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ENV 115- Unit 1 > ENV 115 Unit 1 IClicker > Flashcards

ENV 115 Unit 1 IClicker Flashcards

1
Q

What is a “temperature anomaly”?

A

the difference between the actual temperature and a reference temperature

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2
Q

What does the urban heat island effect do?

A

causes the rate of warming to be higher in cities than in rural areas.
and–
by itself is not a large enough effect to explain all of the warming since industrialization

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3
Q

Over the past 150 years, global average temperature has…

A

increased in two steps, with several decades of more rapid warming separated by several decades of stable temperatures

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4
Q

About how much has average global temperature increased over the past 150 years?

A

1 degree Celsius

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5
Q

What is true about temperature measurements from satellites and surface thermometers?

A

They are two independent measurements of temperature that generally agree and provide confirmation of global warming.

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6
Q

Where on Earth are surface temperatures increasing most rapidly?

A

high northern latitudes

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7
Q

Where on Earth is most of the energy derived from global warming going?

A

Into the ocean

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8
Q

What do studies of mountain glaciers indicate?

A

the on-going retreat of mountain glaciers is largely the result of increasing summer temperature

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9
Q

What is the largest source of meltwater to the oceans?

A

Glaciers

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10
Q

Approximately how much has the sea level risen during the last 100 years?

A

17 cm at a recently accelerating rate

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11
Q

In climate science, “attribution” is the process of what?

A

Determining the most likely causes for the observed changes.

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12
Q

True or False: Solar irradiance and sunspot activity are correlated, with increases in sunspot activity corresponding to higher levels of solar irradiance,

A

True

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13
Q

True or False: Satellite data show that solar irradiance has been overall increasing over the past 50 years.

A

False

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14
Q

True or False: Volcanoes emit sulfur gases that form sulfate aerosols that cool the Earth surface.

A

True

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15
Q

True or False: Volcano eruptions, especially when occurring in clusters, can significantly impact climate of multiple decades by injecting large quantities of aerosols into the atmosphere.

A

True

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16
Q

What was the main reason for Earth’s early atmosphere to be so warm despite the Sun being 30% less bright?

A

Methane acted as a potent greenhouse gas, trapping heat.

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17
Q

What pattern do we observe in Earth’s climate over the last 800,000 years, and what is its relationship to CO2 levels?

A

A sawtooth pattern of alternating ice ages and warm periods, with a strong relationship between temperature and CO2 levels.

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18
Q

Why are coal, natural gas, and oil referred to as “fossil fuels,” and how does their formation relate to the carbon cycle during the time of the dinosaurs?

A

They formed from dead plant matter that accumulated during the time of the dinosaurs, which locked away large amounts of carbon over millions of years.

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19
Q

Which is true regarding global average temperature during the current interglacial period (Holocene) prior to industrialization?

A

temperature rose during the first half (6000 years) and then decreased during the second half
–and–
temperature did not change by more than about 1*C during this period

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20
Q

How can the current scientific understanding of climate trends over the past 2000 years be reflected?

A

The rate of warming over the past 50 years is unprecedented in more than 2000 years, and the magnitude of warming is the highest in over 100,000 years.

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21
Q

Describe the Little Ice Age

A

A period of regional cooling, lasting from the 14th to the mid-19th century, which was marked by colder winters and the expansion of glaciers in parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

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22
Q

Climate skeptics often refer to the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) as evidence against the need for concern over current climate change. What is their main argument regarding the MWP?

A

The MWP was just as warm or warmer than today and humanity thrived during that time, so there is no need to worry about current warming.

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23
Q

What is the current understanding of global temperature during the Medieval Warm Period based on studies from various regions?

A

The MWP experienced uneven warming across different parts of the world, with some areas warmer and others cooler, and the timing of the warmth varied by region.

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24
Q

How did the Medieval Warm Period affect the ancestral Puebloans in the southwestern US?

A

The warmth during the MWP triggered a 50-year mega-drought, leading to food shortages and abandonment of settlements.

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25
Q

True or False: visible light, x-rays, and radio waves are all forms of electromagnetic radiation.

A

True

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26
Q

Which type of radiation has the longest wavelength out of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared?

A

Infrared

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27
Q

The infrared camera detected no heat signal after the tube was filled with CO2 because…

A

CO2 absorbs infrared radiation, preventing it from reaching the camera.

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28
Q

The greenhouse effect refers to…

A

transmission of solar energy through the atmosphere
and–
the radiation of infrared energy from the Earth
and–
the absorption and re-emission of radiation by some atmospheric gases

28
Q

How does the greenhouse effect warm the Earth’s surface air temperature?

A

It traps heat in the atmosphere by absorbing and re-emitting infrared radiation

29
Q

True or False: The observed cooling of the lower stratosphere is evidence that the human-enhanced greenhouse effect is responsible for global warming.

A

True

30
Q

Which gas accounts for most of the natural greenhouse effect on Earth?

A

H2O

31
Q

Which process is responsible for moving carbon from the atmosphere into the biosphere?

