Brightspace notes 1/2 Flashcards
(96 cards)
1
Q
What is the difference between weather and climate?
A
Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.
2
Q
What factors are considered when discussing climate?
A
Normal temperature and amount of precipitation.
3
Q
What is the main determinant between climate and weather?
A
Time.
4
Q
What atmospheric layer does weather occur in?
A
Troposphere.
5
Q
What variables do people commonly associate with weather?
A
- Temperature
- Precipitation
- Cloudiness
- Humidity
- Visibility
- Sunshine
- Winds
- Atmospheric pressure
6
Q
What is a climate normal?
A
The average condition of a climate element over a 30-year period.
7
Q
How long is the climate normal period determined by the World Meteorological Organization?
A
30 years.
8
Q
What is the longest continuous climate record in the world?
A
Mean Central England temperature record going back to 1659.
9
Q
What does climate change focus on?
A
Changes in long-term averages of various weather conditions over a large geographic region.
10
Q
What is one indicator that climate has changed in the past 40-50 years?
A
Change in accumulation of winter snowpacks.
11
Q
What activities are attributed to recent warming in climate change?
A
Burning of fossil fuels and land-use changes.
12
Q
What gases predominantly make up Earth’s atmosphere?
A
- Nitrogen (78%)
- Oxygen (21%)
- Argon (0.9%)
- Carbon dioxide (0.04%)
13
Q
Why are carbon dioxide and water vapor important in the atmosphere?
A
They modulate the temperature of the Earth through the greenhouse effect.
14
Q
What happens when the concentration of greenhouse gases increases?
A
The atmosphere traps more heat, causing it to warm.
15
Q
What is the average thickness of the atmosphere?
A
<100 km.
16
Q
What drives atmospheric circulation?
A
- The rotation of the Earth
- Energy from the sun
17
Q
What is the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)?
A
The area that receives a surplus of solar radiation annually.
18
Q
What happens to air over warmer land?
A
It rises and moves toward cooler areas.
19
Q
What are the three large-scale atmospheric circulation cells?
A
- Hadley cells
- Ferrel cells
- Polar cells
20
Q
True or False: The atmosphere is thick relative to the size of the Earth.
A
False.
21
Q
Fill in the blank: Climate change is a direct response to _______ activities.
A
[anthropogenic]
22
Q
How does the Earth’s atmosphere sustain life?
A
It maintains temperatures that allow life to exist.
23
Q
What phenomenon does the analogy of Earth’s atmosphere as a blanket refer to?
A
The greenhouse effect.
24
Q
What does climate normals provide?
A
A description of the climate or what to expect at any time of year.
25
What is one effect of the differential heating of the Earth's surface?
It leads to wind patterns.
26
What is a significant change observed in gardening or farming over the past decades?
Spring arrives earlier than it did 30 or 40 years ago.
27
What is the relationship between the equatorial and polar regions in terms of energy?
Equatorial regions receive more solar energy and have lower variability compared to polar regions.
28
What type of conditions exist on the moon due to lack of atmosphere?
Brutally hot during the day and frigidly cold during the night.
29
What are the main atmospheric circulation cells?
Hadley, Ferrel, Polar cells
## Footnote
These cells help transport energy and heat from the equator to the poles.
30
What causes low atmospheric pressure at the surface near the equator?
Warm air rising
## Footnote
This is due to intense heating at the equator.
31
What are the trade winds in relation to the equator?
Northeast and Southeast trade winds
## Footnote
These winds move towards the equatorial region from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
32
How does the Coriolis effect impact wind flow in the Northern Hemisphere?
Turns winds to the right
33
What phenomenon occurs when trade winds converge at the equator?
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
## Footnote
This leads to rapid air rising and precipitation.
34
What is latent heat?
Energy released during the condensation of water vapor
## Footnote
This energy warms the surrounding air and drives the Hadley cell.
35
What is the Subtropical high pressure zone?
Region of high pressure at about 20-30 degrees north and south of the equator
## Footnote
This area is characterized by clear skies and many deserts.
36
What is the jet stream?
A zone of high winds moving from west to east at 30° to 60° latitude
## Footnote
It separates warm subtropical air from cooler polar air.
37
What are the two branches of the jet stream in the Northern Hemisphere?
Subtropical jet stream and Polar jet stream
38
What does the polar front separate?
Warm tropical air masses and colder polar air
## Footnote
It is the boundary where these distinct air masses do not mix well.
39
What type of winds prevail above 60° latitude?
Prevailing easterlies
40
What is the Great Ocean Conveyor Belt?
Deep ocean currents driven by density differences of water
## Footnote
Temperature and salinity differences influence this circulation.
41
How much has the average global temperature increased since 1850?
Approximately 1°C
42
What is a temperature anomaly?
Difference between the average temperature and the recorded temperature for a location in a given year
## Footnote
It helps quantify temperature changes over time.
43
What is the significance of the Central England temperature record?
One of the longest continuous temperature records, spanning from 1659 to present
44
What evidence suggests that temperatures today are not the warmest in Earth's history?
Historical evidence shows warmer conditions in the past, such as forests in the Canadian high Arctic 50 million years ago
45
What are proxy data sources?
Alternative sources of climate data used when instrumental records are insufficient
## Footnote
They include tree rings, ice cores, and sediment layers.
46
What is dendrochronology?
The scientific method of dating tree rings
47
What are the two components of a tree ring?
* Earlywood
* Latewood
48
What does wider tree rings typically indicate?
Better growth conditions during that year
49
What are the two types of wood that form a tree ring?
