climate change (21) Flashcards
Weather
The state of the atmosphere at any given time
Climate
A description of aggregate weather conditions; the sum of all statistical weather information that helps describe a place or region
Climate System
Exchanges of energy and moisture occurring among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and cryosphere
Cryosphere
The portion of Earth’s surface where water is in solid form, including snow, glaciers, sea ice, freshwater ice, and frozen ground. It is one of the spheres of the climate system.
Five connections between climate and geology
Glaciers Volcanic Activity Human Use of Fossil Fuels Changes in Amount of Ice in the Sea Changes in the Amount of Land Coverage
Proxy Data
Data gathered from natural recorders of climate variability such as tree rings, ice cores, and ocean-floor sediments
Paleoclimatology
The study of ancient climates; the study of climate and climate change prior to the period of instrumental records using proxy data
What are some examples of natural recorders of climate variability?
Glacial Ice Seafloor Sediments Oxygen Isotopes Corals Tree-Growth Rings Fossil Pollen
The higher the 18O/16O ratio, the _____ the climate.
cooler
The lower the 18O/16O ratio, the _____ the climate.
higher
Oxygen-Isotope Analysis
A method of deciphering past temperatures based on the precise measurement of the ratio between two isotopes of oxygen, 16O and 18O. Analysis is commonly made of seafloor sediments and cores from ice sheets,
Dendrochronology
The dating and study of tree rings
What is clean, dry air is composed of?
78% Nitrogen
21% Oxygen
0.93% Argon
0.0405% Carbon Dioxide
Aerosols
Tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere
Troposphere
The lowermost layer of the atmosphere. It is generally characterized by a decrease in temperature with height
Environmental Lapse Rate
The rate at which the temperature decreases in the troposphere
Normal Lapse Rate
6.5 degrees Celsius per kilometer
Radiosonde
A lightweight package of weather instruments fitted with a radio transmitter and carried aloft by a balloon
Stratosphere
The layer of the atmosphere immediately above the troposphere, characterized by increasing temperatures with height, due to the concentration of ozone
Mesophere
The part of the mantle that extends from the core-mantle boundary to the depth of 660 kilometers (aka the lower mantle)
Thermosphere
The region of the atmosphere immediately above the mesosphere and characterized by increasing temperatures due to absorption of very shortwave solar energy by oxygen
How does air pressure changes with an increase in altitude?
Air pressure decreases with increases in altitude
All objects, at any temperature, ____ ____ ____.
emit radiant energy
Hotter objects radiate _____ total energy per unit area than do cooler objects.
more
The hotter the radiating object, the _____ the wavelength of maximum.
shorter
Objects that are good absorbers of radiation are good _____ as well.
emitters
Albedo
The reflectivity of a substance, usually expressed as a percentage of the incident radiation reflected.
What is the planetary albedo?
30%
Greenhouse Effect
The transmission of short-wave solar radiation by the atmosphere coupled with the selective absorption of longer-wavelength terrestrial radiation, especially by water vapor and carbon dioxide, resulting in warming of the atmosphere
Eccentricity
Changes in the shape of the orbit
Obliquity
Variations in the angle that Earth’s axis makes with the plane of its orbit
Precession
The wobbling of the axis
Sunspot
A dark area on the Sun that is associated with powerful magnetic storms that extend from the Sun’s surface deep into the interior
Trace Gases
Gases present in Earth’s atmosphere at concentrations much lower than that of carbon dioxide. Methane and nitrous oxide are important trace gases that absorb outgoing radiation and help warm the atmosphere
Black Carbon
Soot generated by combustion processes and fires
Feedback Mechanism
Various outcomes that may result when on of a complex interactive physical system’s elements is altered
Positive Feedback Mechanism
As used in climatic change, any effect that acts to reinforce the initial change
Negative Feedback Mechanism
As used in climatic change, any effect that is opposite the initial change and tends to offset it
