Climate Change Flashcards
Weather
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.
Climate
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.
Altitude
the height above sea level.
Latitude
distance from the equator
Temperature
air molecules bumping into each other at what temperature. CO2 is correlated with temperature (but not a direct cause) due to the GHE.
Thermal Expansion of Water
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”
Greenhouse Gases
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)
Fossil Fuels
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.
Ozone
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.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC)
attacks the ozone and causes it to split. These reactions produce free radicals (chlorine) and causes this reaction to continue indefinitely (Oxidation).
Carbon Sink (short term)
Organisms Upper part of the ocean (marine plants) Land-based and marine animals Vegetation on land Decaying organic matter in soil
Carbon sink (long term)
Intermediate and deep parts of the ocean (marine sediments) Coal deposits Oil deposits Gas deposits Sedimentary rocks (EX: limestone)
Carbon footprint
the total GHG produced due to the consumption fossil fuels by a certain person and/or group through their activities.
greenhouse gas effects
the natural energy trapping process. EX: H2O - clouds form and fall constantly (water cycle), CO2 - stays in atmosphere for 100yrs (reservoir
Methane (CH4)
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.
Nitrous oxide (NO2)
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.
5 Effects of Climate Change
- Ocean acidification
- Increasing sea levels
- Droughts and floods
- More frequent, stronger hurricanes
- 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)
Proxy Record
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.
Feedback Loop
when a result acts to influence the original process. EX: MPB feedback loop
Mountain Pine Beetle
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
Anthropogenic
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.
Factors that affect climate
latitude, altitude, the presence of large bodies of water, ocean, and air currents, and also land formations.
More CO2 = ? = ?
More CO2 = more GHE = Warmer Temperature
Less CO2 = ? = ?
Less CO2 = less GHE = Colder Temperature
Ice Core
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.
Positive Feedback Loop
(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.
Negative Feedback Loop
(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.
