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climate change > Climate Change > Flashcards

Climate Change Flashcards

1
Q

Weather

A

Atmospheric conditions (e.g. temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity) in a particular location over a short period of time (e.g. day, week)

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2
Q

Climate

A

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

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3
Q

Traditional climate zones

A

Classified based on temperature, precipitation and vegetation

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4
Q

Ecoregions (new climate zones)

A

Classified based on the ecology of the region (landforms, vegetation, soil, etc)

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5
Q

Bioclimate profiles

A

Show temperature + moisture conditions (the climate) at a given location

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6
Q

Climate system

A

Set of components that interact w/ each other to produce Earth’s climate

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7
Q

Infrared vs ultraviolet radiation

A

Infrared: long wavelength, low energy
Ultraviolet: short wavelength, high energy

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8
Q

Difference between wavelength and frequency
*Energy is represented by a wave

A

Wavelength: length of one cycle
Frequency: # of cycles per second

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9
Q

When radiation contacts a particle of matter, it may _____________, _____________, or _____________ the particle

A

be absorbed by
transmitted through
reflected off

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10
Q

What percent of the Sun’s radiation is absorbed? What percent is reflected back to space?

A

30% reflected back
70% absorbed

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11
Q

Plants trap ______% of the energy for photosynthesis

A

<1

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12
Q

The amount of energy Earth’s system absorbs from the sun =

A

The amount of energy radiated by Earth’s system (emits mostly IR)

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13
Q

Do dark or light surfaces absorb more energy?

A

Dark surfaces: absorb more energy
Light surfaces: reflect more energy

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14
Q

Conduction

A

Energy is transferred through contact from the hotter to the less hot object

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15
Q

Convection

A

Heat cycles through air/water due to the movement of particles

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16
Q

Radiation

A

Transfer of energy that doesn’t require a medium (through a vacuum)

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17
Q

Why are regions near the equator warmer?

A
  • Sun shines directly overhead
  • Sunlight passes through less of the atmosphere (less radiation absorbed + reflected by atmosphere)
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18
Q

4 components of the climate system

A
  1. Atmosphere
  2. Hydrosphere
  3. Lithosphere
  4. Biosphere (living things)
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19
Q

The atmosphere contains 5 layers:

A
  • Troposphere
  • Stratosphere
  • Mesosphere
  • Thermosphere
  • Exosphere
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20
Q

Ozone in the stratosphere vs in the troposphere

A

O3 in the stratosphere: prevents most of the Sun’s harmful energy (UV radiation) from reaching us

O3 in the troposphere: UV radiation combines with exhaust from cars + produces ozone gas at ground level

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21
Q

Energy is __________ when water evaporates

A

absorbed (this cools the surroundings)

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22
Q

Energy is __________ when water condenses

A

given off (this warms the surroundings)

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23
Q

Why does water heat up/cool down more slowly than land?

A

Has more thermal energy

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24
Q

Regions near a large body of water have _________ summers and _________ falls

A

cooler, warmer

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25
Q

Do regions downwind from a large body of water have more or less snowfall in the winter?

A

More
(Air passing over the water can absorb water vapour, which condenses as snow when it reaches land)

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26
Q

Why does the leeward side of a mountain (side that is away from the wind) receive little rain?

A

On the windward side, the air is forced upward. As it goes up, it cools down, and cooler air can’t hold as much water vapour, so it is lost as rain.

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27
Q

Why is the atmospheric pressure lower at high altitudes?

A

There is less air above pushing down

28
Q

How do plants + animals change the amount of gases in the atmosphere?

A

Photosynthesis, cellular respiration, some animals/organisms produce methane gas as they digest food

29
Q

Describe the Greenhouse Effect

A
  • Earth’s surface absorbs some of the Sun’s energy + emits it back out to space
  • Gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap much of the IR + radiates it in all directions (~half the radiation gets sent back toward Earth’s surface –> this trapped energy keeps Earth’s temp higher than it would otherwise be)
30
Q

4 main greenhouse gases

A

Carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane, nitrous oxide

31
Q

CO2 makes up a small percentage of all the gases in the atmosphere, but causes up to ______ of the greenhouse effect

A

1/4

32
Q

Carbon sinks

A

Remove CO2 from the atmosphere & stores the carbon in another form

e.g.
- Plants capture CO2 during photosynthesis
- In the ocean, CO2 dissolves & some forms calcium carbonate

33
Q

Feedback loop

A

Process in which the result acts to influence the original process

34
Q

Feedback loop between water vapour and high temperatures

A

High temperatures lead to more water vapour (water evaporates more readily + warmer air can hold more water vapour)

More water vapour leads to higher temperatures (water vapour is a greenhouse gas that traps energy, Earth becomes warmer)

35
Q

Methane can absorb _____ times more thermal energy than CO2

A

23

36
Q

Nitrous oxide can absorb _____ times more thermal energy than CO2

A

300

37
Q

Why don’t nitrogen gas + oxygen gas trap infrared radiation?

