The Atmosphere Flashcards
(36 cards)
changes in the system has profound effects on…
climate stability
Different layers of the atmosphere
- Troposphere
- Stratosphere
- Mesophere
- Thermosphere
- Exosphere
Troposphere
- 8-15 km high
- Most of the weather processes occur here
- 75% of the atmosphere’s mass (water vapor)
- Where greenhouse gasses trap heat
Stratosphere
- Has the ozone layer
- Scatters UV radiation from the sun
- Contributes to the warming of the atmosphere
Mesosphere
- Where meteors burn up
- Boundary between the atmosphere
- Regulates the energy balance of the layers below and above
Thermosphere
- absorbs intense solar radiation
- influences atmospheric tides and some satellite operations
Exosphere
- up to 10,000 km
- outermost layer with very low density
- minimal role in climate
- transitional layer to space
What happens if there was no greenhouse effect?
our planet will be barren because it will be too cold to sustain life
What are the most common greenhouse gases?
- CO2
- Methane
- Nitrous Oxide
- Water Vapor
CO2
- Fossil fuel combustion, deforestation,
cement production, land-use changes - ~100-200 years
- Primary driver of climate change; responsible for about 76% of anthropogenic GHG emissions.
Methane
- Livestock digestion, rice paddies,
landfills, natural gas leaks - ~12 years
- More effective than CO₂ at trapping heat short-term
- contributes to rapid warming due to high GWP
Nitrous Oxide
- 300x worse than CO2 and methane
- Agricultural fertilizers, industrial
processes, fossil fuel combustion - ~114 years
- less abundant but very potent
Water vapor
- evaporation from oceans and water bodies
- increases humidity and reinforces greenhouse effect
what is the keeling curve?
used to measure CO2 since 1956
extreme weather events
more greenhous gases -> warmer planet -> heat waves -> affects human health, agriculture and food security, ecosystems (some experience more drought while some more rain), etc
what is an example of a feedback loop?
melting ice will cause sea levels to rise and the darker water exposed by the lack of ice will absorb more heat and melt more ice
How do extreme weather events impact biodiversity of ecosystems?
- +1.5C: 4% lose half their habitat
- +2C: 8% lose half their habitat
- +3C: 41% lose half their habitat
What is light zonation?
- dividing the water into layers based on how much sunlight can reach them
- These zones define various levels of productivity within an aquatic ecosystems such as a lake
What is thermohaline circulation?
the process where deep-ocean currents are driven by differences in the water’s density, which is controlled by temperature and salinity
What are ocean currents?
- process of water moving heat from the equator
- helps regulate the earth’s temperature
The heat of global warming is going into:
- oceans: 93%
- melting ice: 3%
- continents: 3%
- atmosphere: 1%
what are some negative ocean processes? And what are their consequences?
- warming oceans -> ocean acidification -> coral bleaching
- pollution -> disrupts fishing industries and coastal tourism
- overfishing -> affects food web and fishing of big predators will cause overpopulation of other fishes
What is the el nino phenomenon?
- disrupts normal atmospheric circulation
- Warmer waters shift eastwards and causes wetter conditions in the southern united states and drier conditions in SEA and australia
- temporary spikes in global temperature
- rooted in the interaction between the atmosphere and the ocean
Ocean-atmosphere interactions
- carbon cycle highlights relationship between the air and the ocean
- can push the ocean absorption capacity to its limits -> impacts its role in maintaining carbon in the carbon cycle
