Climate Change I Flashcards
(97 cards)
1
Q
Name the factors that climate change is comprised of
A
- atmospheric composition
- ice-ocean interaction
- atmosphere-ocean
- air-ice interaction
- heat exchange
2
Q
The two forces enabling planet Earth to maintain a temp range of 0C and 100C
A
- Plate tectonics
2. Weathering
3
Q
Plate tectonics
A
Plate movement generates increased volcanic activity. This leads to more C02 released into the atmosphere
4
Q
Weathering
A
The large-scale removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Binds water and C02 into an acid allowing it to flow to the bottom of the ocean for storage
5
Q
International Meteorological Organization
A
The predecessor to the WMO. Sets international standards for taking observations
6
Q
How much has climate warmed across the globe?
A
1 degree C
7
Q
Name the two periods used to compare the recent period of warming
A
- Medieval warming period
2. Little Ice Age
8
Q
Climate Sensitivity
A
Defined by the IPCC as the change in global mean temperature in response to a doubling of atmospheric C02
9
Q
Preindustrial C02 PPM = ____ppm
A
280ppm
10
Q
Modern C02 PPM = _____ppm
A
415ppm
11
Q
Doubled C02 PPM = ___ppm
A
550ppm
12
Q
What’s the Climate Sensitivity formula?
A
Climate sensitivity = Initial C02 Warming + Feedbacks
13
Q
How much will the temp increase with no feedbacks and a doubling of C02?
A
1.2 C
14
Q
How much will the temp increase with a doubling of C02 AND feedbacks?
A
when you introduce water vapors, ocean interactions etc., within decades the Charney Sensitivity suggests warming of 2 - 4.5C
15
Q
3 measures of Climate Sensitivity
A
- Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity
- Transient Climate Response
- Earth System Sensitivity
16
Q
Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity
A
Long term transition to a new equilibrium due to the time for excess heat to work through the system
17
Q
Transient Climate Response
A
Temp change at the time C02 hits 580ppm
18
Q
Earth System Sensitivity
A
Very long response to the planet as a whole
19
Q
What’s the estimated climate sensitivity range?
A
1.5 to 4.5C
20
Q
3 Ways to Estimate climate sensitivity
A
- Direct Observation
- Proxies
- Computer modeling
21
Q
Positive Feedback
A
when an initial change in a climate subsytem enhances additional changes in climate
22
Q
Negative Feedback
A
A feedback that dampens an initial change in the climate system; a stabilizing feedback
23
Q
The net of all feedbacks in the climate is _______(positive/negative)
A
positive
24
Q
Types of feedbacks
A
Water vapor: (warmer air holds more water)
Clouds: (low level clouds can affect incoming radiation)
Albedo: (reflectivity changes affect incoming radiation)
25
3 components of water as a climate change feedback
1. direct surface heating
2. tropospheric heating
3. evaporation
26
How does Snow/Ice affect the atmosphere
Snow reflects 80% or more of solar radiation
Snow cover chills the near surface air
Extensive snow cover is self sustaining
27
Significantly ______(lower/higher) land-surface albedo in late spring means sensible heating of the lower atmosphere begins _______(earlier/later)
lower ; earlier
28
Between 1980 and 2000, average ice thickness decreased by ___%
22%
29
Models predict an Arctic Ocean free of summer ice by _____, the loss is unlikely to occur as a single event
2037
30
3 approaches to measuring climate sensitivity
1. Climate models
2. Constrained models
3. Paleoclimate data
31
(True/False): Model and paleoclimate data rarely give estimates below 2C whereas instrumental approaches do
True
32
(True/False)If the rate of reduction of continues, we will no longer have Arctic sea ice
True
33
Name the top 2 elements impacting radiating forcing
1. C02
| 2. Methane
34
Climate Change Hypothesis
Anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gas is responsible for the observed changes in ECVs
35
Forcing agents that can change climate
1. Fluctuations in solar energy output
2. Regular variations in Earth-Sun geometry
3. Plate tectonics and volcanic eruptions
4. Variations in atmospheric chemistry
5. Changes in land-surface properties
6. Human activities
36
Callendar effect
the theory that global climate change can be brought about by enhancement of Earth's natural greenhouse effect by increased levels of atmospheric C0_2 from anthropogenic sources
37
On a seasonal basis, C02 concentrations drop by ___ppm due to photosynthesis
5
38
Keeling Curve
record of atmospheric carbon dioxide from NOAA that shows a sustained increase in average annual atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations
39
True/False: The anthropogenic contribution to atmospheric C0_2 may have begun hundreds of years ago with land clearing for agriculture and settlement with wood burning
False. (Thousands)
40
Fossil fuel combustion accounts for roughly ______% of the increase in atmospheric C0_2 while deforestation and other land clearing credited for the balance
75
41
The concentration of atmospheric C02 is now about _____% higher than it was in the pre-industrial era
40
42
With continued growth in fossil fuel combustion, we can surpass _____ppm by the end of the century
550
43
The IPCC estimates that ____ GtC (Gigaton of Carbon) have been taken up by the ocean
155
44
How does the ocean take up CO2?
