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Global Climate Change > Exam 2 > Flashcards

Exam 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Coriolis Force

A

Affects wind direction The apparent deflection of wind and objects relative to the Earth’s surface caused by the rotation of Earth. Deflection right in Northern hemi, left in southern hemi, direction shift increases with latitude.

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2
Q

Three-Cell Model

A
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3
Q

Geostrophic Flow

A

Occurs when pressure gradient force = Coriolis force. Air flows parallel to lines of equal pressure. Rare in nature

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4
Q

Gradient flow results from:

A

a nonuniform pressure gradient

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5
Q

Surface winds are NOT parallel to isobars because:

A

of friction, reduces wind speed, and therefore reduces Coriolis force

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6
Q

Anticyclones

A

air diverges from high pressure areas at surface and is deflected by Coriolis force. Clockwise N, counter S. Effect: descending air that warms and creates clear skies.

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7
Q

Cyclones

A

Air converges toward low pressure center at surface and is deflected by Coriolis force. Counter N, Clockwise S. Effect: ascending air that cools to form clouds.

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8
Q

Unclosed pressure systems are…

A

elongated areas called troughs and ridges

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9
Q

Single Cell Model

A

General movement of atmosphere. Heating at equator causes air to expand upward and diverged towards the poles, eventually sinking to the surface and returning to the equator. Easterly surface winds.

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10
Q

Define easterly winds

A

From east to west

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11
Q

Define westerly winds

A

From west to east

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12
Q

Three Cell Model

A

Divide each hemisphere into three cells: Hadley cell, Ferrel cell, Polar cell. With different air circulation patterns. Describes climate patterns.

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13
Q

Hadley Cell

A

Intense heating at equator creates the equatorial low belt of pressure. Pressure and wind model considered close approx of real world.

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14
Q

ITCZ

A

Intertropical Convergence Zone, region around equator where trade winds of N and S hemispheres come together

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15
Q

Ferrel Cell

A

Circulates surface air between subtropical highs and subpolar lows (middle). Deflected by Coriolis, causing westerlies.

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16
Q

Polar cell

A

circulates surface air between polar highs and subpolar lows. Deflected by Coriolis, causing easterlies.

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17
Q

How accurate are Ferrel and Polar cells?

A

Does not capture real world well.

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18
Q

Semi-permanent pressure cells

A

Instead of cohesive pressure belts, there are semi-perm high and low belts that fluctuate seasonally.

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19
Q

Monsoons are caused by:

A

continental surface heating; seasonal thermal differences between land masses and large bodies of water.

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20
Q

Winter monsoons

A

Dry air flows southward from the Himalayas. Offshore flow.

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21
Q

Summer monsoons

A

Moist air is drawn northward from the equatorial oceans. Onshore flow.

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22
Q

Land cools or heats _______ than water

A

faster

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23
Q

Sea breezes are caused by:

A

heating and cooling differences between land and ocean

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24
Q

How do sea and land breezes travel?

A

Land breeze: during day, land is warmer so air expands and rises and moves towards sea.
Sea breeze: during night, water is warmer, so air moves back to land.

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25
Q

Air mass

A

a volume of air with uniform temp and humidity affecting vast area

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26
Q

continental polar air mass (cP)

A

source: high-latitude continental interiors.
properties: cold, dry, stable, minimal cloud cover

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27
Q

continental arctic air mass (cA)

A

source: highest latitudes of Asia, North America, Greenland, Antarctica.
properties: extremely cold and dry and stable. minimal cloud cover.

