. What does each letter stand for.

Question 26

Explain where all energy on earth comes from. How is this energy moved around the earth?

Question 27

Explain why higher latitudes in Europe have warmer climates than similar latitudes in North America.

Question 28

What relationship exists between carbon dioxide and temperature? How do we know this?

Question 29

Define the acronym “ppm”

Question 30

What is the current amount of CO2 in our atmosphere?

Question 31

At what levels do scientists want the CO2 to be?

Question 32

How much has the average temperature on Earth risen? Scientists do not want this increase to go over how many degrees?

Question 33

Define Cap and Trade. How is this different than a carbon tax?

Question 34

What does carbon sequestration mean?