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2023 FALL SEM > FINAL EPS 101 > Flashcards

FINAL EPS 101 Flashcards

1
Q

The growing population and the changing diet of humans has created a need for us to produce more food. __________ make it much harder to grow food.

A

Extreme weather events

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2
Q

In order to increase productivity and sustainability in the agricultural sector we need to reduce the amount of ___________ being generated.

A

Greenhouse gas emissions

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3
Q

The crazy high fertilizer rates in the US lead to high _______ emissions

A

Nitrous oxide

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4
Q

What two things have a larger contribution to methane emissions than fossil fuel production and use?

A

Agriculture and waste

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5
Q

What are the biggest contributors to methane emissions globally?

A

Anthropogenic sources, rice paddies, natural sources (wetlands produce through bacterial reactions and hind gut producers), energy sector (emissions from coal, oil, natural gas and biofuels)

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6
Q

Wildfires are an essential aspect of _________

A

A natural healthy functioning ecosystem

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7
Q

Climate change is changing the _________ of wildfires

A

Extent, duration, and intensity

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8
Q

Surface fires are essential for the _____________________

A

Germination of new trees

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9
Q

Why are surface fires helpful?

A

Fire removes low-growing underbrush, cleans the forest floor of debris, opens it up to sunlight, and nourishes the soil.

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10
Q

Should we consider wildfires as a part of CO2 emissions?

A

Yes but we also have to recognize that a lot of them are natural background parts of natural ecosystems

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11
Q

What percent of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels is absorbed in the atmosphere?

A

50%

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12
Q

What percent of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels is absorbed in the terrestrial biosphere?

A

25%

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13
Q

What percent of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels is absorbed in the ocean?

A

25%

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14
Q

Forests are moving from being carbon _____ to carbon _____ due to changing climates, wildfires, and management practices

A

Sinks to sources

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15
Q

What is the positive feedback loop with fires?

A

Increasing carbon emissions fuel climate change and drive hotter and drier conditions → hotter drier conditions dry out forests and make them more prone to fires → larger areas burn as fire seasons get longer and fires are more frequent and intense → carbon emissions from fires increase as larger areas burn → back to the top

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16
Q

Does the climate crisis fundamentally change what is going on in each area or does it just exacerbate the events?

A

Exacerbates it! There is a more active hydrological cycle in warmer areas but there is more pronounced drought at times and areas are getting drier

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17
Q

How has the climate crisis impacted our temperatures at night?

A

We are having warmer nights because there is a decrease in water trapping in the atmosphere due to the weather events that are going on during the day.

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18
Q

We need to change the path of agricultural productivity because _________(how much) of greenhouse gas emissions are coming from agriculture

A

More than half

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19
Q

Going to be incredibly difficult to meet the 1.5 degree climate goal because we need to have an EXTREME change from moving away from fossil fuels (already difficult) but _____

A

It would change every aspect of how we function as a civilization but especially in agriculture

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20
Q

How is methane produced?

A

Rice patties and enteric fermentation (cows, sheep/lamb/buffalo)

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21
Q

Wildfires are dependent on ______

A

Humidity

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22
Q

How is humidity correlated with wildfires?

A

Less humidity is present in places that are more prone to droughts. The increased warming dries out the soil and can ultimately cause wildfires.

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23
Q

What is El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) ?

A

ENSO is a recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

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24
Q

El Nino is the (warm or cold) phase

A

Warm

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25
Q

Real life effects of El nino

A

Rainfall reduced over Indonesia, rainfall increased over the eastern pacific ocean, and relatively cooler temperatures in the western pacific ocean

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26
Q

Because of el nino the easterly trade (east to west) winds have ________

A

Weakened

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27
Q

Positive feedback loop of El nino

A

Waters warm in east pacific → more rising air in east→ east to west winds weaken → reduced upwelling of cold water in east → winds reinforce initial ocean warming in east

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28
Q

Another positive feedback loop of el nino (this one includes rainfall)

A

Warmer water in east pacific → rising motion/more rainfall in east → cooling/sinking air in west → weaker east to west winds → reduced upwelling of cold water in east → beginning

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29
Q

El nino has _______ the pacific jet stream

A

Extended

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30
Q

Because of el nino we expect _____ conditions over western north america

A

Warmer

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31
Q

La nina is the (warm/cool) phase

A

Cool

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32
Q

What is la nina?

A

The periodic cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific.

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33
Q

What does la nina cause?

A

The jet stream to move northward and to weaken over the eastern Pacific

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34
Q

During la nina winters what happens in the north and south?

