K SS 1 Flashcards
What is Earth System Science (ESS)?
a new approach to studying the natural world that looks at the Earth’s systems as a whole
What does ESS stand for?
Earth System Science
The ideas learned from ESS help us establish an understanding of what?
climate change
What is a multidisciplinary approach?
an approach that combines research from different academic fields
How does a multidisciplinary approach help when studying climate change?
it gives us a more complete picture of the history of climate change
What is the Anthropocene?
a new geological era where humans have become the force that changes the planet
Since about which year has the world entered a new era of climate history?
1950
ESS is broken into different parts called _____________.
subsystems
What are the four subsystems of ESS?
geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere
What are external forces that alter the stability of the weather and climate?
forcings
What reactions are produced when forcings alter the climate?
either positive feedback or negative feedback
What do the Earth’s systems interact with each other to influence?
weather and climate
What is a scale?
the scope of the investigation
An ocean warming is how large/small of a scale?
very large scale
A stream drying up is how large/small of a scale?
a small scale
What does the geosphere consist of?
all the land, earth, and rock on Earth
What is another term for geosphere?
lithosphere
Lithosphere incorporates the Greek word for what?
rock or stone
What is the Geological time scale?
a measure of time based on the record of rocks
What created mountains, volcanoes, and oceans?
plate tectonics
Where do most of the interactions with the geosphere and the other Earth’s subsystems occur?
the crust
How does the biosphere influence the geosphere?
by influencing the composition of the soil
How do mountain ranges influence the hydrosphere?
by causing clouds to form and rainfall
What does the hydrosphere consist of?
all the water on Earth
Some scholars count ice as a different subsystem called the ______________.
cryosphere
What does the atmosphere consist of?
various gases
How have scholars divided up the atmosphere?
into different layers or zones
What is the lowest layer of the atmosphere?
the troposphere
What is the 2nd lowest layer of the atmosphere?
stratosphere
What is the middle layer of the atmosphere?
mesosphere
What is the 2nd highest layer of the atmosphere?
thermosphere
What is the highest layer of the atmosphere?
exosphere
What part of Earth’s subsystems is involved in the greenhouse effect?
the atmosphere
What is the greenhouse effect?
light from the Sun gets absorbed in the atmosphere, and the heat gets trapped there by greenhouse gases
What type of gas is CO2?
a greenhouse gas
Is the greenhouse effect good?
yes, but to an extent; too much is bad, but we still need some
What does the biosphere consist of?
all living things on Earth
The use of fossil fuels has accelerated which cycle?
the carbon cycle
What is the carbon cycle?
the cycling of carbon, where humans and animals exhale carbon and plants absorb it to produce oxygen
What is the Earth’s climate system?
the different parts that combine to shape Earth’s climate
What type of system is Earth’s climate?
an open system
What are the 3 most influential forcings that influence Earth’s climate?
solar energy, volcanoes, and greenhouse gases
What energy is incoming in Earth’s climate system?
solar energy from the Sun
How does solar energy affect Earth?
it heats it up and provides light
What do cooler temperatures in the 1600s and 1700s correspond with? (Sun activity)
fewer sunspots and low solar activity
What are patterns in Earth’s movement around the Sun that influence the Sun’s impact on climate?
the Milankovitch cycles
What does the shade that volcanoes produce when they erupt and spread particles cause?
cooling of temperatures over vast regions
What type of effect is taking place in a car with the windows down and Solar energy incoming?
the greenhouse effect, this is because when the energy goes in, it gets trapped and warms the car
Water vapor, CO2, and methane are all examples of what type of gas?
greenhouse gases
What are reactions reactions to climate change caused by forcings called?
feedbacks
Do “positive” and “negative” mean good or bad in the context of feedbacks?
No, the positive and negative refer to the relationship of the forcing and its feedback
What is a positive feedback?
a feedback that pushes the direction of the climate warmer or colder
What is a negative feedback?
a feedback that moves climate change closer to the starting point, moderating the climate
What type of feedback is the melting of the ice sheets in the Arctic?
a positive feedback, because when they melt, the climate gets warmer, and more melts; it is a cycle
Positive feedbacks can push climate change to what point?
a tipping point
How does the loss of ice affect the climate? (in the natural world)
it warms it, because usually, the sunlight would reflect off of it, but now it doesn’t have anything to reflect off of