Global Climate Change

Question 1

What is weather

Answer 1

the short-term condition of the atmosphere at a given place and time. This is done by measuring changes in daily temperature, precipitation, wind speed, atmospheric pressure and cloud cover

Question 2

What is climate

Answer 2

the long term average weather conditions for a location, calculated over long term periods of time

Question 3

What is climate variability

Answer 3

refers to the year to year variation in monthly or seasonal conditions

Question 4

What is climate change

Answer 4

the long term shift in area’s climatic conditions

Question 5

What are three ways heat is distributed

Answer 5

Transmission: this is when heat energy passes through transparent materials,
Reflection: This heat energy bounces off and is reflected off a surface
Absorption: this is the heat energy that is retained by various substances

Question 6

What is abledo

Answer 6

the reflectivity of a surface

Question 7

What are three ways heat is returned to space

Answer 7

Terrestrial Radiation: After heat energy has been absorbed, it is transferred back to space it is transferred as longwave terrestrial radiation.
Conduction and convection: this is when the cool air warms up due to the warm land, this heats ups and expands causing it to rise causing convection currents
Evaporation and condensation: this is the heat required to turn water from a liquid to a gas, and heat remains in the air

Question 8

How do the seasons effect the equator

Answer 8

• During the summer solstice for the southern hemisphere the heat equator exists of the Tropic of Capricorn.
• During the winter solstice the heat equator is located over the Tropic of cancer.
• There are also the spring and autumn equinox, this is when the sun’s rays pass exactly across the equator.

Question 9

What is a heat equator

Answer 9

The heat equator refers to the point on the earth that is closest to the sun, which receives the most insolation.

Question 10

What is anthropogenic climate change

Answer 10

human induced climate change

Question 11

How does the heat equator affect climate

Answer 11

As the heat equator moves between the two tropics, that is why this area is generally the hottest part of the earth’s surface.

Question 12

What is the angle of incidence and how does it affect climate

Answer 12

the angle at which insolation hits the sun, angle the angle of incidence changes it will affect how much the heat is dispersed and how much atmosphere it will have to pass through.

Question 13

Where are the 4 main areas where high rainfall occurs and briefly explain why

Answer 13

low latitudes - because the strong heat from the sun creates evaporation
mid-latitudes - when cold air moves across which pushes the warm air up and clouds
coastal areas - more water is evaporated
windward slopes - moisture filled air forced to move up over landforms where the increasing altitude results in decreasing temperatures, the moisture condenses and rain is produced

Question 14

What are 4 areas that have low levels of rainfall and briefly explain why?

Answer 14

• high pressure: because the warm air sinks down so there is no evaporation
• high latitude: doe to lack of evaporation because of the angle of incidence
• inland areas: due to lack of evaporation
• Leeward slopes: due to orographic rainfall there is now dry air

Question 15

What are 3 areas of high temperature and briefly explain why

Answer 15

low latitudes: due to the angle of incidence so they receive the most sunlight (temp is slightly reduced by the clouds and rainfall)
subtropical zone: high amount of insolation and high pressure area
low albedo areas: more heat is absorbed and less is reflected increasing the temperature

Question 16

What are three areas of low temperature and briefly explain why

Answer 16

• areas of high latitude: due to the angle of incidence there is reduced evaporation
• areas of high albedo: as increased insolation is reflected/not absorbed
• high altitude: because the atmosphere is thinner and cannot retain heat

Question 17

What is the heat budget

Answer 17

The balance between the amount of incoming solar radiation and outgoing longwave terrestrial radiation

Question 18

What is the heat budget

Answer 18

The balance between the amount of incoming solar radiation and outgoing longwave terrestrial radiation

Question 19

How is insolation distributed

Answer 19

30% is reflected, 19% is absorbed by the atmosphere, 51% absorbed by the land and ocean

Question 20

How does insolation differ from long wave radiation

Answer 20

the incoming solar radiation is much higher in energy and can therefore easily pass into the atmosphere however the terrestrial long-wave radiation cannot easily pass through or exit the atmosphere as there is less energy

Question 21

How is long wave radiation distributed

Answer 21

70% is absorbed by the surface and atmosphere which is transferred backt o space through water vapour, conduction/convection, absorbed by greenhouse gases, some leaves through the atmospheric window.

Question 22

What is the difference between insolation and long wave terrestrial radiation

Answer 22

it enters as short-wave radiation which has a lot of energy so it is easily able to pass through the atmosphere, terrestrial long wave radiation which has a lot less energy which makes it hard for it to pass through the atmosphere so it gets trapped.