A

During La Niña winters, the South sees warmer and drier conditions than usual. The North and Canada tend to be wetter and colder.

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35
Q

Real life effects of la nina

A

Rainfall increase over indonesia, rainfall decrease over eastern pacific ocean, and easterly winds along the equator become stronger

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36
Q

Positive feedack loop of la nina

A

Waters warm in the west → more air rising in west→ east to west winds strengthen → increase upwelling of cold-water in east (push warm surface water to the west and colder deep water get sucked up and takes this space) → winds reinforce initial warming in west

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37
Q

What do both la nina and el nino relate to?

A

Sea surface temperatures

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38
Q

How is the east pacific coast impacted by la nina?

A

Waters off the east Pacific coast are colder and contain more nutrients than usual.

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39
Q

What does the cryosphere do?

A

Helps maintain Earth’s climate by reflecting incoming solar radiation back into space because it includes the frozen parts of the planet.

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40
Q

What are some parts of the cryosphere?

A

Sea ice, alpine glaciers, ice shelves, icebergs, permafrost

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41
Q

When does sea ice form?

A

When the ocean freezes

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42
Q

How does sea ice form?

A

Cold atmosphere cools down the surface of ocean and sucks out the heat and then surface freezes

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43
Q

Where does sea ice form?

A

Polar regions

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44
Q

Why do we care about sea ice?

A

It is essential to regulating the global climate. Sea ice has a very high albedo

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45
Q

Sea ice reflects ____ (percentage) of incoming solar radiation

A

80%

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46
Q

Why is arctic sea ice melting?

A

Ice albedo feedback has been very prominent in recent decades but we have less ice due to warming so more heat is being trapped and warming sea surface temps

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47
Q

How does glacial ice form?

A

They form when snow accumulates and is compressed into ice by new snow over many years. As they grow, they begin to move slowly under the pressure of their own weight, dragging smaller rocks and debris across the land with them.

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48
Q

The greenland ice sheet covers almost ___ of the surface of greenland

A

80%

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49
Q

What are the two biggest ice sheets?

A

Antarctic ice sheet and Greenland ice sheet

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50
Q

How are ice shelves formed?

A

At the edges of ice sheets, glaciers reach the sea and float on water to form ice shelves

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51
Q

What are ice sheets?

A

Glacial land extending more than 50,000 km^2

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52
Q

What type of feedback causes ENSO (El nino)?

A

A positive feedback

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53
Q

Why does arctic sea ice not last as long as it used to?

A

The arctic sea ice is melting from below because that ice drifts over warming ocean waters

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54
Q

Why are there a lot of glaciers in moutain regions?

A

Air temperatures are cooler at higher altitudes

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55
Q

How are icebergs formed?

A

Icebergs are the result of glaciers extending over the ocean and breaking off from the ice shelf

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56
Q

How does mass impact the ability of ice to float?

A

For the iceberg to float, the mass of the water that the iceberg displaces must equal the mass of the iceberg (Archimedes Principle)

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57
Q

When permafrost decays what gases does it release?

A

If oxygen is present: carbon
If oxygen is not present: methane

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58
Q

Massive amounts of ____ and ___ are untapped in permafrost because the organic matter is frozen and it doesn’t decay

A

Carbon and methane

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59
Q

Once carbon and methane decay after permafrost has melted what happens?

A

It creates a positive feedback loop where warming global temperatures cause permafrost to thaw, and now that exposed organic matter begins to decay, which releases carbon dioxide and methane that exacerbate the warming, and the cycle continues.

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60
Q

Another example of the decay of permafrost is called ________

A

Arctic coastal erosion

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61
Q

What is arctic coastal erosion?

A

When we lose arctic sea ice cover, we create more and more waves that build up and are bigger. This gives rise to warm waters (in the form of big waves) that begin to hit the coast and thus fuel erosion.

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62
Q

4 factors influencing sea level rise

A

Increased precipitation
Melt of ice sheet and ice shelves
Intensification of the hydrological cycle

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63
Q

How do higher sea levels contribute to storm surges?

A

When you have this higher sea level, it makes it easier for wind and waves to push water toward the shore, leading to a storm surge

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64
Q

What is a storm surge?

A

Abnormal rise of water generated by a storm

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65
Q

As sea levels are rising and the water is warming the same mass of water takes up more volume. What is this process called?

A

Thermal expansion

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66
Q

The stability of a system is dependent on _________

A

The energy that would be required to kick the system to a new state

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67
Q

What is the interglacial period?

A

The period in between glacial periods where the earth’s surface is covered by ice that is usually characterized by warmer temperatures

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68
Q

When was the last glacial maximum?

