The earth's climate Flashcards
What is the name of the first legally binding climate agreement?
The Kyoto Protocol (1997)
What percentage of emissions did the climate change act commit the govt to reducing by 2050?
80%
What does the UK climate strategy include?
Setting carbon budgets for 5 year periods. Reducing demand for energy using smart metres and promoting efficiency.
Investing in low carbon tech, encouraging growth of renewables and offering subsidies.
Carbon taxes to switch to greener fuels.
Why did India not sign the Kyoto protocol?
They argued rich countries should shoulder the cost of reducing emissions. Their case was that their per capita consumption was far below the global average, that their priorities were alleviating poverty and high CO2 levels were due to AC’s and not them.
What has India decided to do?
Reduce its emissions as a ratio of GDP. They want to improve energy efficiency and develop renewables like solar power.
Name all of the lines of latitude and what angle they sit at.
The Arctic Circle- 66.5N The Tropic of Cancer- 23.5N The Equator- 0 The Tropic of Capricorn- 23.5S The Antarctic Circle- 66.5S
What are the names of the three weather cells?
The Hadley Cell, Ferrel Cell and Polar Cell
What happens at the tropopause?
Weather stops, all weather happens below the tropopause.
What is the Intertropical Convergence Zone?
It is a band of low pressure around the earth which generally lies near the equator.
What happens to the ITCZ throughout the year?
It moves and follows the migration of the suns overhead position with a delay of 1-2 months. This drastically affects rainfall in many equatorial nations resulting in wet and dry seasons in the tropics.
Outline the path of the Great Ocean conveyor starting from Greenland.
The water downwells and travels through the Atlantic to the Antarctic. It travels East towards Australia however some separates in the Indian ocean and upwells to below India. The cold stream travels north to the Pacific where it upwells and then travels across Indonesia and through the Indian Ocean, meeting with the other current. It then travels below Africa and through the Atlantic up towards Greenland.
What is the geological timescale and what does it do?
A system of chronological measurement that relates to stratigraphy and time. It is sued to describe the timing and relationships between events in Earth’s history.
Name the geological divisions and order them in size.
Biggest to smallest: Eon, era, period, epoch. (eon adn era might be the same).
What is the geological period that we live in?
The quaternary period.
What is the geological epoch that we live in?
The Holocene.
What are glacial and interglacial periods?
Glacial - A period of ice age- temperature is generally below the average temperature for Earth.
Interglacial - A warmer period- generally happens between ice ages , above the average temperature for Earth.
What has been the pattern of temperature over the past 1,500 years?
A rapid increase in temperature in the past 100 years. Temperatures generally quite steady before that.
What is a paleoproxy?
A long lived, geological, chemical or biological system that has the climate imprinted on it.
What have CO2 levels been like historically within the last 800,000 years.
Fluctuated between 170 and 300 ppm.
Why was 2014 significant in terms of temperature?
Was the warmest year for mean global land and ocean temperatures since records began. 1 degree above for land and 0.57 above for oceans. It was also the 38th consecutive year that global temperature rise had been above average.
How much will valley glaciers sink by the end of the century?
80-96%
What has the average sea level rise been since 1900.? And what rate is sea level currently rising at?
- 0 to 2.5 mm/year
3. 0mm/year
What are the main causes of sea level rise?
Melting of on land ice and thermal expansion of the oceans.
What % of solar radiation does snow reflect as opposed to soil and vegetation?
70-80% compared with 10-20%
How does snow melt create a positive feedback loop?
More heat is absorbed by the earth which means the Earth gets hotter and ice melts.
How much has Arctic sea ice reduced in the summer and winter since 1979? (as a %)
Summer- 8%
Winter- 3-4%
What has happened to thickness of the sea ice since 1980?
Gone from 3.6m in 1980 to 1.9m in 2010
What has happened to sea ice in the Antarctic?
Expanded by just over 1% per decade.
What are tropical cyclones?
Large, violent, revolving storms generating hurricane winds and torrential rain.
Where are cyclones most common?
The north Atlantic and Pacific.
What are mid latitude depressions?
Low pressure systems that form on jet streams brining rain and wind
Where are mid latitude depressions common?
Northwest Europe, South Island New Zealand
Where are tornadoes most common?
Continental interiors in mid latitudes such as the Midwest USA.
Where is heavy rainfall most common?
Climates with a monsoon season such as south asia.
For how long has there been the recording of above average June temps?
Since 1977
What may happen to glaciers in the Alps by the end of the century?
They may shrink by 80-96%
What happened to the thickness of small glaciers between 1961-2005?
Decreased by 12m
What is causing sea level rise?
Melting of on land ice and thermal expansion
How much has sea level been rising on average since 1900 and what are the more recent rates?
1.0mm to 2.5mm, recent years 3mm
What will happen for every 1 degree rise in temperature in terms of water vapour?
The rising levels of water vapour will double global warming.
What is the albedo of snow as opposed to soil and vegetation?
Snow reflects 70-80% of solar radiation as opposed to 10-20%
How does increased water vapour create a positive feedback loop?
The more water vapour there is the more heat that is trapped in the atmosphere, this causes more evaporation which causes more water vapour which causes warmer temps.
How does a decreased albedo create a positive feedback loop?
The more snow melt there is the lower the albedo there is, this causes more absorption of radiation causing warmer temperatures and a decreased albedo.
What has happened to summer and winter sea ice per decade since 1980?
Decreased by by 8% per decade and 3-4% in the winter.
When did the Arctic have its lowest ever sea ice cover?
Sep 2012
What happened to the ppm of co2 in the last 200 years?
Went from a fairly stable 280 to over 400 in 2015. Nearly half of the increase occurred since 1960.
What has happened to CH4 emissions since 1984?
1735ppb to 1890 ppb in 2009.
What % of all GHG emissions is CH4 and how much more potent is it than CO2?
15% and it is 25X more potent.