Climate Change

Question 1

Residence time for fossil fuel pools

long or short

Answer 1

usually long, but we shorten it up by burning these pools for energy

Question 2

ice age unit (quantity)

Answer 2

about 4.5 degrees celsius

Question 3

Turnover rate for biospheric pools

fast or slow

Answer 3

fast

vegetation life is short, so turnover rate is fast

Question 4

4 components in Long term CO2 and temperature feedback loops

Answer 4

1. greenhouse effects/long wave radiation exposure changes
2. ocean temps change
3. changed oceans absorbs varied CO2 from the atmosphere
4. atmospheric CO2 changes

repeat

Question 5

Precession:

Answer 5

1 of 3 natural causes for variations in earth’s CO2/temperature

changes in the DIRECTION of Earth’s tilt

cycles last 19,000-23,000 years

Question 6

Snowball Earth

Answer 6

what the earth would be without greenhouse gases to trap heat on the planet

Question 7

POSITIVE feedback loops

Answer 7

A loop that perpetuates itself but needs outside intervention to stop

Question 8

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs):

Answer 8

gases in the atmosphere that absorb long-wave radiation reflected off Earth’s surface and then re-radiate that heat back toward Earth

Question 9

Climate change

Answer 9

= persistent changes in average weather conditions

Question 10

Fossil fuels

Answer 10

type of carbon pool

fuel sources (such as coal or oil) comprised of remains (organic matter) from organisms that lived in the earth’s geological past.

Question 11

3 Traits of Weather systems

Answer 11

1. chaotic
2. unpredictable
3. long-term

Question 12

Atmospheric pool

Answer 12

type of carbon pool

comprised of the atmosphere

Question 13

Carbon cycle:

Answer 13

describes the movement of carbon through biotic and abiotic components of the Earth system

and/or

movement from pool to pool

Question 14

The 4 Greenhouse Gases

Answer 14

CO2
methane
nitrous oxide
water vapor

Question 15

How we measure carbon levels throughout earth history

Answer 15

1. glacier core samples

Question 16

What plants use carbon for

Answer 16

to make cellulose and legnin

Question 17

Eccentricity:

Answer 17

1 of 3 natural causes for variations in earth’s CO2/temperature

changes in how circular (or ovular) our orbit around the sun is

cycles last ~100,000 years

Question 18

2 ways humans are increasing CO2

Answer 18

1. burning fossil fuels (80%)

2. land use changing/clear cutting (usually forests) (20%)

Question 19

Carbon pools:

Answer 19

reservoirs of Carbon

Question 20

Carbon fixation:

Answer 20

process of converting inorganic carbon into organic carbon compounds in living tissues

Question 21

Obliquity:

Answer 21

1 of 3 natural causes for variations in earth’s CO2/temperature

changes in how tilted Earth’s axis is

cycles last ~41,000 years

Question 22

Carbon fluxes:

Answer 22

movement of carbon from one component of the cycle to another

Question 23

Biospheric pool:

Answer 23

type of carbon pool

comprised of/stored in living tissue

(mostly plants)

Question 24

3 natural causes for variations in earth’s CO2/temperature

Answer 24

1. Earth’s obliquity
2. Earth’s Eccentricity
3. Earth’s Precession

Question 25

inorganic carbon

Answer 25

usually refers to carbon found in the atmosphere (like carbon monoxide) as opposed to in living things

Question 26

Residence time for biospheric pools

long or short

Answer 26

short residence time (respiration, death/ decomposition)

Question 27

3 ways human impact on biospheric carbon pools contributes to climate change

Answer 27

1. cutting down trees that used to absorb carbon
2. burning trees (releasing their carbon)
3. replacing trees with livestock (who release more carbon in methane)

Question 28

Carbon sinks

Answer 28

a pool of carbon pools

exp, from class: forests

Question 29

Why earth’s obliquity, eccentricity, and precession impact variations in CO2/temp

Answer 29

bc they impact the amount of solar radiation the earth is exposed to

still no match for the impact of green house gases, which prevent earth from being a snowball

Question 30

Turnover rate

Answer 30

the rate at which carbon moves from one pool to another

varies by pool

Question 31

Residence time

Answer 31

the amount of time carbon remains in a pool before moving to another

varies by pool

Question 32

glacial period

Answer 32

periods of earth’s history with large ice sheets

aka ice age

Question 33

how INTERglacial periods are shown on a graph

Answer 33

represented by PEAKS in CO2 and temperature averages

Question 34

Turnover rate for atmospheric pools

long or short

Answer 34

usually slow, but we speed it up by burning fossil fuel pools for energy

Question 35

Climate

Answer 35

the prevailing/avg weather conditions in a general area or over a long period.

long term average weather conditions•Predictable based on known factors that drive climatic patterns

Question 36

How Glacial periods are shown on a graph

Answer 36

represented by trophs in CO2 and temperature averages

Question 37

2 phenomena that comprise climate change

Answer 37

1. change in solar radiation

2. change in green house effect

Question 38

negative feedback loops

Answer 38

A loop that can stop itself

Question 39

weather

Answer 39

short term variation in temperature and precipitation

Varies hourly, daily, weekly, seasonally

Question 40

Global Climate Change:

Answer 40

persistent changes in global average weather conditions d/t human activity

the global alteration of Earth’s climate system due to human activity resulting in globally increased temperatures

Question 41

How inorganic carbon gets into plants

Answer 41

carbon gets absorbed from CO2 during photosynthesis

Question 42

Turnover rate for fossil fuel pools

long or short

Answer 42

usually slow, but we speed it up by burning these pools for energy

Question 43

Residence time for atmospheric pools

long or short

Answer 43

usually long, but we speed it up by burning fossil fuel pools for energy

Question 44

interglacial period

Answer 44

periods of earth’s history WITHOUT large ice sheets