A

About 20,000 years ago

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69
Q

What is the younger dryas?

A

About 14,500 years ago, Earth’s climate began to shift from a cold glacial world to a warmer interglacial state. Partway through this transition, temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere suddenly returned to near-glacial conditions. This near-glacial period is called the Younger Dryas

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70
Q

Why did the younger dryas happen?

A

There is no consensus but one theory queen mary louise likes relates to thermohaline circulation

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71
Q

What does AMOC stand for?

A

Atlantic Meridionial Overturning Circulation

72
Q

What does the AMOC do?

A

Circulates water from north to south and back in a long cycle within the Atlantic Ocean

73
Q

What is effect of AMOC on climate?

A

If enough water stops sinking, then the AMOC will weaken. Depending on how much the AMOC weakens, it can change regional weather patterns, such as rainfall, and affect where and how well crops can grow.

74
Q

What is the major cause of AMOC?

A

Differences in temperature and salt content – the water’s density

75
Q

Within the AMOC, as warm water flows north it ______ which increases its salt content

A

Evaporates

76
Q

AMOC keeps the water from the tropics to the North Atlantic free of ____

A

Ice

77
Q

A prevailing theory for why the Earth plunged into a cold period is that there was a reduction of this overturning circulation of warm water called the ____

A

AMOC

78
Q

What is one theory of the younger dryas?

A

Massive freshwater injection into the atlantic that shut down the generation of deep water in northern latitudes, cooled the climate and slowed down the overturning of northern latitudes

79
Q

What did the little ice age do after the younger dryas?

A

Reconstructed the northern hemisphere temperature

80
Q

What caused the little ice age?

A

Increased volcanic activity: ash cloudsfull of aerosols blocked incoming solar radiation

81
Q

Humans use perspiration from the skin as a means of _____

A

Cooling due to the latent heat of evaporation of water

82
Q

Climate change has caused humans to be closer to their upper limit on temperature in parts of the world today. Under global warming and increased heat and humidity levels it has proven to be ________ in certain regions of the world

A

Too hot for us to be able to naturally cool ourselves down

83
Q

Some examples of locations that experienced extreme heat and humidity levels are ___

A

East asia, east coast of US

84
Q

Because of the increased warming many parts of the world could _____

A

Become inhabitable for humans unless they have access to a cooling mechanism that unfortunately often contributes disproportionately to greenhouse gas emissions

85
Q

Name some locations where the number of days per year exceed the threshold of temperature and humidity beyond which climactic conditions become deadly

A

Africa, south america, australia, south asia - 2090/2100

86
Q

A hurricane is the same thing as ______

A

A tropical cyclone

87
Q

In northern hemisphere hurricanes are called _____

A

Hurricanes

88
Q

In the southern hemisphere hurricanes are called ____

A

Tropical cyclones

89
Q

In the western hemisphere hurricanes are called _____

A

Typhoons

90
Q

If you were in the eye of a hurricane would you know?

A

No bc it is a low pressure system! It’s calm, no winds, very sunny and thats because air comes down into the hurricane, descending air is associated with clear skies, whereas ascending air looks like cloudy skies.

91
Q

Right now we are in a ______ period because Earth’s system has been warming up as we have put more and more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

A

Interglacial

92
Q

Once we officially shift out of our stability system what will face the quickest impacts?

A

Coral reefs, crops, thermohaline circulation, jet stream, amazon rainforest

93
Q

Why have there been so many storms in the pacific?

A

Strong el nino is making the oceans warmer so the hurricanes are gaining fuel due to lower pressure

94
Q

Why do hurricanes spin?

A

Coriolis effect

95
Q

What is the energy source of hurricanes?

A

When the surface water is warm, the storm sucks up heat energy from the water, just like a straw sucks up a liquid. This creates moisture in the air. If wind conditions are right, the storm becomes a hurricane. This heat energy is the fuel for the storm.

96
Q

Hurricanes are embedded in _____

A

Large scale wind systems

97
Q

What direction do hurricanes move?

A

Move westward with the trade winds and drift poleward to enter westerly winds

98
Q

The worst hurricanes are associated with ______

A

Storm surges

99
Q

What do climate models do?

A

Use physical principles and laws to quantify how the earth system is changing

100
Q

What are energy balance models and what do they do?

A

Equation representing energy in versus energy out (planet’s energy budget).

It predict earths temperature from solar radiation, emission of radiation outer space, and earths energy absorption and greenhouse gas effects

101
Q

What do integrated assessment models do?

A

Use economic theories and evidence from historical data to quantify how human development and social choices affect climate change

102
Q

What were the storms in the pacific ocean this year associated with?