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28
Q

Maritime polar air mass (mP)

A

source: high-latitude oceans
properties: cold, damp, cloudy, somewhat unstable

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29
Q

continental tropical air mass

A

source: low-latitude deserts
properties: hot and dry, very unstable

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30
Q

maritime tropical air mass (mT)

A

source: subtropical oceans
properties: warm and humid

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31
Q

Walker Circulation

A

normally trade winds move equatorial surface waters westward, causing higher surface temps and a difference in sea surface height

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32
Q

Warm water creates a surface ______ pressure

A

low

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33
Q

El Nino

A

weakening or reversal of Walker circulation

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34
Q

La Nina

A

strengthening of Walker circulation

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35
Q

El Nino occurs every:

A

two to seven years

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36
Q

El Nino Southern Oscillation

A

ENSO, the change in atmospheric pressure caused by the sea surface temperature change during El Nino events

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37
Q

Southern Oscillation Index

A

SOI, difference in pressure between Tahiti and Australia. Positive/stronger than average during La Nina, Negative/weaker than average during El Nino

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38
Q

Teleconnections

A

Relationships between weather or climate patterns at two widely separated locations. Because pressure systems affect not just local but also the overall jet stream

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39
Q

North Atlantic Oscillation

A

Changing difference in pressure between the two semipermanent cells in the atmosphere above the Atlantic Ocean: Bermuda Azores High and the Icelandic Low

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40
Q

Positive phase of NAO Index

A

pressure gradient greater than normal, intensification and northward shift of polar jet stream, Hanover will have mild wet winter

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41
Q

Negative phase of NAO index

A

pressure gradient less than normal, weakened polar jet stream, Hanover will have increased cold air outbreaks

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42
Q

Front

A

Boundaries between different air masses

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43
Q

Mid latitude cyclones occur at:

A

fronts

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44
Q

Four types of fronts

A

cold, warm, stationary, occluded

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45
Q

Cold front

A

mass of cold air displacing warm air upward, associated with heavy precipitation and rapid temp decrease

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46
Q

Warm front

A

warm air overrunning cold air, associated with shallow clouds and light precipitation

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47
Q

Stationary front

A

neither air mass is displacing the other

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48
Q

Occluded front

A

two cold fronts meet, warm air between is displaced up

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49
Q

Koeppen System

A

climate classification based on temperature and precipitation. Multi-tiered, lettered, first letter responds to latitude, continentality, and topography.

50
Q

What do the three letters in Koeppen System stand for?

A

Classification, winter, summer

51
Q

Climograph

A

graphical representation of a location’s basic climate: monthly average temperature and monthly average precipitation

52
Q

Fast carbon cycle

A

short term carbon movement, largely the movement of carbon through life forms on Earth, the biosphere. Balance between photosynthesis and respiration/decay.

53
Q

Net primary productivity

A

net carbon consumed by plants both on land and in the oceans

54
Q

How much carbon in fast cycle?

A

100 gigatons per year

55
Q

Slow carbon cycle

A

Long term carbon movement, carbon fluxes between rocks, soil, ocean, and atmosphere. Carbon is sequestered in ocean sediments or organic matter embedded in mud.

56
Q

How is carbon sequestered into ocean sediments? In what form?

A

As calcium carbonate

57
Q

Vast majority of carbon exists as ______, but ______ also contain carbon

A

carbon dioxide; methane, CFCs, aerosols

58
Q

Global Warming Potential

A

GWP, a measure of the total energy that a gas absorbs over a particular period of time compared to carbon dioxide. Used to make comparisons across greenhouse gases.

59
Q

Carbon dioxide equivalent

A

amount of CO2 that would cause the same radiative forcing as a given type and amount of a different greenhouse gas. Multiply tons of gas by relevant GWP.

60
Q

Climate change is modeled three ways:

A
  1. integrated assessment models: human systems
  2. climate models: natural systems
  3. assessing impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability
61
Q

Global Climate Model

A

GCM, complex computational models that simulate the Earth’s climate using basic geophysical equations to simulate fluid flow on a spherical surface

62
Q

IPCC projections depend on:

A
  1. emission scenarios = RCPs
  2. socioeconomic change = SSP
63
Q

RCP

A

Representative Concentration Pathway: greenhouse gas concentration trajectories. Number indicates radiative forcing (W/m2) by 2100.