Question 23

What is the natural greenhouse effect

Answer 23

when gases in our atmosphere (known as greenhouse gases) retain heat and keep the planet warm, due to the terrestrial longwave radiation which is much slower to exit the atmosphere

Question 24

What are the factors that affect variability in earths climate (LAPDOG)

Answer 24

Latitude - the distance from the equator
Altitude - height above sea level
Prevailing Winds - wind that constantly blows in a direction
Distance from the ocean - affects clouds, rainfall and wind
ocean -the movement of seawater
great barriers - the orographic rainfall effect which effects rainfall and moisture.

Question 25

What is the hydrological cycle and what is it driven by

Answer 25

The hydrological cycle is the continuous movement of water as a liquid, gas and solid through the lands, ocean and atmosphere it is driven by solar energy.

Question 26

List the 10 different processes in the hydrological cycle?

Answer 26

evaporation, condensation, virga, precipitation, sublimation, deposition, run-off and snow-melt run off, ground water, transpiration

Question 27

What are different processes of evapotranspiration?

Answer 27

evaporation - this is when water changes from liquid to a gas transpiration - this is when water is evaporated from the pores of the plant sublimation - this is when snow is directly evaporated virga - this is when precipitation is evaporated befor eit reaches the ground

Question 28

What are the different processes when water is returned to earth?

Answer 28

precipitation - when enough liquid has condensed due to gravity the water will fall from the clouds, back to earth deposition - When snow falls

Question 29

What is condensation and describe how clouds are formed?

Answer 29

as water vapour rises and cools, causing it to turn back into a liquid state, during this process the latent heat is released into the atmosphere. Clouds are formed when water vapour combine with particles of dust, salt and smoke to form water droplets. As the water droplets coalesce they form clouds

Question 30

What are the different processes water moves on the earth's surface?

Answer 30

ground water - it soaks or infiltrates into the ground, it can be collected in aquifers, layers of permeable rock that hold water run-off - when water flows across the earths surface snow-melt run-off - when snow melts and flows across the earth's surface

Question 31

What is an example of how alterations to the hydrological cycles can effect climate?

Answer 31

changes in temperature have altered the spatial distribution of weather patterns which can be seen in lake cargengie which usually only gets 235mm per year, however recently they received 270mm in one day

Question 32

What is the carbon cycle?

Answer 32

The carbon cycle is the continuous movement of carbon compounds between the lands oceans, atmosphere and living organisms

Question 33

Describe the ocean processes involved in the short term carbon cycle.

Answer 33

carbon dissolve into the water, it then sinks to the bottom of the ocean to form a sedimentary layer, some is taken back ot the surface via ocean current which can can then be evaporated back into the atmosphere

Question 34

Describe the land processes involved in the carbon cycle

Answer 34

green plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis As well there is the production of CO2 as it is a byproduct of cellular respiration. As well the decaying or burning of plants releases CO2.

Question 35

How does carbon dioxide affect climate?

Answer 35

CO2 is an important greenhouse gas as it helps the earths atmosphere retain heat which increases earth average surface temperature

Question 36

Provide 2 examples of how carbon affects the climate

Answer 36

since the Industrial revolution the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by 48% and the global surface temperatures have risen by 1.1 degrees Celsius, as well the pH has gone from 8.2 to 8.1

Question 37

What are natural causes of climate change?

Answer 37

The amount of solar energy and volcanic energy

Question 38

Explain how sunspots form and how they affect climate

Answer 38

the solar output changes over an 11 year cycle, a sunspot is a sudden burst of energy formed by a magnetic storm causing the magnetic field to break, more sunspots increases the amount of insolation earth receives.

Question 39

Provide an example of sunspots

Answer 39

during the 1950s where over 150 suns spots were observed which can partially explain the increased warming and heat waves that occurred during this time

Question 40

How do volcanoes affect the climate?

Answer 40

eruptions send gases and ash into the air where they are dispersed around the globe, the SO2 reacts with the water to produce H2SO4 which reflects the sun's energy back into the atmosphere, this can last for a long time - while the CO2 can provide a inor short term warninf

Question 41

provide an example of how volcanoes affect climate

Answer 41

Tambora is a large volcano in Indonesia. Its eruption in 1815 was almost the most explosive ever recorded. . Its released 150km cubed of ash and gases into the atmosphere. As a result of the eruption, global temperatures fell 0.5 degrees in average. In Europe 1816 was 'the year without a summer':

Question 42

What are two anthropogenic causes for climate change?

Answer 42

agriculture (rice cultivation and livestock) and deforestation

Question 43

Explain how rice cultivation causes climate change

Answer 43

rice require the paddock to be flooded which cuts off the supply of oxygen causing anaerobic respiration. The soil starts to break down and with the help of methanogen archaea methane is produced as a by product

Question 44

Give an example of how rice cultivation affects climate

Answer 44

Globally the cultivation of rice contributes 10 percent of global methane emissions as between 50 to 100 million tonnes are produced by rice cultivation per year.

Question 45

How has livestock affected climate?

Answer 45

during digestion methanogen archaea breaks down the grass and methane is produced as a by-product, this is released through belching or through flatulence.