A

The strong el nino - the warm temperatures in the ocean

103
Q

What do hurricanes need to intensify rapidly?

A

Extra warm sea surface temperatures
Presence of a strong band of winds (a jet streak) embedded in the jet stream air

104
Q

Why are there few hurricanes at the equator?

A

Without the spin of the earth and the resulting Coriolis force, hurricanes would not form. Since the Corioles force is at a maximum at the poles and a minimum at the equator, hurricanes can not form within 5 degrees latitude of the equator.

105
Q

Underneath a hurricane the _____ is low which draws up the ocean surface

A

Sea level pressure

106
Q

In order to get into the temperature ranges we need to be at _________ emissions

A

Negative

107
Q

When we hit 3 degrees of warming we will still have _____

A

Much more extreme weather events and agricultural failure

108
Q

Coal burning has a massive impact on the amount of ________

A

Methane and aerosols released into the atmosphere

109
Q

Coal burning has a series of negative impacts…what are they

A

Release a large amount of greenhouse gases per energy produced from coal. Those aerosols have strong negative health affects on local communities but they also have a cooling effect

110
Q

What 2 things are much easier to decarbonize as opposed to transportation and agriculture?

A

Electricity and heat production

111
Q

In order to even attempt to reach our climate goals we really need to increase our usage of _______ and ______

A

Wind and solar power

112
Q

What are the practical issues of the adoption of more sustainable processes?

A

Cost, effectiveness, and scalability

113
Q

How can we accelerate carbon removal?

A

Accelerate the weathering process: the natural way that earth’s climate is regulated is carbon dioxide removal thorugh silicate rocks

114
Q

Instead of moving on from the fossil fuel industry what can we make attempts for them to do?

A

Regulate their own waste product

115
Q

Define weather

A

Short term changes in the atmosphere

116
Q

Define climate

A

Long term averages of daily weather

117
Q

Define climate change prediction

A

Prediction of the average weather over a long timescale into the future

118
Q

What social media platform has the largest social media carbon footprint?

A

Tiktok

119
Q

In a single year a supercomputer can consume as much power as a _________

A

Small city

120
Q

What are aerosols?

A

Tiny particles emitted when burning fossil fuels, from forest fires, volcanic eruptions

121
Q

What are climate pathways?

A

Inputs to climate models

122
Q

What do representative concentration pathways do?

A

Describe different levels of greenhouse gases that might occur in the future

123
Q

What is radiative forcing?

A

Measure the amount of the Earth’s energy budget is out of balance

124
Q

Where is radiative forcing measured?

A

Top of the atmosphere - troposphere/stratosphere boundary

125
Q

What is positive radiative forcing?

A

Earth’s RECEIVES more energy than it radiates to space

126
Q

What is negative radiative forcing?

A

Earth’s GIVES more energy than it radiates to space

127
Q

What are natural drivers of the climate system?

A

Variations in solar activity, volcanic activity and a lot of other stuff we have no control over

128
Q

What are human drivers of climate systems?

A

Greenhouse gases, aerosols, pollutants

129
Q

What is coupled model intercomparison project phase 6?

A

Cross comparison of climate models that allows scientists to analyze, evaluate and improve global climate models in a systemic way

130
Q

Newer models are having a hard time incorporating ____

A

Clouds

131
Q

High clouds act to _____

A

Warm climate

132
Q

Low clouds act to ______

A

Cool climate

133
Q

What is climate sensitivity?

A

The amount by which the Earth’s surface temperature is expected to rise in response to a doubling of atmospheric CO2 concentrations

134
Q

What are 4 arguments used against climate change?

A

Climate change is just part of the natural cycle
The science of climate change is not settled
CO2 is such a small part of the atmosphere that it cannot have a large heating affect
Climate models are unreliable and too sensitive to carbon dioxide

135
Q

What is the planck feedback?

A

As an object gets hotter it radiates more heat away

136
Q

Negative feedback of cloud formation

A

Climate warming –> increased evaporation & cloud cover –> decreasing incoming solar radiation –> cooling

137
Q

What is effective radiative forcing?

A

Additional energy absorbed or given off by Earth’s system caused by changes in certain external factors

138
Q

What is the equilibrium climate sensitivity of earth?

A

The global mean surface air temp increase that follows a DOUBLING of greenhouse gases once the planet has had time to adjust to it

139
Q

Is the planck feedback positive or negative?

A

Negative

140
Q

What is the water vapor feedback?

A

Water vapor feedback: climate warming → increased atmospheric water vapor(humidity) → increased greenhouse trapping of radiation → increased warming = postive fedeback

141
Q

Why was the IPCC created?