64
Q

SSP

A

Shared Socioeconomic Pathway: narrative outlining broad characteristics of global future: population, GDP, urbanization, education level, technology development

65
Q

Paleoclimate

A

past climates

66
Q

Paleoclimate proxies

A

climates across the broader history of Earth are assessed through indicators of past climates from geological or biological records. Temporally expansive, limited accuracy.

67
Q

Prediction of future climates are temporally ___ spatially _____ and ______ accuracy

A

temporal and spatial coverage limited by computational resources and understanding of the climate system. Limited accuracy.

68
Q

Examples of paleoclimate proxies

A

18O/16O ratio in ice cores (higher = warmer), width of tree rings indicate favorability of growing conditions like temp and precip

69
Q

Do variations in solar output change climate?

A

sun spots and solar flares, impact is negligible. sun is getting hotter over billions of years, but no impact on human timescales.

70
Q

Types of Milankovitch cycles

A

eccentricity: how elliptical Earth’s orbit is
obliquity: how tilted Earth’s axis is
precession: wobble of the axis

71
Q

Do Milankovitch cycles/changes in Earth’s orbit change climate?

A

100,000 year cycles, not of concern on human timescales

72
Q

Current warming in context.

A

Earth’s climate has experienced significant changes in the past, but the rate of change of warming we’ve experienced/will witness is orders of magnitude faster than anything the planet has seen. Today’s CO2 level is the highest in the last 3 million years.

73
Q

IPCC

A

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, goal to provide policymakers with most authoritative and objective assessments. Assessment reports published every 6 years.

74
Q

externality

A

impact on individual or societal production and consumption possibilities from a human activity that are not accounted for by agents responsible for the activity

75
Q

mitigation

A

human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases

76
Q

sequestration

A

the uptake of carbon containing substances in terrestrial or marine reservoirs

77
Q

What gas is responsible for the greatest percentage of greenhouse gas emissions?

A

CO2 from fossil fuel and industry

78
Q

What economic sector is responsible for the greatest percentage of greenhouse gas emissions?

A

electricity and heat production

79
Q

What region is responsible for the greatest percentage of greenhouse gas emissions?

A

Eastern Asia total, North America historically and per capita

80
Q

Mean emissions dominated by _____, median by _____

A

US, Europe

81
Q

What is COP?

A

Conference of Parties, convened under UN Framework Convention on Climate Change for negotiating international binding limits on greenhouse gases

82
Q

What happened at COP 21?

A

The Paris Agreement, reduce emissions so that the rise in global temps is limited to no more than 2 degrees celsius, commitments to nationally determined contributions, “name and shame”

83
Q

What happened at COP 26?

A

Glasgow Climate Pact. Reaffirms the Paris Agreement temperature goal, urge rapid reductions, check in because developed countries are falling short on supporting developing countries

84
Q

Six Americas

A

Scale of opinions on climate change: alarmed, concerned, cautious, disengaged, doubtful, dismissive

85
Q

Majority of Americans __________ climate change

A

believe in

86
Q

Rebut: Climate has not significantly warmed since 1998

A

1998 unusually warm due to a strong El Nino, need to look at a larger time period

87
Q

Rebut: The observed temperature record is unreliable

A

Temperature record is processed by 3 different agencies, 2 of which have open source code, and a variety of scientists. Also more data, more stations = more accurate

88
Q

Rebut: Antarctica is gaining ice

A

yes sea ice is growing (because reduced ozone increases stratospheric cooling and winds) but Antarctica has been losing land ice at an accelerating rate

89
Q

Rebut: Temperature leads CO2

A

yes AND because it’s a positive feedback loop

90
Q

Rebut: the models are unreliable

A

yes, there are large uncertainties in climate models. climate models are not effective locally or over short time periods for this reason. but all models to date are unable to recreate observed temp without increasing CO2 levels

