Rough Flashcards
What is climatology?
It is study of the Earth’s regional climates.
What is meteorology?
It is study of short term atmospheric phenomenon that make the weather.
What is weather?
Weather is the current atmospheric conditions of an area. It is changing all the time.
Weather refers to the short-term atmospheric conditions in a specific place at a specific time, such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, and atmospheric pressure.
Define regional.
Relating to or characteristic of a region; territorial.
Define atmospheric.
Relating to the envelope of gases surrounding the planets.
Define Phenomenon.
A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question.
Situation; circumstance
What is climate?
It is the long-term aggregate weather and seasonal conditions of a particular place. It changes over a period of 35 years.
Climate refers to the long-term patterns and averages of weather conditions in a particular region over a period of time, usually spanning decades (10) or centuries (100).
What is aggregate.
A whole formed by combining several separate elements.
What is climate change?
What causes climate change? A: Climate change is primarily caused by human activities, particularly the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to the enhanced greenhouse effect and resulting in warmer temperatures worldwide.
What is global warming?
A gradual increase in overall temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of CO2, CFCs and other pollutants.
What are weather balloons?
Weather balloons are large balloons filled with helium or hydrogen gas that are released into the atmosphere to collect data about weather conditions. They carry instruments called radiosondes, which measure various atmospheric parameters such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, and wind speed as they ascend through the atmosphere. The data collected by weather balloons is crucial for weather forecasting, climate research, and atmospheric science.
What are weather stations?
Weather stations are facilities equipped with various instruments to measure and record atmospheric conditions at a specific location. These instruments typically include thermometers to measure temperature, barometers to measure air pressure, hygrometers to measure humidity, anemometers to measure wind speed and direction, and rain gauges to measure precipitation.
Weather stations can be automated or manned, and they are strategically located across different regions to provide localized weather data. The data collected by weather stations is essential for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, agriculture, aviation, and various other applications. Additionally, advancements in technology have led to the development of remote weather stations that can transmit data wirelessly, allowing for real-time monitoring and analysis.
What are weather satellites 🛰?
Weather satellites are artificial satellites specifically designed to monitor Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces to gather information about weather patterns and conditions. These satellites are equipped with various sensors and instruments, including cameras, radiometers, and spectrometers, which can observe different wavelengths of light and other electromagnetic radiation.
Weather satellites orbit the Earth, continuously collecting data from space about cloud cover, atmospheric temperature, humidity, precipitation, and other meteorological parameters. This data is transmitted back to Earth and used by meteorologists and climatologists to create weather forecasts, monitor climate trends, study atmospheric phenomena such as hurricanes and tornadoes, and track environmental changes over time.
Weather satellites play a crucial role in global weather monitoring and forecasting, providing valuable information for disaster preparedness, agriculture, transportation, and numerous other sectors.
Where do scientists get info on Climate change and what does that information tell us?
The evidence of climate change is derived from extensive scientific research, including observations from weather stations, weather balloons, and weather satellites. The Scientists record thousandsvof land and ocean temperatures around the world each day. These sources of data provide insights into trends such as rising temperatures, melting ice caps, changing precipitation patterns, and shifts in ecosystems.
Collectively, these findings underscore the urgent need for mitigation and adaptation strategies to address the impacts of climate change on the environment, economies, and societies globally.
WHAT CHANGES THE EARTH’S TEMPERATURE?
Several factors can influence Earth’s temperature, including:
- Greenhouse gases: Emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to an increase in Earth’s temperature.
- Solar radiation: Changes in the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth’s surface can impact temperatures. Variations in solar activity over time can lead to fluctuations in temperature.
- Volcanic activity: Large volcanic eruptions can inject significant amounts of ash and gases into the atmosphere, which can temporarily cool the planet by blocking sunlight.
- Ocean currents: Ocean currents play a crucial role in distributing heat around the globe. Changes in ocean circulation patterns can affect regional temperatures.
- Land use changes: Alterations in land cover, such as deforestation or urbanization, can influence local and regional temperatures by affecting the absorption and reflection of sunlight.
