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Geology 150: Climate Change > Climate Change Intro > Flashcards

Climate Change Intro Flashcards

1
Q

What is a climate?

A

a complex system consisting of the five major components:

  • lithosphere
  • biosphere
  • cryosphere
  • atmosphere
  • hydrosphere
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2
Q

What is a system?

A

an arbitrary portion of the universe with fixed or movable boundaries which may contain matter, energy or both

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3
Q

Why is Earth’s climate system unique and so complex?

A

The climate system evolves over time due to its own
internal dynamics and due to forcings like volcanic
eruptions, solar variations and because of human
actions that change the atmosphere and the terrain due
to land use
2. A balance of incoming and outgoing radiation (energy)
maintains a stable global climate
-Land water has existed for most of earth’s life (4.5b years)
-Land water only exists in the narrow range of 0 to 100C

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4
Q

What components comprise the climate system?

A
  • lithosphere
  • biosphere
  • cryosphere
  • atmosphere
  • hydrosphere
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5
Q

What is the greenhouse theory of climate change

A

warming of the surface-troposphere system leads to cooling of the stratosphere

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6
Q

Types of energy transfer?

A
  • Conduction
  • Convection
  • Radiation
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7
Q

What is enthalpy?

A

the total heat content within a system

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8
Q

What is entropy?

A

amount of energy within a system that is not available to do “work”

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9
Q

What is heat?

A

the amount of energy flowing from one body to another spontaneously due to their temp difference

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10
Q

Climate variability vs climate change

A

Differentiating between Variability vs Change

is done by matching causes to a forcing agent

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11
Q

Climate change

A

a change in the state of the climate system, identified
by changes in the average conditions and the
variability of its properties, which persists for an
extended period, typically decades or longer, due to
natural or anthropogenic processes and forcings

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12
Q

Climate variability

A

Change in the behavior of the climate system on all
spatial and temporal scales separate from singular
weather events
– Occur with or without human actions

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13
Q

What are essential climate variables (ECVs)?

A

Those quantities with measurable values that define the current state of Earth’s climate system

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14
Q

Most important ECVs?

A

Atmospheric, oceanic, terrestrial

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15
Q

How are ECV’s collected?

A
  • In Situ

- Remote sensing

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16
Q

What is in situ observation?

A

measurements obtained by direct contact w/ the sample

17
Q

What is remote sensing

A

measurements obtained from a system (usually with a satellite)

18
Q

What is GCOS

A

GCOS - a multinational collaboration that involves data from a multidisciplinary
range of physical, chemical and biological properties, and atmospheric, oceanic and
terrestrial processes

19
Q

What is COOP?

A 
COperative weather Observer
Program uses citizen observational
data to construct a record of trends
for temperature and precipitation
Ex: National Weather Service
20
Q

What is ASOS?

A

Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) - an automated, electronic system that replaces the need for some of the COOPs manual observations

21
Q

Limits of COOP and ASOS?

A

Changes in observational methodology, instrumentation and location have
caused some differences in data

22
Q

Two types of satellite orbits

A

Geostationary - a path through space at the same rate and direction as the Earth (75 W Long & 135 W. Long

Polar - a path through space that follows a fixed plane while Earth rotates on its axis within that plane

23
Q

Two Main Agencies for Satellite Use

in Climate and Weather

A
  1. National Aeronautic and Space
    Administration….NASA
  2. National Ocean and Atmospheric
    Administration…..NOAA
24
Q

Satellite Meteorology and Climatology Division (SMCD)?

A

Satellite Meteorology and Climatology Division (SMCD)

conducts research and develops new satellite products

25
Q

What does the TOPEX/Poseidon measure?

A
  • global sea level change (accuracy better than 5cm)
  • measures temps
  • measures radiation
26
Q

What is ARGO

A

a global system of buoys.

  • deployed from boats and drift wherever the ocean takes them
  • measure salinity
  • sends info back to a satellite receiver
27
Q

Key ECVs collected by floats

A
  • temperature: a conservative ECV

- thermocline

28
Q

Proxies

A

Paleontology

  • tree rings
  • pollen
  • marine sediment
  • fossils
  • chemical measurements
29
Q

Two types of statistics

A

Descriptive - describes data quantitatively

Inferential - tests hypotheses, making predictions, conclusions

30
Q

Why are tools necessary

A

Quantitative tools are necessary to organize and make sense of the climate data

Geology 150: Climate Change (5 decks)

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