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sci exam review > climate change - chapter 8 > Flashcards

climate change - chapter 8 Flashcards

changing climate and global warming (75 cards)

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1
Q

weather

A

atmospheric conditions in a particular location over a short period of time, such as a day or a week

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2
Q

metereologists usually provide the following information when describing the weather:

A

temperature
precipitation
wind speed
humidity
atmospheric pressure
fog mist or clouds

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3
Q

relative humidity

A

amt of water vapour relative to the amt the air can hold at its current temp

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4
Q

ways meteorologists predict the weather:

A

weather stations
weather balloons
aircraft
satellites

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5
Q

climate

A

the average of weather in a region over a long period of time

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6
Q

climate zones are based on

A

temperature
precipitation
plant communities

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7
Q

ecoregions are based on

A

landforms
soil
plant
animals

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8
Q

climate is affected by

A

latitude
large bodies of water
ocean/air currents
land formations
altitude

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9
Q

climate system

A

the complex set of components that interact with each other to produce Earth’s climate

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10
Q

ultraviolet radiation (climate change)

A

a form of invisible higher-energy radiation

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11
Q

infrared radiation (climate change)

A

a form of invisible lower-energy radiation

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12
Q

the sun emits 3 types of radiation, what are they?

A

UV, visible, IR

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13
Q

3 things that could happen to radiation when it reaches a particle

A

it could get absorbed
it could get transmitted through
it could get reflected off

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14
Q

how much of the radiation from the sun is reflected back?

A

about 30%

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15
Q

where does the 70% of radiation not reflected off of earth go?

A

about 20% is absorbed by the atmosphere and clouds
50% of it is absorbed by land and oceans

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16
Q

how does earth have balance and not get too hot/cold from the radiation?

A

when earth absorbs thermal (heat) energy it reflects back infrared radiation
energy absorbed = energy radiated

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17
Q

thermal energy

A

the energy present in the motion of particles at a particular temperature

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18
Q

two reasons why latitude changes temperature

A

radiation passes through less of the atmosphere when it is closer
radiation hits harder when it is not spread out

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19
Q

components of climate system

A

atmosphere
hydrosphere
lithosphere
living things

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20
Q

levels of the atmosphere lowest to highest

A

troposphere
stratosphere
mesosphere
thermosphere
exosphere

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21
Q

ozone in the stratosphere

A

ozone in the stratosphere prevents the suns harmful energy from reaching us like absorbing UV light

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22
Q

what was ozone depletion in the stratosphere caused by

A

CFC or chlorofluorocarbons which are part of the halocarbon family

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23
Q

what are halocarbons/chlorofluorocarbons

A

molecules made up of carbon atoms connected to chlorine, bromine, or iodine

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24
Q

ozone in the troposphere

A

it has a toxic and corrosive effect in the troposphere creating smog from mixing with exhaust from cars
it also doesnt have any substantial protection from UV