- Albedo: Changes in Earth’s surface reflectivity, known as albedo, can impact temperatures. For example, melting ice reduces the surface area of reflective snow and ice, leading to increased absorption of sunlight and higher temperatures.
Describe how solar radiation is a cause for climate change.
Solar radiation: The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth’s climate system. Variations in solar radiation, caused by factors such as changes in the Sun’s output or Earth’s orbit, can influence temperatures. While fluctuations in solar activity occur over long timescales, they can contribute to climate variations, such as the Little Ice Age during periods of reduced solar activity. However, the overall impact of solar variability on Earth’s temperature is smaller compared to the influence of greenhouse gases.
Describe how volcanic activity is a cause for climate change.
Volcanic activity: Volcanic eruptions release large amounts of ash, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and other gases into the atmosphere. These particles can reflect incoming sunlight back into space, cooling the Earth’s surface temporarily. Additionally, sulfur dioxide can combine with water vapor to form sulfate aerosols, which can persist in the atmosphere for months to years, further blocking sunlight. Historic eruptions, like the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, led to measurable cooling of the Earth’s surface for several years following the event.
Describe how solar ocean currents are a cause for climate change.
Ocean currents: Ocean currents transport heat around the globe, redistributing warmth from the equator to the poles and influencing regional climates. As temperatures increase the particles of water also expand and rise raising the sea level. Currents vary in temperature and move at different speeds. If a current is much warmer or cooler than surrounding water, it can dramatically effect climates of nearby costal areas. Variations in ocean circulation patterns, such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) which is a current of water in pacific that becomes warmer every few years causing a chain of climate changes including flooding and severe storms or the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). These currents can affect sea surface temperatures and atmospheric conditions. Changes in these currents can result in altered weather patterns and temperature anomalies in affected regions.
The ocean is larges solar energy collector on earth and absorbs 90% of excess heat without a large increase in temperature but over time accumulated heat can cause oceans to warm up, the consequences:
Sea level rise
Changes in ocean circulation and weather patterns
Ocean acidification
Coral bleaching and loss of marine biodiversity
Describe how land use changes is a cause for climate change.
Land use changes: Human activities, such as deforestation, urbanization, and agriculture, can modify Earth’s surface properties and affect temperatures. Deforestation reduces the number of trees that absorb carbon dioxide and release moisture through transpiration, leading to warmer surface temperatures. Urban areas, with their extensive paved surfaces and buildings, tend to absorb and retain heat, creating urban heat islands that can significantly raise local temperatures. Conversely, changes in land cover, such as afforestation or reforestation efforts, can help mitigate temperature increases by increasing the surface albedo and enhancing carbon sequestration.
Describe how albedo is a cause for climate change.
Albedo: Albedo refers to the reflectivity of Earth’s surface—the higher the albedo, the more sunlight is reflected back into space, cooling the planet. Changes in land cover, such as the melting of ice caps and glaciers or the expansion of dark, heat-absorbing surfaces like asphalt and bare soil, can lower the overall albedo, leading to increased absorption of solar radiation and higher temperatures. This positive feedback loop can exacerbate climate warming by amplifying the initial temperature increase. Conversely, efforts to preserve reflective surfaces, such as maintaining snow cover or deploying reflective roofing materials in urban areas, can help mitigate temperature rise.
Describe how greenhouse gases are cause for climate change.
Greenhouse gases: Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and water vapor (H2O), play a critical role in regulating Earth’s temperature. These gases allow sunlight to penetrate the atmosphere and reach the Earth’s surface. However, they also absorb and re-radiate infrared radiation (heat) emitted by the Earth, trapping some of it in the atmosphere. This phenomenon, known as the greenhouse effect, warms the planet. Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes, have significantly increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to enhanced warming and climate change.
What does ozone look like?
Ozone has a pale blue color, but we do not notice this because there is so little ozone in air around us.
What does ozone smell like?
It smells similar to chlorine and has a distinct sharp, fresh and slightly metallic smell. Some people can smell ozone even when here are very small amounts in the air. (Chlorine is a bleach and is sometimes used to disinfect swimming pools.)
How is ozone gas created?
It is created when heat and sunlight cause chemical reactions between oxygen and ultraviolet light.
