Climate System and Drivers

Question 1

Define ‘climate’ and why it is different from ‘weather’?

Answer 1

Climate is the average weather over a period of time, commonly 30 years. Including means, variations, and frequency of extreme values

Weather is the state of the atmosphere

Question 2

What are the five spheres of the climate system?

Answer 2

Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Cryosphere
Biosphere
Lithosphere

Question 3

Wavelength is measured in what?
What is the units for radiation and energy?

Answer 3

Micrometres
Joules per second per square metre, which is Watt per square metre

Question 4

The Kelvin scale is how much higher/lower than degrees Celsius?

Answer 4

273.15 higher

Question 5

What are the four things that happen to shortwave radiation?

Answer 5

Absorption
Reflection
Scattering
Transmission

Question 6

List the atmospheric gases in order from most abundant to less

Answer 6

Nitrogen - 78%
Oxygen - 21%
Argon - 0.90%
Water Vapour
Carbon Dioxide - 0.04%

Question 7

Greenhouse gases are transparent to short/long wave solar radiation but absorb short/long wave terrestrial radiation

Answer 7

Shortwave
Longwave

Question 8

Earths greenhouse increment is what?
What gases are responsible?

Answer 8

33K
H20 at 66%
Co2 at 33%

Question 9

Pressure decreases/increases with height in the atmosphere

Answer 9

Decreases

Question 10

The temperature increases/decreases till the stratosphere
The temperature increases/decreases till the mesosphere

Answer 10

Decreases (from 12km)

Increases (from 50km)

Question 11

What is latent heat?

Answer 11

The release of energy from a change in of state of a gas

Question 12

What are the 4 broad zonal divisions?

Answer 12

Polar
Temperate
Tropical
Equatorial

Question 13

What are the 6 seasonal variations?

Answer 13

Polar
Temperate
Mediterranean
Dry tropics
Wet tropics
Equatorial

Question 14

True / False: We do not see longitudinal variations of climate.

Answer 14

False

Uneven distribution of land and sea, complications arising from terrain and rotation of the earth can complicate fluid sphere circulations

Question 15

What is the world map that depicts the actual climate distribution?

Answer 15

The ‘Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification’

Question 16

Define ‘climate change’

Answer 16

Changes in the mean and / or variability of the climates properties that persist for an extended period

Question 17

What is the Milankovitch cycle phenomenon?

What are the three explanations?

Answer 17

The characteristics of the orbit of earth which can affect seasonal and latitudinal distribution of solar energy (trivial)

The Precession: the direction the earths spin axis is pointed
The Obliquity: the angle the earths axis is titled
The Eccentricity: shape of earths orbit

Question 18

How much do sunspots effect solar output?
What are the two main cycles?

Answer 18

0.1% change (0.03K) as regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic flux inhibiting convection

11 years and 22 years

Question 19

Explain the phenomenon of cooling from volcanic eruptions?

Answer 19

Ejected particulates called ‘aerosols’ have a long residence time.
The particulates can reflect solar radiation which blankets the earth and induce a cooling effect because of the sustained time in the atmosphere

Question 20

What major volcanic eruption cause a global mean monthly temperature drop and when?

Answer 20

Mt Pinatubo, 1991
1991 to 1995

Question 21

Explain the phenomenon of the change to the global mean energy balance with increased human emission activities?

Answer 21

There shows an increase in the absorption by the atmosphere of emitted longwave radiation by the Earths surface, termed ‘Radiative Forcing’

Question 22

What is Radiative Forcing?

Answer 22

Change in the net radiative flux (downward minus upward) because of a change to an external climate driver (concentration

+ = increase in temperature
- = decrease in temperature