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Question 1

Define climate

Answer 1

climate is the average weather (mean and variability) over a specified time

Question 2

define climate change

Answer 2

the change in climate with time due to natural variability or human activity
(IPPC)

Question 3

define climate in earth system

Answer 3

land surface change, atmospheric composition, cryosphere (ice/snow)

Question 4

what are some examples of observed climate variables?

Answer 4

Temperature (global mean surface, regional, diurnal range, upper air, ocean…)
Precipitation, humidity, cloud cover
Snow cover
Sea-ice thickness and extent
Natural modes (El Niño Southern Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation)
Climate extremes

Question 5

Define anomalies

Answer 5

changes relative to some particular reference period

Question 6

what are anomalies used to do?

Answer 6

identify positive and negative excursions from the start to end of a long term mean

Question 7

wash jan- aug the warmest year on record

Answer 7

no it was the 2nd

Question 8

how high is the current temperature of the water over the mean (2017)

Answer 8

0.69 degrees c

Question 9

how high is the current temperature of the land over the mean (2017)

Answer 9

1.39 degrees C

Question 10

Is warming stronger in the northern or southern hemisphere and why?

Answer 10

Northern
two reasons
- ocean currents
- more land in north which warms faster than the ocean

Question 11

how do we measure upper air temperatures?

Answer 11

weather balloons (radiosondes) 
satellites (microwave sounding unit and stratospheric sounding unit)

Question 12

how have upper air temperatures changed relative to the 1981 -2010 mean

Answer 12

• lower troposphere has warmed globally

- lower stratosphere has cooled

Question 13

how would a volcanic eruption affect the temperature in the troposphere and stratosphere

Answer 13

cool troposphere

warm the stratosphere

Question 14

what has been effected by changes in the cryosphere

Answer 14

snow cover
sea-ice extent
mountain glaciers

Question 15

how have temperatures in the Arctic changed in the past 100 years

Answer 15

temperatures have increased almost 2x the global average

Question 16

how have mountain glacier tongue length changed

Answer 16

169 glaciers measured, glaciers retreated worldwide, with 0 at 1950 (IPPC AR5, 2013)

Question 17

what is the NAO and define it

Answer 17

North Atlantic Oscillation is a measure of circulation patterns in the northern hemisphere

Question 18

what does a positive index of NAO mean for temperatures in Europe

Answer 18

positive temperatures in Europe

Question 19

how has the temperature of days and nights changed in the last 50 years

Answer 19

more extremely warm days and nights but fewer cold days and nights

Question 20

what extreme weather even occured in 2003

Answer 20

extreme heat wave

Question 21

why are trends in precipitation complicated

Answer 21

due to precipitation being both rainfall and snowfall it makes it complicated to model

Question 22

Over what period do we have “instrumental” measurements of temperature?

Answer 22

Since about 1880 using surface-based thermometers, but the record is far from truly global. Since the 1980s we have also had satellite radiometer measurements, which are more global

Question 23

Has the rise in global mean temperature been fairly steady over the period for which we have direct measurements?

Answer 23

No, there was a clear period of fairly constant temperatures from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Question 24

Over the last 40 years, the temperature has risen everywhere on the planet. True or false?

Answer 24

True. Almost everywhere. There are a few regions of very small changes or decreases.

Question 25

How has the stratosphere responded to global warming?

Answer 25

It has cooled. This is consistent with a greenhouse gas effect, which traps heat in the lower atmosphere.

Question 26

What explains the big spikes in temperature change in the stratosphere in 1982 and 1991?

Answer 26

Volcanic eruptions emitted lots of sulphate aerosol particles into the stratosphere, which persisted for over a year and caused stratospheric warming of up to 1 °C.

Question 27

How does the change in temperature in the Arctic compare to the rest of the planet?

Answer 27

Double the temperature rise in the arctic in comparison to other areas.

Question 28

Roughly how quickly has Arctic sea ice been receding since 1980, as measured by its extent at the end of the summer? About 1% per decade, about 5% per decade, or more than 10% per decade?

Answer 28

Over 10% per decade

Question 29

Is the observed global pattern of changes in precipitation (rain and snowfall) consistent with the change in temperature?

Answer 29

Not really. The geographic pattern is actually quite mixed, with increases and decreases.

Question 30

Since 1880, global mean sea level has risen by: About 1 cm, About 20 cm, or about 90 cm?

Answer 30

About 20 cm