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Global Climate Change > Final Exam Review > Flashcards

Final Exam Review Flashcards

1
Q

Climate vs Weather

A

Climate: long term atmospheric patterns
Weather: day to day atmospheric patterns

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2
Q

Climate Components

A

atmosphere, land surface, ocean, vegetation, ice

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3
Q

Response Time

A

time it takes to get to half of equilibrium
Fast: atmosphere, land, ocean surface, vegetation
Slow: sea ice, mountain glaciers, deep ocean, ice sheets

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4
Q

Forcing and Response

A

Slow forcing: veg responding to tectonic changes
Fast forcing: antarctic ice sheets responding to El Nino
Cycling Forcing: seasonal temperatures, mountain glaciers to ENSO

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5
Q

Feedback Loops

A

Positive: amplifies changes already underway. Negative: suppresses changes underway
Water Vapor
Cloud-Radiative
Snow/Ice-Albedo

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6
Q

Steady State Equilibrium

A

input = output

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7
Q

Albedo of Earth

A

proportion of short wave energy scattered away by a surface. Earth’s albedo is .3. This means it reflects 30% of the incoming radiation. Land absorbs 50% and clouds absorb 20%

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8
Q

Greenhouse Gases

A

transmit short wave radiation, but absorb longwave, change vibrational into kinetic energy
CO2, CH4, N20, CFCs
Responsible for 30 degrees of warming of Earth. Earth’s avg temperature is 15 C, would be -15 C without GHGs

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9
Q

Blackbody

A

object that absorbs incoming radiation and emits it all at full efficiency

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10
Q

Latitudinal Regions of the Earth

A 
Equatorial: 0-10
Tropical: 10-25
Subtropical: 25-35
Midlatitude: 35-55
Subarctic: 55-60
Arctic: 60-75
Polar: 75-90
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11
Q

Stefan-Boltzmann Law

A

hotter objects radiate more energy

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12
Q

Wein’s Law

A

hotter objects radiate more shortwave energy

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13
Q

Energy Balance of Earth

A

Solar constant: 1365/4 = 340 W/m2. Only 240 absorbed after albedo.
Incoming: short wave
Back: long wave

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14
Q

Climate Sensitivity

A

atmospheric response to a doubling of CO2 past pre-industrial levels

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15
Q

Global Energy Distribution

A

Surplus received between 40 degree lines, deficit elsewhere.

Heat flows from the equator poleward

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16
Q

Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn

A

Cancer: 23.5 N. Declination point at Summer solstice
Capricorn: 23.5 S. Declination point at Winter solstice

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17
Q

Subsolar Point and Declination

A

Subsolar Point: where solar rays hit the Earth at 90 degrees. Declination: latitude of the subsolar point
During equinoxes, declination is on equator

18
Q

Revolution, Tilt, and Polarity and what they influence

A

Revolution: length of seasons
Tilt: daylength
Polarity: when the seasons occur

19
Q

Beam Spreading

A

when the rays come at a low angle, there’s a larger surface area for them to hit, which means the sun is less potent

20
Q

Beam Depletion

A

At low angles the sun has to go thru more atmosphere and less gets to Earth

21
Q

Radiative Forcing

Forcing based on human activity (W/m2)

A

Radiative Forcing: effect of atmospheric gases in trapping (+) or blocking (-) radiation
up to 1.5 W/m2

22
Q

Temperature and Heat definitions

A

Temperature: kinetic energy of molecules
Heat: flow of internal energy from one susbtance to another

23
Q

Sensible and Latent Heat

A

Sensible Heat: heated air flowing in convection process

Latent Heat: heat stored in water vapor released during condensation and precipitation

24
Q

Dew Point

A

when the air is full of water vapor and condensation happens

25
Q

Areas of low and high thermal inertia

A

Continental interiors have low thermal inertia: heat and cool quickly
Upper ocean has a high thermal inertia: takes a long time to heat and cool

26
Q

Heat capacity

A

Density x Specific Heat.
water has very high heat capacity
water:ice:air:land 60:5:2:1
the number of heat units needed to raise the temperature of a body by one degree.

27
Q

Specific Heat

A

calories absorbed as 1 g of material increases by 1 degree C

28
Q

Evaporation and Precipitation Zones by latitude

A

Higher evaporation: subtropics

Higher precipitation: tropics, fronts

29
Q

Atmospheric Circulation Process

A

hot air rises, it expands in lower pressure elevation, loses heat, stops rising at density match point.
Evaporation: air density decreases, air rises, cools to saturation point, condensation, latent heat released, air rises

30
Q

Hadley Cell

A

main heat circulation process on Earth. transfer of heat from low to high latitudes 0-30 degrees
- begins on equator, where it’s warm and rainy and air rises with lots of vapor
- the air sinks in the subtropics, becomes drier, not much condensation
- dry air moves towards ITCZ in trade winds, picking up water from oceans
- trade winds meet at the ITCZ doldrums, release lots of rain
Low pressure zone –> high pressure zone –> low pressure zone

31
Q

ITCZ

A

Intertropical Convergence Zone, where the trade winds meet. Moves north in N hemisphere summer, South in N hemisphere winter
- expanding due to climate change

32
Q

High and Low Pressure

A

High Pressure:
-cold, low precipitation, close to surface
Low Pressure:
- warm, high precipitation, high altitude

33
Q

Horizontal and Vertical Circulation

A

Horizontal: due to pressure differences at surface. air moves from high to low pressure zones
Vertical: mechanical (fronts, orographic mountains) or Density (warm air rising)

34
Q

Coriolis Effect

A

air goes clockwise coming out of high pressure, counterclockwise going into low pressure
to the left in S hemisphere, to the right in N hemisphere

35
Q

Day and Night breezes

A

Day: valley breeze. mountains heated, air rises, low pressure zone draws in air from valley
Night: mountain breeze. hills chilled, cool air moves toward valley

36
Q

Summer and Winter Monsoons

A

Summer monsoon: sun heats land, the air rises and flows to the ocean, picks up water and flows back to land and precipitates. Land heats faster than ocean
Winter monsoon: cold air from high pressure land goes to the sea, gets heated and picks up water, precipitates water over low pressure ocean, dry air returns to land
Why? diff in thermal inertia

37
Q

Cyclones and Anticyclones

A

Cyclone: air goes into low pressure zone and creates rain
Anticyclone: air comes from high pressure zone, dry
Northern hemisphere: cyclones counterclockwise, anti cyclones clockwise
Southern hemisphere: cyclones clockwise, anti cyclones counter clockwise

38
Q

Jet Stream

A

high speed wind in high pressure gradient areas. polar jet 35-65 degrees N

39
Q

Ocean current
General direction?
Impacted by?

A

persistent horizontal water flow
Generally East to West across the Equator
Few in ocean basins
Impacted by wind, coriolis force, size and shape of basins, temp/salinity density difference

40
Q

Ocean gyres

A

track air movement around subtropical high pressure zones

Global Climate Change (1 decks)

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