The earth's climate

Question 1

What is the name of the first legally binding climate agreement?

Answer 1

The Kyoto Protocol (1997)

Question 2

What percentage of emissions did the climate change act commit the govt to reducing by 2050?

Answer 2

80%

Question 3

What does the UK climate strategy include?

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

Why did India not sign the Kyoto protocol?

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

What has India decided to do?

Answer 5

Reduce its emissions as a ratio of GDP. They want to improve energy efficiency and develop renewables like solar power.

Question 6

Name all of the lines of latitude and what angle they sit at.

Answer 6

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

Question 7

What are the names of the three weather cells?

Answer 7

The Hadley Cell, Ferrel Cell and Polar Cell

Question 8

What happens at the tropopause?

Answer 8

Weather stops, all weather happens below the tropopause.

Question 9

What is the Intertropical Convergence Zone?

Answer 9

It is a band of low pressure around the earth which generally lies near the equator.

Question 10

What happens to the ITCZ throughout the year?

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

Outline the path of the Great Ocean conveyor starting from Greenland.

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

What is the geological timescale and what does it do?

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

Name the geological divisions and order them in size.

Answer 13

Biggest to smallest: Eon, era, period, epoch. (eon adn era might be the same).

Question 14

What is the geological period that we live in?

Answer 14

The quaternary period.

Question 15

What is the geological epoch that we live in?

Answer 15

The Holocene.

Question 16

What are glacial and interglacial periods?

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

What has been the pattern of temperature over the past 1,500 years?

Answer 17

A rapid increase in temperature in the past 100 years. Temperatures generally quite steady before that.

Question 18

What is a paleoproxy?

Answer 18

A long lived, geological, chemical or biological system that has the climate imprinted on it.

Question 19

What have CO2 levels been like historically within the last 800,000 years.

Answer 19

Fluctuated between 170 and 300 ppm.

Question 20

Why was 2014 significant in terms of temperature?

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

How much will valley glaciers sink by the end of the century?

Answer 21

80-96%

Question 22

What has the average sea level rise been since 1900.? And what rate is sea level currently rising at?

Answer 22

1. 0 to 2.5 mm/year

3. 0mm/year

Question 23

What are the main causes of sea level rise?

Answer 23

Melting of on land ice and thermal expansion of the oceans.

Question 24

What % of solar radiation does snow reflect as opposed to soil and vegetation?

Answer 24

70-80% compared with 10-20%

Question 25

How does snow melt create a positive feedback loop?

Answer 25

More heat is absorbed by the earth which means the Earth gets hotter and ice melts.

Question 26

How much has Arctic sea ice reduced in the summer and winter since 1979? (as a %)

Answer 26

Summer- 8%

Winter- 3-4%

Question 27

What has happened to thickness of the sea ice since 1980?

Answer 27

Gone from 3.6m in 1980 to 1.9m in 2010

Question 28

What has happened to sea ice in the Antarctic?

Answer 28

Expanded by just over 1% per decade.

Question 29

What are tropical cyclones?

Answer 29

Large, violent, revolving storms generating hurricane winds and torrential rain.

Question 30

Where are cyclones most common?

Answer 30

The north Atlantic and Pacific.

Question 31

What are mid latitude depressions?

Answer 31

Low pressure systems that form on jet streams brining rain and wind

Question 32

Where are mid latitude depressions common?

Answer 32

Northwest Europe, South Island New Zealand

Question 33

Where are tornadoes most common?

Answer 33

Continental interiors in mid latitudes such as the Midwest USA.

Question 34

Where is heavy rainfall most common?

Answer 34

Climates with a monsoon season such as south asia.

Question 35

For how long has there been the recording of above average June temps?

Answer 35

Since 1977

Question 36

What may happen to glaciers in the Alps by the end of the century?

Answer 36

They may shrink by 80-96%

Question 37

What happened to the thickness of small glaciers between 1961-2005?

Answer 37

Decreased by 12m

Question 38

What is causing sea level rise?

Answer 38

Melting of on land ice and thermal expansion

Question 39

How much has sea level been rising on average since 1900 and what are the more recent rates?

Answer 39

1.0mm to 2.5mm, recent years 3mm

Question 40

What will happen for every 1 degree rise in temperature in terms of water vapour?

Answer 40

The rising levels of water vapour will double global warming.

Question 41

What is the albedo of snow as opposed to soil and vegetation?

Answer 41

Snow reflects 70-80% of solar radiation as opposed to 10-20%

Question 42

How does increased water vapour create a positive feedback loop?

Answer 42

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.

Question 43

How does a decreased albedo create a positive feedback loop?

Answer 43

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.

Question 44

What has happened to summer and winter sea ice per decade since 1980?

Answer 44

Decreased by by 8% per decade and 3-4% in the winter.

Question 45

When did the Arctic have its lowest ever sea ice cover?

Answer 45

Sep 2012

Question 46

What happened to the ppm of co2 in the last 200 years?

Answer 46

Went from a fairly stable 280 to over 400 in 2015. Nearly half of the increase occurred since 1960.

Question 47

What has happened to CH4 emissions since 1984?

Answer 47

1735ppb to 1890 ppb in 2009.

Question 48

What % of all GHG emissions is CH4 and how much more potent is it than CO2?

Answer 48

15% and it is 25X more potent.