Climate Change Intro Flashcards
What is a climate?
a complex system consisting of the five major components:
- lithosphere
- biosphere
- cryosphere
- atmosphere
- hydrosphere
What is a system?
an arbitrary portion of the universe with fixed or movable boundaries which may contain matter, energy or both
Why is Earth’s climate system unique and so complex?
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
What components comprise the climate system?
- lithosphere
- biosphere
- cryosphere
- atmosphere
- hydrosphere
What is the greenhouse theory of climate change
warming of the surface-troposphere system leads to cooling of the stratosphere
Types of energy transfer?
- Conduction
- Convection
- Radiation
What is enthalpy?
the total heat content within a system
What is entropy?
amount of energy within a system that is not available to do “work”
What is heat?
the amount of energy flowing from one body to another spontaneously due to their temp difference
Climate variability vs climate change
Differentiating between Variability vs Change
is done by matching causes to a forcing agent
Climate change
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
Climate variability
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
What are essential climate variables (ECVs)?
Those quantities with measurable values that define the current state of Earth’s climate system
Most important ECVs?
Atmospheric, oceanic, terrestrial
How are ECV’s collected?
- In Situ
- Remote sensing
What is in situ observation?
measurements obtained by direct contact w/ the sample
What is remote sensing
measurements obtained from a system (usually with a satellite)
What is GCOS
GCOS - a multinational collaboration that involves data from a multidisciplinary
range of physical, chemical and biological properties, and atmospheric, oceanic and
terrestrial processes
What is COOP?
COperative weather Observer Program uses citizen observational data to construct a record of trends for temperature and precipitation Ex: National Weather Service
What is ASOS?
Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) - an automated, electronic system that replaces the need for some of the COOPs manual observations
Limits of COOP and ASOS?
Changes in observational methodology, instrumentation and location have
caused some differences in data
Two types of satellite orbits
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
Two Main Agencies for Satellite Use
in Climate and Weather
- National Aeronautic and Space
Administration….NASA - National Ocean and Atmospheric
Administration…..NOAA
Satellite Meteorology and Climatology Division (SMCD)?
Satellite Meteorology and Climatology Division (SMCD)
conducts research and develops new satellite products
What does the TOPEX/Poseidon measure?
- global sea level change (accuracy better than 5cm)
- measures temps
- measures radiation
What is ARGO
a global system of buoys.
- deployed from boats and drift wherever the ocean takes them
- measure salinity
- sends info back to a satellite receiver
Key ECVs collected by floats
- temperature: a conservative ECV
- thermocline
Proxies
Paleontology
- tree rings
- pollen
- marine sediment
- fossils
- chemical measurements
Two types of statistics
Descriptive - describes data quantitatively
Inferential - tests hypotheses, making predictions, conclusions
Why are tools necessary
Quantitative tools are necessary to organize and make sense of the climate data