1. Photosynthesis
| 2. Cold surface water absorbs C02 and sequestration
45
Uptake of CO2 by the ocean likely to slow as the surface _______(cools/warms) in response to higher air temps
warms
46
(True/False) Methane in the atmosphere is now greater than at any time in the past 400k years
True
47
Direct sources of methane
```
Biomass burning
Fertilizer
Air pollution
Rice cultivation
Cattle
Landfills
```
48
Indirect sources of methane
Arctic warming
Permafrost
Methane hydrates
Thermokarst lakes
49
Ice records tell us that for 10k years, the methane concentration never exceeded _____ ppb until humans came along
700
50
Aerosols
solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere that vary in size and shape and chemical composition
51
About _____% of anthropogenic aerosols are byproducts of fossil fuel burning in the northern hemisphere
90
52
(True/False) Atmospheric aerosols cause warming of the atmosphere
False. Atmospheric aerosols cause either cooling or warming of the atmosphere
53
Types of Aerosols
Sulfurous
| Black carbon
54
Sulfurous aerosols
tiny droplets of sulfuric acid and sulfate particles in the air
55
Black carbon
tiny droplets of sulfuric acid and sulfate particles in the air
56
Positive forcings (e.g. greenhouse gases) cause the climate to become ______(warmer/cooler)
warmer
57
Negative forcing (e.g. aerosols) cause the climate to become ______(warmer/cooler)
cooler
58
The rate of radiative forcings due to forcings in the atmosphere has _______(doubled/tripled) since 1980
doubled
59
(True/False) The fact that the troposphere is warming and the stratosphere is cooling suggests that the troposphere is trapping the greenhouse gases that would otherwise escape to the stratosphere
True
60
- Troposphere warming at __ to ___ per decade
| - Stratosphere cooling at ____ per decade
.3 to .4; .4
61
Top Radiative influences
greenhouse gases
ozone
aerosols
black carbon
62
Observations from satellites document _______ (cooling/warming) in the troposphere and ______ (warming/cooling) in the stratosphere, consistent with Greenhouse Theory.
warming; cooling
63
Net global warming since 1860 is ____C
1.1
64
3 Types of models
1. Conceptual,
2. Physical,
3. Numeric
65
Global Climate Models (GCMs) use _______________ in three dimensions.
gridded spatial coordinates
66
Boundary conditions for GCMs
Solar radiation
Snow and ice coverage
GHGs
67
(True/False) The greatest uncertainties in future climate change projections stem from “Feedbacks”
True
68
Weather forecast models require an _________, which means they start from the weather conditions on a given day and simulate forward at spatial scales of a few kilometers.
initial value
69
(True/False) The Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) takes real-time observations from multiple sources and these are used to initiate a climate forecast model
False (weather, not climate)
70
(True/False) GCMs are able to simulate the 20th-century warming very well and also the cooling episodes following volcanic eruptions.
True
71
(True/False) Precipitation can simulate surface temperatures better than GCMs
False
72
(True/False) GCMs can simulate frequency of extreme hot and cold days and nights over the second half of the 20th century that are consistent with observations.
True
73
(True/False) The variance between observations and model simulations gives scientists less confidence in model ability to simulate future climate change in response to rising greenhouse gas concentration and other human influences.
False (Observations follow closely with model simulations)
74
Positive radiative forcings (warming effect) stem from what variables?
1. Solar variations
2. Black carbon on snow
3. Tropospheric Ozone
4. GHGs
75
Negative radiative forcings (cooling effect) stem from what variables?
1. Aerosols
2. Land-use change
3. Stratospheric ozone
4. Volcanic eruptions
76
The biggest influence on the radiative balance is the _______ forcing
The biggest influence on the radiative balance is the CO_2 forcing
77
Chaos theory
Changes in these systems are highly sensitive to the conditions of their initial state so small differences in their initial conditions can lead to vastly different outcomes
78
Coupling
when various sub-systems are modeled in parallel to each other
79
CMIP's 4 Scientific Working Groups
1. Data Management
2. Diagnosis
3. Scenarios
4. Financial Analyst
80
The ______ (low/high) latitudes will experience the highest increase in warming
high
81
RCP 8.5
"business as usual" scenario (1200ppm)
82
RCP 6.0
Peaks in the year 2080 (700ppm leading to 3C warming)
83
RCP 4.5
"most likely" scenario (550ppm leading to 2.5C warming)
84
RCP 2.6
"best case" scenario
85
6 types of extreme events
1. Thunderstoms
2. Extreme Precipitation
3. Tropical cyclones
4. Winter storms
5. Heat waves
6. Drought
86
2 ways that increased forcings change the distribution of extreme events
1. Frequency
| 2. Magnitude
87
(True/False) Warming has already surpassed 1.5C in some regions
True
88
(True/False) 2/3rds of all humans live in regions that have already seen warming of 1.5C
False (1/5th)
89
Top contributors to Fossil Fuel emissions
1. Coal
2. Oil
3. Gas
4. Cement
90
How far away are we from reaching our global carbon budget?
8%, (roughly 10 years)
91
What percentage of GHG emissions come from energy suppliers?
35%
92
Fossil fuels
a broad category of fuel types derived from natural geologic processes that bury decomposing organic material
93
Coal
a combustible black sedimentary rock composed of fossilized plant material which humans use as an energy source
94
What percentage of energy emissions is coal responsible for?
40%
95
More than ____% of C02 cycles out within a century but about ____% remains for a millennia
50; 20
96
Greenhouse gas removals strategies (6)
1. Habitat restoration
2. Soil Carbon sequestration
3. Biochar
4. Mineral carbonization
5. Carbon capture storage
6. Direct air capture
97
the most viable pathway forward for extracting C02 from the atmosphere given our limited resources
What is direct air capture