A

They have 2 identical atoms that can only vibrate 1 way (back and forth)

38
Q

Why do greenhouses trap infrared radiation?

A

Have 3 or more atoms that can vibrate in many ways + absorb energy

39
Q

The climate system transports thermal energy from areas that receive more radiation to…

A

Areas that receive less

40
Q

Why are oceans especially important as a heat sink?

A

Water can absorb more thermal energy than air

41
Q

Warmer air: Ocean absorbs energy from air
Cooler air:

A

Ocean releases energy into air

42
Q

Convection current

A

Colder air is more dense, so it falls and pushes the warmer air up. The warmer air spreads out toward the poles, cools, and sinks.

43
Q

What causes air currents (wind)?

A

Air tends to flow from areas of high pressure (near equator) to areas of low pressure (near poles)

44
Q

How do prevailing winds impact the climate?

A
  • Passes over ocean, picks up water vapour and brings rain when it reaches land
  • Passes over North Pole, becomes cold and dry, makes the regions it reaches colder + drier
45
Q

Thermohaline circulation

A
  • Water at the poles is colder and saltier, sea ice rejects the salt when it freezes, leaving the remaining water saltier
  • The coldness and saltiness make the water at the poles more dense + the water sinks to the ocean floor
  • Warmer water from the equator flows toward the poles to take its place
46
Q

Positive vs. negative feedback loop

A

Positive feedback loop: effect increases original cause
Negative feedback loop: effect decreases original cause

47
Q

Albedo

A

The amount of radiation reflected by a surface
(Earth’s average albedo is 0.3)

48
Q

Describe the albedo effect (warming)

A

Ice melts –> less radiation reflected by ice –> Earth’s temperature increases

49
Q

Describe the albedo effect (cooling)

A

More ice forms –> more radiation reflected by ice –> Earth’s temp decreases

50
Q

Proxy records

A

Stores of information in tree rings, ice cores & fossils that tell us what the climate was like in the past

51
Q

What information do ice cores give?

A

Can test the air bubbles in different parts of the ice core for various gases –> establishes how much was in the air at that time

Can test for oxygen –> lighter oxygen atoms gets trapped when it’s colder

They preserve layers of dust, which gives info on precip and volcanic eruptions

52
Q

What information do tree rings give?

A

Trees create one growth ring per year
Warm, wet year = thick ring
Cold, dry year = thin ring

53
Q

What information do corals give?

A

Corals add layers of growth each season

Info from coral layers helps determine the temp of the water when each layer was growing

54
Q

What information do fossils + ocean sediment give?

A

Layers of soil and sediment always building up on ground + ocean floor

These layers contain different species of pollen that give clues to the local environment

Sometimes, fossils of unexpected species discovered because the local climate used to be very different

55
Q

What information do caves give?

A

The minerals dissolved in dripping water solidify into rock

These rock formations grow faster in rainy weather

Determines how much precip occurred at specific times in the past

56
Q

7 pieces of evidence of a changing climate

A
  1. Rising temperatures
  2. Melting ice
  3. Rising sea level
  4. Severe weather events (e.g. hurricanes, heat waves)
  5. Changes in precipitation patterns
  6. Changing seasons
  7. Changes in ecosystems
57
Q

2 main reasons for rising sea levels

A
  • When ice melts, water runs into the oceans
  • Thermal expansion, water expands slightly when it warms up
58
Q

Describe the changes in ecosystems

A
  • Plants flowering earlier + animals breeding earlier
  • Animal + plant communities moving north
  • Undesirable insects/plants moving to regions where, in the past, it was too cold for them to survive
59
Q

Anthropogenic greenhouse gases

A

Human-produced greenhouse gases

60
Q

Main anthropogenic greenhouse gases

A

Carbon dioxide
Methane
Nitrous Oxide
Chlorofluorocarbons

61
Q

How do we produce carbon dioxide?

A
  • Burning fossil fuels
  • Deforestation
    (stops forest from absorbing carbon + as the leftover forest waste decomposes, it releases previously absorbed carbon back into the atmosphere as CO2)
62
Q

How do we produce methane?

A
  • Agricultural activities
  • Decay of organic material
  • Coal mining + natural gas extraction
  • Deforestation
63
Q

How do we produce nitrous oxide?

A
  • Most comes from the management of livestock feed and waste
  • Rest comes from nitrogen fertilizers, certain industrial processes and fossil fuel use
64
Q

How do we produce CFCs?

A

No natural sources of CFCs
- Leak out of refrigerators and air conditioners
- Released by industrial processes

65
Q

Anthropogenic greenhouse effect

A

Amount of lower-energy infrared radiation trapped by the atmosphere is increasing, leading to an increase in Earth’s avg global temp (humans are enhancing the natural greenhouse effect)

66
Q

Describe the feedback loop between CO2 and global temperatures

A

CO2 traps thermal energy –> global temperatures increase –> more carbon dioxide is released from carbon sinks

67
Q

When are forests a source / sink of carbon?

A

Sink: healthy
Source: insect damages (speeds up decomposition by killing trees), wildfires and deforestation

climate change (1 decks)

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