Foundations Of Climate Change

Question 1

What is Climate Change?

Answer 1

The long-term differences in the statistics of weather measured over a period of decades

Question 2

Weather vs. Climate?

Answer 2

Weather = state of the atmosphere at a particular time and place
Climate = long-term patterns of weather

Question 3

What primary data is used to study the relationship between climate change and extreme events?

1. Climate model outputs
2. Historical weather records
3. Tree ring data
4. Interviews with local residents

Answer 3

(2) Historical weather records

1. Is inherently fowards looking
2. Is a type of way that historical weather can be recorded
3. Is looking at the present

Question 4

The surface thermometer records has shown that the Earth has warmed by ____ over time.

1. 0.2C
2. 1.2C
3. 2.4C
4. 4C

Answer 4

(2) 1.2C

Question 5

Why isn’t warrming uniform acorss the planet?

Answer 5

More landmass in N.hemisphere and land heats up quicker

Question 6

How much of the heat generated by GHGs is trapped by the oceans?

Answer 6

Roughly 93%

Question 7

What are the two contributing factors to rising sea levels?

Answer 7

1. Melting of grounded ice
2. Thermal expansion of water

Question 8

What is the confidence that climate is changing?

1. Improbable (0-15%)
2. Less than likely (25-50%)
3. Likely (66%%)
4. Extremely Likely (95%)
5. Beyond a Doubt

Answer 8

(5) Beyond a Doubt

Question 9

List 5 items

What ways can scientists collect historical climate data?

Answer 9

1. Tree Rings
2. Corals
3. Stalagmites/ Stalactites (ie: Speleotherms)
4. Ice Cores
5. Ocean Sediment Cores

Question 10

True or false

Around 50 million years, the Earth was much warmer that it is today.

Answer 10

True

Question 11

How fast is the average rate of warming over this past century compared to the average rate of warming out of the last Ice Age?

1. 5x
2. 11x
3. 16x
4. 19x

Answer 11

(3)16x

Last average warming since last interglacial was roughly 6C in 10,000 years vs. 1C since 1900s now

Question 12

What is the energy balance?
1. The difference in incoming radiation from the Sun vs. outgoing radiation into space
2. The equilibrium of incoming radiation from the Sun and outgoing radiation into space

AKA: Energy Budget

Answer 12

(2) The equilibrium of incoming radiation from the Sun and outgoing radiation into space

Question 13

How much of incoming sunlight is reflected back into space?

Answer 13

Roughly 30%

This also means that roughly 70% is being absorbed by the Earth (23% absorbed by the atmosphere and the remaining 48% is absorbed by the landmass)

Question 14

Which of these is NOT an GHG?
1. CH4
2. CO2
3. H2O
4. N2

Answer 14

4. N2

Question 15

What is radiative forcing?
1. The difference in incoming radiation from the Sun vs. outgoing radiation into space
2. The equilibrium of incoming radiation from the Sun and outgoing radiation into space

Answer 15

(1) The difference in incoming radiation from the Sun vs. outgoing radiation into space

Because of climate change, this means that the amount of radiation that is emitted from the Earth is less since it’s being kept in the atmosphere. It’s a good measure of how much human activities have impacted the Earth’s climate

Question 16

List 3 things that could affect how much is reflected back into space

What affects radiative forcing?

Answer 16

(1) Clouds
(2) Ice coverage
(3) Physical properties in the atmophere eg: aerosols

Question 17

True or false

Aerosols have a positive effect to radiative forcing

Answer 17

False

This means that aerosols have a net cooling effect, NOT heating

Question 18

What is the GWP of N2O?

Answer 18

273

Question 19

What statistical tool can be used to identify the abundance of CO2 in the atmosphere?

Graph

Answer 19

Keeling Curve

Question 20

What is one of the biggest causes of modern climate change?

1. Combustion of fossil fuels
2. Deforestation
3. Transport
4. Agriculture

Answer 20

(1) Combustion of fossil fuels

Question 21

Which of these activities is a major source of N2O?
1. Cement industry
2. Transportation
3. Energy production
4. Agriculture

Answer 21

(4) Agriculture

Question 22

What is the Global Warming Potential?

Answer 22

The heat-trapping power relative to CO2

EG: methane has a GWP of 29 because one kilogram of methane equates to 29 kilogram of CO2 in terms of heat-trapping ability

Question 23

Which reason is NOT why water vapour is not calculated in GHG emissions, despite being considered a greenhouse gas?