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25
hydrosphere includes
liquid water water vapour ice
26
large bodies of water and climate zones
water heats up and cools down more slowly than land so regions are affected by how cold or hot the water is even if the temperature of the land has changed
27
how much of earths water is frozen
2%
28
ice and the climate system
ice has a lot of albedo so it contributes a lot to reflecting heat off of earth and keeping earth at a good temperature
29
lithosphere and climate
containing all of the rock and crust of earth, the lithosphere absorbs higher-energy from the sun and emits back lower-energy IR radiation
30
land formations and climate zones
mountains affect weather by blocking rain (called the rain shadow effect)
31
altitude and climate zones
at a higher altitude pressure is lower so air is cooler (air expands and cools as it reaches higher)
32
living things and the climate system
through photosynthesis and cellular respiration plants and animals change the relative amounts of gasses
33
greenhouse effect
a natural process whereby gases and clouds absorb IR radiation emitted from Earth and radiate it, heating the atmosphere and Earth's surface
34
greenhouse gas
any gas in the atmosphere that absorbs IR (lower energy) radiation
35
carbon sink
a reservoir that absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores the carbon in another form (eg forest)
36
name the 5 greenhouse gases
carbon dioxide water vapour methane ozone nitrous oxide
37
about two thirds of earths natural greenhouse effect is caused by
water vapour
38
water vapour
water evaporates more readily when it is heated when earths temp increases more water becomes water vapour water vapour traps energy and heats the earth (the cycle starts again)
39
feedback loop
a process in which the result acts to influence the original cause
40
a molecule of what is 23 times more powerful than a molecule of carbon dioxide (climate change)
methane
41
how is methane produced
naturally by plant decomposition and digestion unnaturally by industrial processes
42
we know almost nothing about (climate change)
ozone
43
a molecule of what is 300 times more powerful than a molecule of carbon dioxide
nitrous oxide
44
how is nitrous oxide produced
naturally by reactions of bacteria in soil and water unnaturally by industrial processes
45
how do greenhouse gases trap IR radiation?
greenhosue gases consist of 3 or more atoms so they vibraste in all sorts of directions, catching radiation and throwing it everywhere
46
heat sink
a reservoir that absorbs and store thermal energy
47
what keeps all of earth at a relatively similar temperature if there are so many factors making temperature change?
air and ocean circulation transports thermal energy all over the world
48
energy transfer in water (atmosphere)
when water is unevenly heated, a current forms. warm water is less dense than cold water, but when it lifts, it cools, and then sinks back down creating a loop
49
energy transfer in the atmosphere
similar to water, hot air rises, but once it is risen it cools and sinks back down, pushing cold air up and making a loop. this is called a convection current
50
convection current
a circular current in air and other fluids caused by the rising of warm fluids as cold fluids sink
51
prevailing winds and climate zones
as prevailing winds go to different regions, they pick up gases and transfer thermal energy
52
energy transfer in the oceans
when water goes towards the poles, it gets colder and saltier, which makes it dense, which makes it sink. this sinking leads to different water lifting and creation of a loop
53
thermohaline circulation
the continuous flow of water around the world's oceans driven by differences in water temperatures and salinity
54
ocean currents and climate zones
ocean currents change the temperature of the air above them
55
plate tectonics
the theory explaining the slow movement of the large plates of earths crust
56
ice age
a time in earths history when earth is colder and much of the planet is covered in ice
57
continental drift
the theory that earths continents used to be one supercontinent named pangea
58
how does continental drift affect climate
differences in bodies of water in different hemispheres
59
why do interglacial and ice age periods keep happening?
earth tilts and sometimes that tilt changes earth is an oval orbit which results in sometimes being away from the sun
60
short term variations in climate that affect earth
volcanic eruptions air and ocean currents changing changes in the suns radiation
61
el nino
a recurring change int he pacific winds and ocean currents that brings warm moist air to the west coast of south america
62
when does el nino happen
every 3 to 7 years
63
when does an interglacial period or an ice age happen (about)
100k years
64
albedo
a measure of ow much of the suns radiation is reflected by a surface
65
albedo affect warming
ice melts less is reflected heat increases
66
albedo affect cooling
more ice forms more is reflected temperature decreases
67
studying clues to past climate
paintings/human stuff ice cores tree rings coral reefs rock and sediment fossils
68
proxy record
stores of information in different things liek fossils that can be measured to give clues to what the climate was like in the past
69
scientists have recorded climate since
200 years ago
70
non-quantitative measurements of climate and weather
proxy records
71
ice cores for climate
scientists cut ice cores to test the bubbles of ancient gas trapped in there and see the ratios of each gas also oxygen is heavier or lighter based on temperature so they measure that
72
the bottom of an ice core may be up to __ years old
800k years old
73
tree rings for climate
tree rings grow each year, and are thickest in years with good growing conditions
74
coral reefs for climate
layers of coral grow each years and their growth rates depend on the temperature of the ocean water around them
75
rock, ocean sediment and caves
each layer of rock or crust mayu contain things like plant pollen or fossils to tell temperature and conditions

sci exam review (8 decks)

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