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Climate Systems > Final 2024 > Flashcards

Final 2024 Flashcards

(83 cards)

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1
Q

TOA energy balance is:

A

a radiative balance

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2
Q

Rs:

A

net radiative flux into the surface (positive downward)

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3
Q

LE:

A

latent heat flux into the air (positive upward)

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4
Q

SH:

A

sensiblee heat flux into the air (positive upward)

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5
Q

G:

A

movement of heat down to greater depths (positive downward, away)

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6
Q

Delta Feo

A

Horizontal flux of energy away from the ocean column

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7
Q

Sdown =

A

downward solar radiation

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8
Q

Sup =

A

upward (reflected) solar radiation

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9
Q

F down=

A

downward longwave (infared) radiation

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10
Q

F up =

A

upward longwave (invarend) radiation

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11
Q

Highest albedo at the surface:

A

Fresh snow

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12
Q

Lowest albedo at the surface:

A

Fresh asphalt

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13
Q

When are there strong latent heat fluxes?

A

Winter

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14
Q

How is heat transported during the winter?

A

via ocean currents and then lost to atmosphere, heat that was already stored below the surface is lost to the atmo

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15
Q

The largest latent heat fluxes (evaporation) is along?

A

western boundary currents

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16
Q

Where do latent heat fluxes driven by dry sinking air and evaporation?

A

subtropics

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17
Q

What happens molecularly with warm water?

A

water molecules have greater energy and are able to escape from the liquid in the form of vapor

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18
Q

High cloud tops are:

A

very cold and have a relatively low energy emission

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19
Q

Outgoing longwave radiation depends on:

A

the average temperature of the surface from which the radiation emanates

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20
Q

Most water resides in these reservoirs:

A

Oceans, seas and Bays

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21
Q

Rate of precipitation =

A

rate of evaporation

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22
Q

negative numbers on a e-p map:

A

indicates precipitation onto that location is greater than the evaporation from that location

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23
Q

negative numbers on divergence of moisture of transport:

A

where winds import more water vapor than they export (convergence)

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24
Q

high sea surface salinity =

A

high evaporation rates and or low precipitation rates

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25
high sea surface salinity is found in:
subtropical oceans and the Mediterranean Sea
26
Where does precipitation peak?
the equator/ subtropics
27
secondary precipitation peaks:
over the midlatitudes
28
Precipitation Recycling Ratio:
fraction of continental precipitation that comes from continental evaporation
29
Photosynthesis:
the coupling of carbon, energy, and evaporation
30
How is net radiation at any location balanced?
the horizontal transport of energy into and out of that location
31
Numerically, where does energy fluxes peak at mid-latitude?
5.8 petaWatts
32
What kind of features are effect at transporting energy vertically?
small scale
33
What kind of features are effective at transporting energy horizontally?
large scale
34
What transports energy in the mid-latitudes?
extratropical cyclones
35
What transports energy at low-latitudes?
meridional overturning cells (Hadley cells)
36
Vertical transport:
stops at the tropopause (mass and energy)
37
If a object is moving west-east, in the NH:
the object is going to feel a stronger outward centrifugal force because it is moving faster
38
Balance between gravitational force and the centrifugal force:
makes the object move towards the low-latitudes (to the right of OG motion)
39
If a object is moving east to west in NH:
moving in opposite direction of rotation ("slowing down"), the centrifugal force would decrease and object would more polewards
40
SH an object moving E-W or W-E would curve:
to the left
41
Salt content increases
density
42
warmer temperature
decreases density
43
density is not linear:
when dependent on temperature
44
Is thermal expansion larger or smaller at higher temperatures?
Larger, if there is a 1C change in temp, water will expand
45
For fresh water, the maximum density occurs:
at 4 C
46
If the ocean was fresh water, and therefore density did not depend on salinity, how would ice form?
all the water in the column would need to reach the surface and cool to 4C before ice will form (takes a very long time)
47
Depth of mixed layer depends on:
rate of buoyancy generation and rate at which kinetic energy is supplied to the surface winds
48
Mixed Layer:
the region of near uniform water temperature at surface
49
Why does the ML not become as shallow during the summer in the SH?
winds remain fairly strong, supports turbulent mixing
50
ML is thin where
Ocean is being heated
51
ML is thick where
the ocean gives up its energy to the atmosphere
52
Because of rotation, net mass transport of the Ekman layer:
is to the right, implies vertical motion
53
What drives the movement of water deep in ocean?
variations in density
54
Thermohaline circulation:
the large-scale ocean circulation that is driven by variations in water density
55
Water mass:
a body of water with a common formation history and properties that are distinct from surrounding waters
56
Deep Water:
unsurprisingly, is a example of a water mass located deep in the ocean. Characterized by low temperatures and high salinity
57
Deep water forms at latitudes during the winter due to:
surface water cooling, brine rejection in ice formation
58
Wind driven circulation:
Ekman layer
59
Density-driven circulation:
thermohaline circulation
60
AMOC:
northward flow of warm salty water in the upper Atlantic and the southward flow of cold/fresh North Atlantic Deep Water in the deep Atlantic
61
AMOC is a major driver of:
Atlantic heat transport across the equator
62
Circulation in deep ocean:
Is much faster
63
Surface currents are more important in:
driving
64
Internal variability:
natural "unforced" fluctuations, oscillations, that occur within the climate system in the absence of any specific cause
65
Positive OLR values =
drier conditions
66
Negative OLR =
El Niño causes precip
67
Teleconnections:
climate links between geographically separated region (ex. movement of connection towards the east pacific during El Niño causes atmo waves to propagate towards mid-latitude)
68
3 major limits to accurate climate model predictions:
1.) knowledge of future boundary conditions, aka scenario uncertainty 2.) Knowledge and representation of earth system physics aka model uncertainty 3.) knowledge of unforced variability (internal variability)
69
Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs)
future climate predictions are based off of different possible socio-economic pathways
70
What do the numbers in a RCP mean?
specifies the radiative forcing of the pathway in the year 2100 relative to the preindustrial period
71
Global mean temperature change:
is proportional to the radiative forcing
72
3 reasons for emergence of climate extreme field?
1.) teasing out the role of human-induced global warming 2.) people are more likely to support policies focused on adapting to climate change impacts 3.)evidence from attribution reports could feed into litigation on climate change
73
Climate disaster risk:
hazard, exposure, vulnerability
74
Holocene global temperature change is dominated by:
NH extratropical change
75
Eccentricity:
shape of Earth's orbit around the sun
76
Obliquity:
angle of Earth's axis from a line perpendicular to The orbital plane
77
Precession:
wobble of Earth's rotation axis
78
increase in tilt:
alters amplitude of the seasonal cycle (more in summer)
79
Periodicity:
41 kyrs
80
Solstice:
day when Sun's apparent position in the sky reaches its northernmost or southernmost position
81
Perihelion:
point in Earth's orbit where Sun is closest
82
Aphelion:
point in Earth's orbit where Sun is most distant
83

Climate Systems (2 decks)

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