Chapter 8

Question 1

Weather vs Climate

Answer 1

weather is short term and local
climate is long term and regional

Question 2

early climate classification

Answer 2

frigid, temperate, torrid

Question 3

koppen climate system

Answer 3

based on annual and monthly average temp and precipitation

Question 4

Tropical

Answer 4

almost entirely confined to the equator and tropics of Capricorn and cancer

Question 5

dry

Answer 5

potential evaporation exceeds precipitation

Question 6

mid latitude

Answer 6

summers are hot and coldest month has an average temp of -3 C

Question 7

severe midlatitude

Answer 7

winters have at least occasional snow cover with the mean temp going below -3 C; summers are mild

Question 8

polar

Answer 8

all months have mean temps below 10 C

Question 9

Tropical Humid Climates

Answer 9

tropical latitudes, winterless climates, little temp change, high humidity; precipitation influenced by ITCZ

Question 10

Dry Climates

Answer 10

30% of land area worldwide; lack of moisture or uplift; typically in subtropics; marine deserts

Question 11

mild midlatitude climates

Answer 11

transition between warmer tropical climates and colder severe climates; hot summers, mild winters, high variable precipitation amounts

Question 12

severe midlatitude climates

Answer 12

northern hemisphere; continentality: far from oceans; long, cold winter and short summer

Question 13

polar climates

Answer 13

receive little insolation; no average temp over 50; extremely dry but NOT arid

Question 14

Highland climate

Answer 14

variable; altitude is more significant than latitude; high diurnal temp variations due to dry, thin air

Question 15

humid continental climate

Answer 15

climate of the US; dominated by westerlies and associated with frequent weather changes; warm summer, cold winter; low precipitation but high at coastal; winter precipitation associated with cyclones, summer with convection

Question 16

boundary conditions

Answer 16

external factors that Earth’s climate responds to

Question 17

forcing agents

Answer 17

external factors driving climate change

Question 18

reasons why climate change happens

Answer 18

1. solar output fluctuations: sunspot activity related to solar output
2. continents shift positions: this changes patterns of temp, winds, ocean currents, and albedo
3. Milankovitch cycle: changes total solar energy arriving at top of atmosphere and distribution of this energy around the globe
4. changes in oceans: absorb energy, store energy, transfer energy
5. atmospheric changes: volcanoes release aerosols (cool atmosphere) and CO2 (warms the atmosphere)

Question 19

feedback mechanisms

Answer 19

one factor affects another
positive: feedback magnifies further change in a variable
negative: feedback acts to inhibit further change

Question 20

pleistocene ice age

Answer 20

• rapid climate change (colder)
• CO2 was low, sea levels low
• caused ice sheets

Question 21

Holocene Epoch

Answer 21

• changing orbital parameters
• rapid warming: melting of the laurentide ice sheet
• initiated younger dryas event: rapid cooling

Question 22

medieval climate anomaly

Answer 22

the north atlantic region was unreasonably warm

Question 23

little ice age

Answer 23

followed the medieval climate anomaly; north atlantic was unreasonably cold

Question 24

hockey curve

Answer 24

medieval climate anomaly and LIA pictured

Question 25

Permafrost melting

Answer 25

high albedo reflects as much as 90% of suns energy (positive feedback bc increases melting)

Question 26

effects of climate change

Answer 26

more wildfires, longer growing season, water vapor in air increases, more intense rainfall, increased flooding - more hurricanes: increase in intensity

Question 27

what does hurricane frequency depend on?

Answer 27

el nino (decreases frequency) and atlantic multidecadal oscillation (increases frequency)

Question 28

isotopes that affect climate change

Answer 28

oxygen 16 and 18 O18 requires more energy to evaporate and condenses faster

Question 29

Ice cores to determine past climates

Answer 29

- ice cores determine oxygen ratios - used to obtain temperature data from isotope ratios, provide info on past chem of atmosphere, and past volcanoes

Question 30

oceanic sediment deposits to determine past climates

Answer 30

- cores include the bones and shells of plankton and other animals - CaCO3 important for determining past climate

Question 31

biological methods to determine past climate

Answer 31

fossils: leaf fossils (serrated edge means cooler climate) plant fossils: used to estimate CO2 concentration - fewer stoma= high CO2 fossil pollen: widely dispersed; shows record of past vegetation

Question 32

remnant landforms to determine past climate

Answer 32

the movement of water, the slow-moving of ice sheets expanding across the surface, wave action across coastlines, wind, and floating icebergs carrying debris