Climate System & Climate Change

Question 1

What are the five components that define Earth’s climate system?

Answer 1

1. Sun
2. Atmosphere
3. Oceans
4. Water
5. Land Surface

Question 2

What is the role of the sun in defining Earth’s climate system?

Answer 2

Solar radiation is the external source of energy that drives the climate system.

Question 3

What is the role of the atmosphere in defining Earth’s climate system?

Answer 3

The atmosphere has several layers that absorb harmful shortwave radiation, it also regulates Earth’s temperature.

Question 4

What is the role of the oceans in defining Earth’s climate system?

Answer 4

Covering 70% of the planet’s surface, oceans absorb tremendous amounts of energy and tend to retain and slowly release this heat.

Question 5

What is the role of water in defining Earth’s climate system?

Answer 5

Phases of water that include liquid, frozen, and vapor all have distinctive influences on the heat generated or retained at the planet’s surface.

Question 6

What is the role of land surface in defining Earth’s climate system?

Answer 6

What the surface is covered by (dark v. light colored surfaces) dictates the amount of energy reflected or absorbed.

Question 7

What is “albedo”?

Answer 7

Albedo Is the measure of reflectivity of a surface, expressed as a percentage. A surface that is light in color will reflect more energy than it absorbs
ex. snow, ice, glaciers, icebergs / cryosphere is very reflective

Question 8

Why albedo an important factor when evaluating the temperature of the planet?

Answer 8

Surfaces that are darker (like concrete) have low albedos which means they absorb energy causing heating, whereas light colored surfaces (like ice) have high albedos and they reflect the energy back up to the atmosphere.
When ice melts, the sea warms because the energy isn’t being reflected since water absorbs the energy more and this results in more ice loss (positive feedback).

Question 9

What is a “heat island”?

Answer 9

Cities are generally paved with cement and asphalt, these surfaces absorb incoming energy from the sun. It leads to a situation where the temperature is warmer in the city than the surrounding rural areas.

Question 10

What is the role of the atmosphere in distributing heat around the planet?

Answer 10

Convective cells drive the circulation of air in the atmosphere.
Solar energy heats the air near Earth’s equator, that air then becomes less dense and rises upward. As this air rises, it cools and becomes less dense in comparison to the air around. It then spreads out and descends back toward the equator again.

Question 11

what is the role of the ocean in distributing heat around the planet?

Answer 11

The ocean conveyor belt operates on the basis of a thermohaline gradient.
Cold salty water developed at the Arctic and Antarctic assist in moving water and generating a consistent current that transports it into the Atlantic Ocean. This process results in a significant sea to air transfer of heat from the ocean to the atmosphere, which is then moved toward Europe by prevailing winds.

Question 12

What is the natural greenhouse effect? What are the contributing gases?

Answer 12

Natural GHG effect is mostly associated with water vapor in the atmosphere (counts for 65% of the natural warming)
Other Contributors - 25% CO2, 10% other gases

Question 13

What is the cultural greenhouse effect? The contributing gases?

Answer 13

Increased concentration of naturally occurring gases as well as the development of new ones due to human activities.
ex. Industrial Revolution (increased concentrations of CO2 and methane, as well as the human creation of CFC’s)

Question 14

What is the relative strength of methane in comparison to CO2 (assigned value of one)?

Answer 14

CH4 is 25x more powerful than CO2

Question 15

What is the relative strength of nitrous oxide in comparison to CO2 (assigned value of one)?

Answer 15

N2O is 300x more powerful than CO2

Question 16

What is the relative strength of CFC ‘s in comparison to CO2 (assigned value of one)?

Answer 16

CFC’S are 5000x more powerful than CO2

Question 17

How are scientists able to evaluate the geological record of atmospheric conditions with modern measurements? What are the conclusions made from this evaluation?

Answer 17

1. Scientists use Lake Vostoc Antarctic ice core data to evaluate the atmospheric conditions. The ice core shows the previous state of the atmosphere and with the information of how the atmosphere was composed, comparisons are able to be made with measurements of the current atmosphere.
2. This data showed that concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have never been higher than they are currently.

Question 18

The observed planetary temperatures of today are, on average, warming at 0.75C. Why is the Arctic more than 4C warmer?

Answer 18

The phenomenon is called Arctic amplification and has been linked to ice albedo influence.
Retreating sea ice results in more absorption of energy in the Dark Ocean, this causes an amplification of temperature increases. The increase of oceanic temperature results in more sea ice retreating.

*Because of the loss of sea ice, the Arctic is facing a positive feedback loop of continual melting and heating.

Question 19

What are the impacts of Arctic amplification in relation to sea ice? How will this affect all aspects of our lives in the very near future?

Answer 19

Arctic amplification is driving ice sheet melt, sea levels rise, more intense Arctic fire seasons, as well as permafrost melt.

1. Damage
   - infrastructure
   - ecosystems
2. Increased Emissions
   - increased global heating

Question 20

What are the impacts of Arctic amplification in relation to the Greenland ice sheet? How will this affect all aspects of our lives in the very near future?

Answer 20

Arctic amplification has caused Greenland land based glaciers to melt. This is causing glacial calving to occur at an accelerated rate and is drastically contributing to a rise in sea levels.

1. Increase In Sea Levels
2. Large Input of Freshwater Into Ocean
   - disrupt the thermohaline gradient
   - cause ocean circulation to slow drastically; cool Europe and reduce fish production.

Question 21

What are the impacts of Arctic amplification in relation to permafrost soils? How will this affect all of our lives in the very near future?

Answer 21

Permafrost soils are undergoing rapid melt that is associated with positive feedback responses to the melting of the Arctic.

1. Thawing
   - Damage to infrastructure
   - Risk of erosion
   - Threat of carbon stores being released into the atmosphere at a large scale.
2. Accelerated decomposition
   - decomposition without oxygen present results in the production of methane; if permafrost thaws, an immediate pulse of GHG’s would be released at a large scale