A

photosynthesis

32
Q

True or False: The amount of CO2 in the global atmosphere is the highest each year just before the onset of photosynthesis during the Northern Hemisphere spring.

A

True

33
Q

During Northern Hemisphere spring/summer, global atmospheric CO2 levels decrease because…

A

of hemispheric-scale plant growth

34
Q

True or False: The largest natural source of methane is the decay of vegetation in wetlands.

A

True

35
Q

What is the true about permafrost?

A

It occurs across large regions of the Arctic
and—
it contains abundant organic matter, which can generate CO2 and CH4 once it’s thawed

36
Q

How does ozone contribute to global warming?

A

the addition of ozone into the troposphere

37
Q

Weather and climate are both expressions of the movement of ______ through the atmosphere.

A

Energy

38
Q

Which is not one of the five primary components of the climate system?
Air
Gravity
Water
Ice
Rock

A

Gravity

39
Q

Besides gases, air (the atmosphere) also contains:
Aerosols
Ice crystals
Water droplets
All of the above ^

A

All of the above

40
Q

Which of the following parts of the lithosphere (rocks) are NOT mentioned as affecting the climate system?

A

The Earth’s core

41
Q

How have the primary sources of human CO2 emissions changed through time?

A

Prior to the 1940s, the primary source was land clearance, and then, fossil fuels have become the dominant source.

42
Q

True or False: The total amount of carbon entering the ocean and biosphere has been increasing since industrialization.

A

True

43
Q

Since industrialization, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased how much?

A

about 140 ppm

44
Q

What happens to atmospheric carbon concentrations once carbon emissions level off?

A

They continue to rise, but at a slower rate because emissions are still adding carbon to the atmosphere

45
Q

What is NOT evidence that the CO2 in the atmosphere is from human sources?

A

Global average temperature has been rising along with the buildup of CO2.

46
Q

Which one of the following is not an aerosol?
ozone
mineral dust
soot
sulfate droplets

A

Ozone

47
Q

What is true regarding aerosols?
a. the add to the greenhouse effect
b. they tend to cool the atmosphere through direct and indirect processes

A

B

48
Q

How do aerosols cool the Earth’s surface?

A

Directly by scattering and absorbing incoming solar radiation, and indirectly by acting as cloud and condensation nuclei, which alter could properties to reflect more sunlight.

49
Q

Is the increase in planetary albedo caused by an increase in the extent of the ice and snow an example of a canceling (negative) or reinforcing (positive) feedback?

A

Reinforcing/positive feedback

50
Q

How can the IPCC’s conclusion about human-caused warming be described?

A

It is extremely likely that humans are the dominant cause of the warming.

51
Q

Which one is the weakest evidence that global warming is caused by the build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere:
a. the lower stratosphere is cooling
b. sea level is rising
c. CO2 levels generally track global average temperature over multiple time scales
d. climate models don’t track the historic temperature rise without including CO2.

A

b. sea level is rising

52
Q

The total value of goods and services produced by an economy is known as what?

A

Gross domestic product

53
Q

In the I=PAT relation, when people get richer, which term changes most?

A

A

54
Q

Which emission scenario storyline is associated with the most effective climate change mitigation?

A

SSP1

55
Q

The “4.5” in the “SSp2-4.5” refers to:

A

4.5 W/m2 increase in the radiative forcing in 2100

56
Q

According to the IEA report, what is the significance of 2023?

A

It might be the year when emissions from fossil fuels peak.

57
Q

According to the IEA report, what has already peaked, signally a potential decline in emissions?

A

Sales of internal combustion engine cars and installation of fossil fuel heating systems.

58
Q

What does the STEPS scenario in the IEA report refer to?

A

A future scenario where countries follow stated energy policies

59
Q

True or False: In the medium emissions scenario, CO2 concentration doubles, (560 ppm) relative to the pre-industrial by the end of the century.

A

True.

60
Q

True or False: Atmospheric CO2 concentrations will begin to decline as soon as emissions peak.

A

False

61
Q

Under the low emissions scenario (SSP1-2.6) what happens to the atmospheric CO2 concentrations after mid-century?

A

CO2 concentrations peak around mid-century and decrease after 2070 due to CO2 removal.

62
Q

How can climate models simulating future climate be best described?

A

By solving mathematical representations of the climate system based on the laws of physics and informed by observations.

63
Q

True or False: One approach to checking the reliability of climate models is to compare their output to the historically observed climate.

A

True

64
Q

What are climate models best suited for?

A

Simulating changes in global average temperature in response to large-scale radiative forcings
NOT replicating local-scale climate variations

65
Q

Which of the following best describes the purpose of a carbon budget in the context of climate change mitigation?

A

It provides a limit on CO2 emissions to avoid surpassing a specific level of global temperature increases.

66
Q

Each individual curve on the graph of multiple climate model predictions represents a different what?

A

Climate model simulation

67
Q

Which of the following statements best describes what this 95% uncertainty envelope indicates?

A

95% of the model simulations fall within the range.

ENV 115- Unit 1 (1 decks)

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