1. Water vapour acts like a reflecting surface and contributes to the cooling effect
2. Water vapour is a precursor to other additional GHGs and is therefore not considered a ‘true’ GHG
3. Emissions of water vapour from human activities don’t contribute to atmospheric abundance

Answer 23

(3) Emissions of water vapour from human activities don’t contribute to atmospheric abundance

This is because the amount of water vapour present is set by the Earth’s temperature. Instead water vapour’s role in climate change is amplifying the changes in CO2 (water vapour feedback)

Question 24

List 4 things

What other ways can natural processes affect the climate?

Answer 24

(1) Tectonic processes
(2) Output of the Sun
(3) Orbital Variations
(4) GHG

Tectonic processes = this is because as plates move towards the Poles, they may end up accumulating snow, which has an albedo effect and can reflect more radiation
Output of the Sun = Would theoretically impact the incoming radiation BUT there has been very little proof of any changes in past few hundred years
Orbital Variations = Technically, parts of the Earth would get more radiation if they were closer to the Sun/ angle of the Earth in relation to the Sun/ distance from the Sun
GHG = CO2 changes during ice age cycles are thought to play a role in ice-age cycles and amplify climate variations

Question 25

How does the Earth's energy balance affect the climate? 1. It determines the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface 2. It determines the amount of heat that is trapped in the atmosphere 3. It determines theh amount of precipitation that falls 4. It determines all of the above

Answer 25

(4) It determines all of the above

Question 26

How much precipitation is expected for every degree Celsius of global average warming? 1. 1% 2. 3% 3. 9% 4. 14%

Answer 26

(2) 3%

Question 27

What is the expected SLR prediction by 2100 under most likely emissions scenario? 1. 20-53cm 2. 32-67cm 3. 44-76cm 4. 58-94cm

Answer 27

(3) 44-76cm

Question 28

What is a positive feedback loop?

Answer 28

When an initial warming triggers feedback that *amplifies* the effects of warming ## Footnote ***accelerates the warming***

Question 29

Give an example of a positive feedback loop

Answer 29

Ice has a higher albedo :. can reflect more light > heating of atmosphere > more ice melts and exposes dark surfaces > dark surface have a lower albedo and absorb more heat

Question 30

Which is one positive feedback mechanism that can amplify warming caused by GHGs? 1. Increased cloud cover, which reflects more sunlight back into space 2. Melting of sea ice, which reduces the amount of solar radiation absorbed by the ocean 3. Increased plant growth, which removes more CO2 from the atmosphere 4. Melting of permafrost, which releases methane, a potent GHG

Answer 30

(4) Melting of permafrost, which releases methane, a potent GHG

Question 31

What is extreme-event attribution science?

Answer 31

The science to quantify the contribution of climate change to extreme events ## Footnote ie: the scientific research to identify the ways that climate change has contributed to the increase of extreme weather events

Question 32

# Give 3 examples What sources of information can be used in extreme-event attribution analyses?

Answer 32

1. Historical climate records 2. Understanding of the physics of phenomenon 3. Computer simulation (GCM)

Question 33

# True or false The climate tipping point refers to the point where the climate will no longer be able to sustain human life.

Answer 33

False ## Footnote It refers to the point where, if exceeded, can result in significant changes to the state of the climate system, often with the understanding that the change is irreversible. The inability to support human life would be a *byproduct* of this, but is not the definition

Question 34

What is geo-engineering?

Answer 34

The physical and active manipulation of the climate system

Question 35

# True or false Adaptation efforts work best when it involves the support of the government.

Answer 35

True ## Footnote Although individuals can do it themselves with sufficient resources, often times, large-scale societal coordination is required (eg: decision-making for large-scale infrastructure + providing resources)

Question 36

What is maladaption?

Answer 36

When an action to decrease climate vulnerability increases risk exposure to another

Question 37

How are GHGs measured? 1) kilograms per million thermal unit 2) joules per million kilograms 3) kilograms per parts million 4) grams per million thermal unit

Answer 37

(1) kilograms per million thermal unit

Question 38

What is a commonly discussed geo-engineering technique? 1. Planting more trees 2. Increasing usage of RE 3. Injecting sulphur into stratosphere

Answer 38

(3) Injecting sulphur into stratosphere ## Footnote The sulphur molecules combine with the water to help reflect incoming radiation. It follows a similar principle as volcanoes cooling the planet after an eruption

Question 39

# Give 4 examples What are the disadvantages of geoengeineering?

Answer 39

1. Uncertainty of how it will affect weather patterns in the long-run 2. Difficult to govern 3. Insufficient research 4. Costly