Climate Change Flashcards
Why is Venus hotter than Mercury despite it being closer to the sun?
Venus’s atmosphere is 96% CO2. Greenhouse gases and energy flows are important for temperature control.
What is Climate Forcing?
Radiative forcing or climate forcing is the difference between insolation (sunlight) absorbed by the Earth and energy radiated back to space. Changes to Earth’s radiative equilibrium, that cause temperatures to rise or fall over decadal periods, are called climate forcings.
What is albedo?
Albedo is the fraction of light that is reflected back.
What types of radiation do Greenhouse gases absorb and are transparent to?
GHG’s absorb long wave (infared) but are transparent to shortwave (UV) radiation.
What GHG has the highest long wave absorbance?
Water Vapour :O
Where in the atmosphere would one love to see lots of ozone?
The stratosphere - Stratospheric ozone absorbs heat and dangerous radiation from the sun
Where in the atmosphere would one hate to see Ozone?
The Troposphere - Ozone formed in the troposphere due to NOx, CO and VOC’s is bad for health and leads to smog.
How can we measure the temperatures of the distant past?
We can tell past temperatures due to the ice core data from the ratio of Oxygen16 and Oxygen18 Isotopes. Also due to CO2 in the trapped air.
What is the definition of Opaque height and how does it affect climate change?
Idealised height above which is atmosphere that is transparent to IR rays and below which it is opaque to IR rays.
As more GHG are introduced into the atmosphere, the higher the Opaque height becomes and the lower the temperature of it. When the opaque heights temperature is reduced, the energy flow in unbalanced. The only way for the energy flow to become balanced is for the surface temperature of the earth to increase.
What types of clouds have the highest albedo
Low thick clouds
What are the postives and negatives of global warming?
Positives:
-Less cold related deaths :L
Negatives:
- Increase in ocean acidity
- Rising sea levels due to land ice melting
- Reduction of the permafrost
- Increase in severe weather conditions e.g. cyclones, floods etc
- Increase precipitation :(
- Increase draught :’(
- Increase Wildfires :O
- Decrease in biodiversity
- Heat related deaths
What is the Thermohaline circulation system and how may it be affected by the melting of land ice?
The movement of seawater in a pattern of flow dependent on variations in temperature, which give rise to changes in salt content and hence in density. If land ice melts, a high influx of fresh water will sit on top of the ocean due to its lower density, this may completely stop the thermohaline circulation system, causing significant shifts in climate.
Why melting of permafrost detrimental to the environment?
Melting of the permafrosts causes the release of trapped methane to be released into the atmosphere. Methane is a GHG and will cause the surface temperature of the earth to increase….melting more permafrost….releasing more meeefane.
It also structurally important. Its melting has been known to cause erosion, disappearance of lakes, landslides, and ground subsidence.
What was the primary goal of the Paris agreement?
To limit the global temperature increase to 2C, while pursuing efforts to keep it below 1.5C.
What would be the tipping point?
If the global temperature were to increase above 4C :O
