Climate Change

Question 1

Weather

Answer 1

atmospheric conditions in a particular location over a short period of time. EX: temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity. To predict weather, meteorologists gather info around the world using weather stations, weather balloons, satellites, etc.

Question 2

Climate

Answer 2

The usual pattern of weather in a region over a long period of time. Climate is the weather data is collected over 30 years to that climatologists can average results. Climate data shows you expected weather – climate graphs. Scientists can determine data about climate during a particular year from clues in that year’s ice (Scientists get to the ice by drilling & extracting “cores” aka proxy records) and the deeper the drill, the older the sample.

Question 3

Altitude

Answer 3

the height above sea level.

Question 4

Latitude

Answer 4

distance from the equator

Question 5

Temperature

Answer 5

air molecules bumping into each other at what temperature. CO2 is correlated with temperature (but not a direct cause) due to the GHE.

Question 6

Thermal Expansion of Water

Answer 6

sea levels rise because when water is trapped in heat (carbon in the atmosphere), the molecules in water pull further apart which results in the water “expanding”

Question 7

Greenhouse Gases

Answer 7

any gases in the atmosphere that absorbs heat.
Important GHG: CO2 (carbon dioxide), H2O (water)
Less Important GHG: CH4 (methane), O3 (tropospheric ozone), NO2 (nitrous oxide)

Question 8

Fossil Fuels

Answer 8

coal, oil, and natural gas are fossil fuels that are formed from dead plants and animals. Fossil fuels such as coal are long term stores of carbon. Human activities that involve burning of fossil fuels are releasing carbon that was removed a long time ago and stored deep within the earth.

Question 9

Ozone

Answer 9

a chemical that is highly reactive, has a sharp, strong odour like chlorine, and is represented with O3. The ozone layer prevents most of dangerous UV rays from the sun to pass to us and absorbs UV radiation which causes sunburns, skin cancer, and can be harmful to plants. Ozone is mostly found in the stratosphere but 10% of ozone in the troposphere shouldn’t be there because it has toxic and corrosive effects and is a major component of smog.

Question 10

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC)

Answer 10

attacks the ozone and causes it to split. These reactions produce free radicals (chlorine) and causes this reaction to continue indefinitely (Oxidation).

Question 11

Carbon Sink (short term)

Answer 11

Organisms
Upper part of the ocean (marine plants)
Land-based and marine animals 
Vegetation on land
Decaying organic matter in soil

Question 12

Carbon sink (long term)

Answer 12

Intermediate and deep parts of the ocean (marine sediments)
Coal deposits
Oil deposits 
Gas deposits 
Sedimentary rocks (EX: limestone)

Question 13

Carbon footprint

Answer 13

the total GHG produced due to the consumption fossil fuels by a certain person and/or group through their activities.

Question 14

greenhouse gas effects

Answer 14

the natural energy trapping process. EX: H2O - clouds form and fall constantly (water cycle), CO2 - stays in atmosphere for 100yrs (reservoir

Question 15

Methane (CH4)

Answer 15

comes from both natural (animal digestion –from cows–, decomposition), and human sources (mining, landfills) and is about 23x more powerful GHG than CO2 but has fewer molecules in the atmosphere. One molecule of methane can absorb way more thermal energy than CO2.

Question 16

Nitrous oxide (NO2)

Answer 16

more than 300x times more effective than CO2 but has less molecules in the atmosphere and is the byproduct of combustion reactions and is naturally in soil (produced by bacteria) and manure.
↳67% of human sources of nitrous oxide is from agriculture.

Question 17

5 Effects of Climate Change

Answer 17

1. Ocean acidification
2. Increasing sea levels
3. Droughts and floods
4. More frequent, stronger hurricanes
5. Extinction and/or overpopulation of certain animals, insects, plants. (EX: more trees are dying which results in less CO2 being stored and more wildfires because of Mountain Pine Beetles which eat the bark and usually die in the winter, but are now surviving and overpopulating because the earth is getting warmer)

Question 18

Proxy Record

Answer 18

the indirect data gathered from natural sources. EX: the cores that scientist drill and extract from ice to determine climate data during a particular year; the deeper the drill, the older the proxy record.

Question 19

Feedback Loop

Answer 19

when a result acts to influence the original process. EX: MPB feedback loop

Question 20

Mountain Pine Beetle

Answer 20

beetles that eat pine trees in the forests and are causing a lot of trees to die. They usually die in the winter but the one degree change in the temperature is helping them to survive

Question 21

Anthropogenic

Answer 21

human caused. EX: last time when CO2 was very high, humans didn’t exists and it was caused naturally such as various volcanic eruptions, but because of the industrial revolution, the CO2 increased a lot.

Question 22

Factors that affect climate

Answer 22

latitude, altitude, the presence of large bodies of water, ocean, and air currents, and also land formations.

Question 23

More CO2 = ? = ?

Answer 23

More CO2 = more GHE = Warmer Temperature

Question 24

Less CO2 = ? = ?

Answer 24

Less CO2 = less GHE = Colder Temperature

Question 25

Ice Core

Answer 25

what the scientists drill and extract from the ice to determine data about the climate for a particular year. Also known as a proxy record.

Question 26

Positive Feedback Loop

Answer 26

(water cycle) As temperatures rise, more water is evaporated and more energy is trapped, but when the water vapour goes through condensation and forms clouds, it precipitates and produces rain, snow, etc.

Question 27

Negative Feedback Loop

Answer 27

(mountain pine beetles) as temperatures rise, MPB are surviving instead of dying during the winters due to the cold, so the populations of these MPB are increasing which means more trees are dying because these MPB eat the bark of the trees which dries them out and makes the forests more prone to forest fires because if lightning strikes the trees, the dead, dry trees will most likely burn the fastest and start the fire.