91
Q

Rebut: Scientists predicted global cooling

A

though aerosols reduced global temps from the 40s-90s, most climate studies at the time still predicted global warming, did not believe that large increased in aerosols could cause the next glacial

92
Q

Rebut: scientists say increased number/strength of hurricanes, but no observed

A

we don’t have a good way to measure this, particularly because of relatively low numbers of hurricanes

93
Q

Rebut: sea levels will rise 216 feet

A

alarmism, only if you melt all ice on Earth, which would take forever and tons on CO2

94
Q

Rebut: collapse soon, uninhabitable Earth

A

alarmism, bold claim without bold evidence

95
Q

Geoengineering

A

deliberate large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment to counteract anthropogenic climate change

96
Q

two types of geoengineering

A

solar radiation management and carbon dioxide removal

97
Q

Solar Radiation Management

A

reflect a small percentage of the sun’s light and heat back into space. Could be quick, but does not address root issue. Largest impediments: need for global consensus and unintended consequences

98
Q

Carbon Dioxide Removal

A

remove CO2 from the atmosphere. address root cause, slower but higher confidence. Largest impediments: questionable effectiveness and cost

99
Q

Types of SRM

A

stratospheric sulfate aerosols, big mirrors, marine clouds, paint it white

100
Q

Types of CDR

A

iron fertilization in ocean, greening the desert, carbon capture and storage underground or in deep ocean

101
Q

positive feedback mechanism

A

feedback magnifies further change in a variable

102
Q

negative feedback mechanism

A

feedback inhibits further change in a variable

103
Q

feedback mechanism

A

systems in which changes in one variable lead to changes in another

104
Q

Longwave radiation feedback

A

negative feedback: as surface and atmosphere warm, amount of energy it emits increases, stabilizing surface temperature

105
Q

Ice-Albedo feedback

A

positive feedback: surface temp increases, snow cover decreases, albedo decreases, absorption of solar radiation increases, surface temp increases

106
Q

Atmospheric water vapor feedback

A

positive feedback: surface temp increases, evap increases, atmospheric absorption of longwave radiation increases, longwave emission to surface increases, surface temp increases

107
Q

US Clean Power Plan

A

the cornerstone of US emissions reduction legislation, to keep up our contributions, is and has always been tied up in legal challenges.

108
Q

Climate change impacts defined

A

effects on natural and human systems

109
Q

Climate change exposure defined

A

the presence of people, ecosystems, resources, or assets that could be adversely affected

110
Q

Climate change hazard defined

A

the potential occurrence of a natural or human-induced impact that may cause damage to health, ecosystems, or property

111
Q

Climate change risk defined

A

the potential for adverse consequences for human or ecological systems, recognizing diversity of values and objectives in such systems

112
Q

Climate change vulnerability defined

A

the propensity to be adversely affected

113
Q

Adaptation

A

altering our behavior, systems, ways of life as a way of dealing with and protecting from the impacts of climate change

114
Q

Radiative forcing

A

difference in energy entering Earth’s atmosphere and energy leaving Earth’s atmosphere, can force changes in the Earth’s climate

115
Q

What is the largest reserve of carbon on Earth?

A

deep ocean

116
Q

Mitigation is most effective at the _____ scale, while adaptation is most effective at the _____ scale

A

global, local

117
Q

We are currently living in an _______ of an ice age

A

interglacial

118
Q

Climate is defined over periods of at least:

A

30 years

119
Q

Key Conclusions of IPCC AR6

A
  1. observed impacts of climate change are widespread and consequential
  2. differences in vulnerability and exposure are caused by nonclimatic stressors and inequalities
120
Q

Oceanic Nino Index

A

defined by departures from average sea surface temperatures, positive during La Nina and negative during El Nino

121
Q

Air mass source regions

A

high or low latitudes most likely

Global Climate Change (2 decks)

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