A

To provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments on climate change, its implications and potential future risks

142
Q

What are the 3 countries not involved in the Paris Agreement?

A

Iran, libya and Yemen

143
Q

Why are oceans warming slower than land?

A

Higher heat capacity in the ocean, takes more energy to heat them up

144
Q

Why are nighttime temperatures outpacing daytime temps in the rate of warming?

A

Regions where theres cloud cover, we have cooler days, and we have warmer nights because clouds act as insulators when the earth is tryung to cool down. It creates long wave radiation and the daily temperature range is smaller

145
Q

Negative feedback of higher temperatures and rain

A

Higher temperatures cause more rainfall → more heat cause greater evaporation → more moisture forms clouds → heavier rain

146
Q

Climate drivers for model projections are based on_____

A

SSPs: shared socioeconomic pathways

147
Q

What do SSPs (shared socioeconomic pathways) do?

A

Examine different ways pollution, education, urbanization, economic growth, and technological development may evolve in the coming decades

148
Q

Define mitigation

A

Reducing emissions of and stabilizing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere

149
Q

Define adaptation

A

Adapting to the climate change already in the pipeline

150
Q

What do SSPs give you?

A

Ability to understand the risks and benefits of alternative policy choices

151
Q

Most climate models still do not include ____

A

Permafrost processesand cloud coverage

152
Q

Can thawing permafrost substantially increase global temperatures?

A

The thawing of frozen ground in the Arctic will release carbon that will amplify global warming, but this is very unlikely to lead the runaway warming

153
Q

What country is the highest total fossil fuel emitter?

A

China

154
Q

Why do we subsidize fossil fuels?

A

If you want economic growth high, gas needs to be cheap ; Having a low energy source keeps gas inexpensive, especially for people that are low income

155
Q

What are implicit subsidies?

A

Money going directly to fossil fuels

156
Q

In approaching our climate goals we will always need a strong balance between ____ and _____

A

Mitigation and adaptation

157
Q

What is the problem with our attempt to fund mitigation more than adaptation?

A

We want more money to flow into mitigation, but there’s a serious threat in that if we don’t invest in adaptation, you’ll lose a lot of infrastructure and overall suffering

158
Q

Our atmosphere is largely _____ to light (shortwave radiation) coning in from the Sun

A

Transparent

159
Q

Our atmosphere is largely _____ to infrared (longwave radiation) leaving the Earth

A

Opaque

160
Q

Contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions by sector (greatest to least)

setors: industry, transportation, electricity and heat production, agriculture and land use

A

Electricity and heat production, agriculture and land use, industry, transportation

161
Q

What are the causes of carbon sinks turning into carbon sources?

A

Anthropogenic sources
Forest fires
Suboptimal conditions for existing ecosystems

162
Q

How does CO2 drive ocean acidification?

A

CO2 will constantly equilibrate with surface waters, turning into carbonic acid. This will interact with dissolved carbon in the ocean to decrease the ph in the ocean. As we decrease ph, it becomes less favorable for organisms to calcify

163
Q

What does the gulf stream do?

A

Brings warm water north, and transfers heat to western Europe

164
Q

What are the limitations of climate modeling?

A

Uncertainty in future greenhouse gas emissions
Abrupt climate transitions
Reliance on parameterizations for small scale processes

165
Q

What are the external costs associated with fossil fuels?

A

Human health/suffering - gov doesn’t take into account
Wildfires directly attributed
Increased amountof damage - possibly irreversible

166
Q

ENSO is

A

A recurring climate pattern across the Pacific

167
Q

El Niño/La Nina events are characterized by measuring

A

Sea-surface temperatures in a region of the Pacific Ocean

168
Q

Approximately how thick is sea ice?

A

2 meters

169
Q

At the edges of ice sheets, glaciers reach the sea and float on the water to form

A

Ice shelves

170
Q

Since the 1990s global seas have been rising at an average rate of about

A

3 millimeters per year

171
Q

If the entire Antarctic ice sheet melted, how much would global sea levels rise?

A

58 meters

172
Q

An interglacial period is

A

A climate interval with warmer temps

173
Q

A possible reason for the Little Ice Age is

A

Increased volcanic activity

174
Q

Humans use perspiration as a means of cooling because

A

It takes heat to evaporate perspiration

175
Q

If you’re an average TikTok user, your TikTok carbon footprint in one year is equivalent to driving

A

180 miles

176
Q

Eunice Newton Foote is famous for

A

Discovering the greenhouse effect

2023 FALL SEM (4 decks)

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