Climate Change Test #1 Flashcards
What is forcing?
Something that directly changes the energy balance.
What makes feedback negative?
Something that counteracts or suppresses the change.
An example is how more heat leads to more cloud formation.
What makes feedback positive?
Something that enhances or accelerates the change.
An example is warming leading to more water vapor in the atmosphere.
How are we disrupting the carbon cycle?
By emitting excess carbon dioxide emissions through land use changes such as deforestation, urbanization, and grazing lands.
What is the relative size of human impact compared to natural impact in the carbon cycle?
Natural carbon fluxes are much larger overall but balanced, while human activities add CO₂ without balancing removal.
How do the ocean and biosphere put carbon in and out of the cycle?
The ocean absorbs carbon when CO₂ dissolves in water and releases it when water warms. The biosphere takes in CO₂ through photosynthesis and releases it through respiration, decay, and wildfires.
What is weather?
The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place.
What is climate?
The average weather conditions of a specific area over a long period of time.
What’s the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is short term while climate is long term and the average of a place.
What is feedback?
A reaction to a change in the energy balance that causes additional changes.
What is a good way to verify if information is correct?
If the information is backed by data and evidence, and comes from an expert.
What is a modern way to measure temperature?
Thermometers and satellites.
How do we know past temperatures?
Through paleoproxies, which are natural records used to reconstruct past climate conditions.
Examples include tree rings and ice cores.
What current geological era are we in?
The Holocene.
Is our current geological era an ice age?
Yes.
What is a glacial period?
A period of ice advance associated with falling temperatures.
What is an interglacial period?
A period of warming between ice ages.
What are energy balances (in and out)?
Energy that comes in is from the sun, and energy that goes out is what the earth radiates back into space.
What happens when there is an energy imbalance?
Excess energy translates to heat.
What type of radiation do we get from the sun?
Ultraviolet, visible light, and infrared which we feel as heat.
What does the earth do with the energy we get from the sun?
Earth absorbs some energy to warm the surface, reflects some back, and emits heat as infrared radiation.
What does the atmosphere do with the energy we get from the sun?
The atmosphere absorbs some energy, reflects some back, and traps heat through the greenhouse effect.
What are the top 3 greenhouse gases?
Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor.
What gases in the atmosphere are not greenhouse gases?
Argon, oxygen, nitrogen.
How does albedo make a difference?
Albedo is the reflectivity of sunlight on surfaces, helping keep the earth cool.
How does continental drift make a difference?
It changes ocean currents, climate zones, and the carbon cycle by shifting landmasses.
How do greenhouse gases make a difference?
They intercept and re-radiate heat that would otherwise escape to space.
