SIO 25 lectures 1-9

Question 1

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Answer 1

Weather: Short-term atmospheric conditions (minutes to days).
Climate: Long-term average and variability of atmospheric conditions over periods like 30 years.

Question 2

How do we monitor weather?

Answer 2

At point locations: Temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, etc.
Remote sensing (satellites): Global coverage, measuring incoming and outgoing radiation.

Question 3

What are climate normals?

Answer 3

30-year averages for climate variables like temperature and precipitation.
Used as a baseline for comparing current weather to historical averages.

Question 4

What is the climate system?

Answer 4

The climate system includes five major components:

Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Cryosphere
Lithosphere
Biosphere
Interactions between these components drive the climate.

Question 5

What are the drivers of climate variability?

Answer 5

Natural phenomena like El Niño Southern Oscillation, volcanic eruptions, and human-induced factors like changing atmospheric composition.

Question 6

What is latitude and longitude?

Answer 6

Latitude: Measures north-south, 0° at the equator, 90° at the poles.
Longitude: Measures east-west, 0° at the Prime Meridian.

Question 7

What are the five main climate zones?

Answer 7

A (Tropical): Warm, humid, >64°F, high precipitation.
B (Dry): Evaporation exceeds precipitation.
C (Subtropical): Warm summers, mild winters.
D (Continental): Cool summers, cold winters.
E (Polar): Year-round cold, temperatures below 50°F.

Question 8

What is a biome?

Answer 8

A region characterized by specific plant and animal communities, often linked to specific climate zones.

Question 9

What is Climate Change?

Answer 9

Long-term, significant change in climate statistics (e.g., temperature, wind, pressure) over decades or longer. It can be driven by natural phenomena or human activities.

Question 10

°F = (°C * 1.8) + 32

Answer 10

The formula to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit

Question 11

What is a calorie?

Answer 11

1 calorie is the amount of energy required to raise 1g of water by 1°C.
1 calorie = 4.18 joules (SI unit of energy).

Question 12

What is latent heat?

Answer 12

The energy absorbed or released during phase changes (e.g., melting, evaporation). It requires more heat to evaporate water than to melt ice.

Question 13

What is the Coriolis Effect?

Answer 13

The deflection of moving air and water due to Earth’s rotation. Deflects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 14

What are the three atmospheric circulation cells?

Answer 14

Hadley cells: Near the equator, drive trade winds.
Ferrell cells: At mid-latitudes.
Polar cells: Near the poles.

Question 15

What are Jet streams?

Answer 15

Fast-moving air currents near the boundary of cold polar and warm tropical air. They move from west to east and influence weather patterns.

Question 16

What is the thermocline?

Answer 16

The layer in the ocean where temperature decreases rapidly with depth. Strongest in tropical regions, weakest in polar waters.

Question 17

What is thermohaline circulation?

Answer 17

Global ocean circulation driven by differences in water temperature and salinity. Cold, salty water sinks in the North Atlantic, driving deep ocean currents.

Question 18

What is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)?

Answer 18

AMOC is a part of thermohaline circulation where warm water moves north, cools, sinks, and returns south as cold water, driving deep ocean circulation.

Question 19

What is the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM)?

Answer 19

A warming event 55.8 million years ago caused by massive carbon release, leading to a 5-8°C rise in global temperatures.

Question 20

What caused the End-Permian Extinction?

Answer 20

A massive volcanic eruption (Siberian Traps) released high levels of CO₂, causing global warming, ocean acidification, and a mass extinction event.