Earlywood and latewood
## Footnote
Earlywood is lighter in color and represents growth in the early part of the growing season, while latewood is darker and forms near the end of the growing season.
50
What does a couplet of earlywood and latewood represent?
One year of growth or a tree ring
51
What do dendrochronologists measure to assess tree growth conditions?
The width of tree rings
52
Wider tree rings generally indicate what type of growing conditions?
Better growing conditions
53
What geographic factor can influence tree ring patterns across large areas?
Climate (i.e., temperature)
54
What is a significant benefit of using tree-ring records for climate data?
Trees are widespread and their growth is often related to local climate conditions
55
How does summer temperature affect tree growth in northern Canada?
A warmer summer leads to greater tree growth and a wider tree ring
56
What limits tree growth at the hundredth meridian?
Precipitation
57
Which type of trees do not have discernible tree rings due to continuous growth?
Palm trees
58
What is a key characteristic of trees that makes them suitable for climate analysis?
They produce a growth ring each year in regions with seasonal climate variability
59
What is the typical lifespan of bristlecone pines?
They can live for millennia
60
What is the time span of sediment accumulation in lakes across most of Canada?
Approximately 10,000 years
61
What are varves in the context of lake sediment?
Annual layers of sediment
62
What are some examples of materials preserved in lake sediments?
* Pollen
* Charcoal
* Aquatic organisms (e.g., diatoms, chironomids)
* Chemical signatures (e.g., PAHs)
63
What climatic information can lake sediments provide?
Information about terrestrial and lake environments over long time periods
64
What is the significance of the year 1816 in relation to volcanic eruptions?
It is known as the 'year without a summer' due to the eruption of Mount Tambora
65
What was the temperature drop caused by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo?
Approximately 0.6 degrees Celsius
66
Which volcanic eruption is believed to be one of the largest in human history?
Mount Tambora in 1815
67
What is the effect of aerosols released during volcanic eruptions?
They scatter incoming solar radiation, leading to cooling
68
What is the relationship between volcanic eruptions and climate change?
Eruptions can cause short-term climate cooling
69
What influences the amount of solar radiation received at Earth?
Sunspot activity
70
How long is the typical sunspot cycle?
Approximately 11 years
71
What was the Maunder Minimum?
A period of very low sunspot activity from 1645 to 1715
72
What is the difference between explosive and basaltic volcanic eruptions?
Explosive eruptions are high-energy and silica-rich, while basaltic eruptions are low-energy and large volume
73
What are Milankovitch cycles?
Changes in the Earth's orbit that trigger large fluctuations in climate
74
What was the last ice age called in North America?
Wisconsin glaciation
75
What is the significance of tree rings in climate studies?
They can extend climate records for hundreds of years
76
What triggered the start and end of the ice ages?
Changes in the Earth’s orbit around the sun
## Footnote
These changes include variations in tilt, eccentricity, and precession.
77
When did the last ice age, known as the Wisconsin glaciation, begin and end?
Began about 100,000 years ago and ended about 11,700 years ago
## Footnote
This marks the onset of the Holocene epoch.
78
What are some landscape features formed during the Wisconsin glaciation?
* Drumlins
* Glacially carved lakes (e.g., Great Lakes)
* Glacial drift or till
* Eskers
79
How thick was the ice that covered most of Canada during the ice ages?
1-2 km thick
80
What is the approximate change in mean global temperature that led to significant glaciation?
~6 degrees Celsius
81
What are Milankovitch cycles?
Changes in Earth's orbital parameters affecting solar radiation received
## Footnote
These cycles include changes in tilt, eccentricity, and precession.
82
What was the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM)?
A period of rapid warming about 56 million years ago
## Footnote
This warming occurred over approximately 200,000 years.
83
What greenhouse gas is primarily associated with the warming during the PETM?
Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
84
What factors contributed to the release of greenhouse gases during the PETM?
* Increased biomass burning
* Combustion of coal
* Release of methane from methane hydrates
85
What is El Niño?
A warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean that disrupts normal ocean-atmosphere interactions
## Footnote
It leads to increased precipitation and affects global weather patterns.
86
What is La Niña?
A cooling of the eastern Pacific Ocean that results in opposite conditions to El Niño
## Footnote
It leads to above average sea surface temperatures in the western Pacific.
87
What are the three types of climate models?
* Conceptual or descriptive models
* Physical models
* Mathematical models
88
What is a Global Climate Model (GCM)?
A mathematical representation of the Earth's climate system and its interactions
## Footnote
It includes components like atmosphere, land surface, ocean, and sea ice.
89
What does the atmosphere component of a GCM simulate?
Clouds and aerosols, and their role in heat and water transport
90
What does the land surface component of a GCM simulate?
Surface characteristics like vegetation, snow cover, soil moisture, rivers, and carbon storage
91
What is the purpose of parameterizations in climate models?
To represent processes operating at scales smaller than a grid cell
## Footnote
Examples include cloud and aerosol composition.
92
What do climate models help us understand?
The complexities of the Earth's climate system and predict climate behavior
## Footnote
They allow for experiments that cannot be performed in the real world.
93
What is the difference between diagnostic and prognostic climate modeling experiments?
* Diagnostic: Detect changes and determine causes
* Prognostic: Project future climatic conditions
94
How do scientists test the accuracy of climate models?
Through hindcast experiments that reproduce past climate conditions
95
What factors can improve climate models?
* Completeness
* Correctness
* Resolution
96
What role does increased computing power play in climate modeling?
It leads to more comprehensive simulations and better parameterized processes
