Chapter 21

Question 1

Climate system

Answer 1

multidemensional system of many interacting parts

includes: atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere, cryosphere

Question 2

Climate impacts geologic processes

Answer 2

weathering, flooding, mass wasting

Question 3

Geologic process affect climate

Answer 3

volcanism and mountain building

Question 4

paleoclimatology

Answer 4

reconstructing past climate change

Instructional records only go back a couple of centuries

Question 5

Scientists use proxy data

Answer 5

indirect evidence of climate change

Question 6

Seafloor Sediments

Answer 6

Storehouse of Climate Data: Abundance and types of organic remains are indicative of past sea-surface temperatures

Question 7

Oxygen Isotope Analysis

Answer 7

precise measure of the ratio of O18/O16
Higher ratios indicate climate was colder
-ratios trapped in calcium carbonate shells of marine organisms
-ratios vary with amount of sea ice and water temp

Question 8

ice can be analyzed for

Answer 8

• oxygen isotope analysis
• Carbon dioxide ad methane (air bubbles trapped in the ice)
• Dust, volcanic ash, pollen

Question 9

Tree Rings

Answer 9

Archives of environmental history

-growth rings are added each year (thickness and density of rings reflect environemental conditions

Question 10

Other types of Proxy Data

Answer 10

-Fossil Pollen: Pollen can provide high-resolution records of vegetation
Best type of paleovegetation indication
-Corals- Through oxygen isotope analysis, corals are used as paleothermometers and precipitation proxies
-Historical Data

Question 11

Composition of the Atmosphere

Answer 11

• Air is a mixture of many discrete gases
• Clean dry air: mostly nitrogen and oxygen, carbon dioxide is a minute component of air but can absorb and affect global climate

Question 12

Water Vapor in atmophere

Answer 12

• amount varies from none to 4% of air
• source of clouds and precipitation
• can absorb heat and affect global climate

Question 13

Ozone (Atmosphere)

Answer 13

• A combination of three oxygen atoms in one molecule in one molecule
• Thin layer of gas concentrated in the stratosphere
• Absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation

Question 14

Aerosols in atmosphere

Answer 14

• tiny solid and liquid particles found in the air
• Can attract moisture for cloud formation
• can block sunlight from reaching earth

Question 15

Pressure changes with ____

Answer 15

height

Question 16

Pressure in the atmosphere structure

Answer 16

is the weight of the air above

• Pressure at higher altitudes is less
• Average sea level pressure is 1 kilogram per centimeter

Question 17

Earth’s atmosphere is divided into four layers based on temperature

Answer 17

Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere

Question 18

Troposphere

Answer 18

• Bottom layer of atmosphere
• We live in it
• Temp decreases with increase in altitude
• Where weather occurs
• Bounded on top by tropopause

Question 19

Stratosphere

Answer 19

• Temp remains constant until 20 Km then it increases
• Ozone is concentrated here
• Bounded on top by stratopause

Question 20

Mesophere

Answer 20

• Temp decreases with height to mesopause

- Coldest temperatures in atmosphere

Question 21

Thermosphere

Answer 21

• tiny fraction of atmosphere
• Temp increases due to absorption of solar radiation
• no defined upper limit

Question 22

The sun emits _______ ______ in the form of rays and waves

Answer 22

electromagnetic radiation

• as an object absorbs radiation, molecule movement increases causing temp to rise
• key difference among electromagnetic radiation is the wavelengths

Question 23

Basic laws governing radtiation

Answer 23

• All objects emit radiant energy
• Hotter objects radiate more total energy than do colder objects
• The hotter the radiating body, the shorter the wavelengths of maximum radiation
• Objects that are good absorbers of radiation are good emitters as well

Question 24

50% solar energy passes through

Answer 24

atmosphere and is absorbed on Earth’s surface

Question 25

20% solar energy

Answer 25

is absorbed by clouds and atmospheric gases

Question 26

30% solar energy is

Answer 26

reflected back to space by clouds, atmosphere, snow and ice

Question 27

Greenhouse Affect

Answer 27

- Shortwave solar radiation passes through the atmosphere and heats Earth - Longwave radiation emitted by Earth is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere (CO2 and water vapor)

Question 28

Selective absorption and reheating of Earth is called ______ _____ and results in warming of the atmosphere

Answer 28

greenhouse effect

Question 29

Plate Movements

Answer 29

- landmasses move closer or further from equator | - can affect ocean circulation

Question 30

Volcanic Activity and Climate Change

Answer 30

effects volcanic aerosols on climate Sulfuric acid droplets lowered global temps increase in atmospheric CO2

Question 31

Sunspots

Answer 31

huge magnetic storms on the sun cycle is too short to have effect on global temps Changes in temperature and precipitation

Question 32

Humans modifying the environment

Answer 32

fire, overgrazing, burning fossil fuels, deforestation | Causing temps to rise

Question 33

Trace Gases

Answer 33

Methane Nitrous Oxide CFCs

Question 34

Methane

Answer 34

trace gas | Less abundant than carbon dioxide, but more effective at absorbing outgoing radiation

Question 35

Nitrous Oxide

Answer 35

trace gas | Greenhouse gas that lasts for 150 years in atmophere

Question 36

CFCs

Answer 36

trace gas | commercially produced chemical that depletes ozone

Question 37

different possible outcomes of climate change

Answer 37

climate-feedback mechanisms

Question 38

Changes that reinforce the initial change

Answer 38

positive-feedback mechanisms

Question 39

Produce results that are opposite of the initial change and tend to offset it

Answer 39

negative-feedback mechanisms

Question 40

Possible consequences of global warming

Answer 40

- temp increase not uniform - precipitaion changes - sea level rise driven by melting glaciers and thermal expansion - Changing arctic (loss of sea ice and melting of permafrost) - Increasing Ocean Acidity