Question 46

Provide an example of how livestock contributes to climate change?

Answer 46

livestock contributes to almost 13% of total national greenhouse gas emissions, and 25% or methane emissions.

Question 47

WHat is deforestation?

Answer 47

Deforestation is the clearing of forests and natural vegetation on a large scale for agriculture and urban settlements.

Question 48

Explain the 3 ways deforestation contributes to climate change

Answer 48

- trees are major carbon sequesters, by removing trees we are increasing amount of carbon in the atmosphere as it can no longer be stored - decaying and burning of the biomass causes the release of the carbon into the atmosphere - increased albedo of the forest floor decreases evapotranspiration which reduces rainfall

Question 49

Give an example of how deforestation affects the climate

Answer 49

The global loss of forests contribute an extra 4.8 billion tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere and In WA there has been a 20% decrease in rainfall due to large scale farming

Question 50

Describe deforestation in the amazon rainforest

Answer 50

due to clearing of the rainforest through burning techniques. It is estimated that the amazon has emitted 13% more CO2 than it has stored in the past 20 years, this has resulted in more severe droughts and heat waves

Question 51

What is evidence for the increased rate of climate change?

Answer 51

the annual rate of concentration of CO2 increase in the past 70 years has been 100 times faster than ever seen before

Question 52

What is evidence of climate change over geological time and how do they work?

Answer 52

Ice cores - We can use the bubble that are trapped in the ice, as well as the location and thickness, oxygen isotopes, and dust particles in the ice which allow you to determine the atmospheric composition and weather conditions.

Question 53

What are two examples of ice core?

Answer 53

- Vostok ice core, this was taken at the Russian Vostok Station in Antarctica in 1987, they drilled an ice core that was over 3000 m deep - another ice core drilled in Antarctica which found that 69 gigantic volcanic eruptions occurred during the last ice age

Question 54

What is evidence for climate change in recent human history and how does it work?

Answer 54

atmospheric concentration - these can be used by taking samples or remote sensing techniques

Question 55

Give an example of atmospheric concentrations that suggest climate change.

Answer 55

during the 1750s the concentration was record at 278ppm whereas during March 2022 the concentration reached 417ppm since 1880 Earth's average global temperature has risen by 1.1 degrees.

Question 56

What is the difference between land use and land cover?

Answer 56

The functional purpose for which land is used is land use and land cover is The physical surface of the earth, both natural and anthropogenic

Question 57

What is a feedback loop, and what kind of feedback loops exist in the environment?

Answer 57

A feedback loop is a self-perpetuating cycle, whereby a change in one component, is a stimulus that results in an further change in the same direction of the initial stimulus. - bi directional --> goes both directions

Question 58

Describe the ice albedo feedback loop with an example

Answer 58

The increase in global temperatures has caused a decrease in snow and ice cover, this results in less energy being reflected by the snow and ice and more being absorbed by the ground and water, this leads to further warming and ice melting. We are losing artic sea ice at a rate of 13% per year. And studies suggest that a quarter of global warming is due to a loss in sea ice.

Question 59

Describe the deforestation feedback loop

Answer 59

When vegetation is cleared through deforestation and agricultural practices the surface reflectivity increases meaning less heat energy is absorbed by the earth, this results in a short term cooling effect, however there is a long term warming effect as the carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, there is also a decrease in rainfall as there is less evapotranspiration which results in further decline in canopies.

Question 60

Give an example of the deforestation feedback loop

Answer 60

The amazon is now emitting 13% more CO2 than it is storing which means by 2050 the temperature will have increase by 2-3 degrees and a large decline in rainfall

Question 61

Explain 4 reasons urban heat island occur and give an example

Answer 61

Urban heat islands are caused by lower reflectivity and albedo due to the dark surfaces, - reduced atmospheric circulation as it is block by building - waste heat from urban processes - reduced vegetation which reduces clouds, shade and rainfall some urban areas of perth can be 6 degrees hotter than the surrounding areas.

Question 62

Explain the urban heat island feedback loop with an example

Answer 62

as temperature increases and rainfall declines (due to decreased albedo from causes trees to become stressed and more vulnerable to pest attacks and diseases such as in the Jarrah forests in the southwest Australia, which has the disease Dieback present, which reduces the tree cover and canopies

Question 63

Explain using an example the carbon sequestration feedback loop.

Answer 63

The removal of trees reducing carbon sequestration and burning of biomass increases the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, results in warming which causes trees to become stressed. In brazil modification to the agricultural practices has allowed the continuation of carbon sequestration in soil which has offset emission by 20%.

Question 64

How does climate change impact the natural environment (give 4)

Answer 64

- Warming temperature may shift the ecological boundaries of some trees - increase vulnerability of trees - longer growing periods and carbon dioxide fertilization - increase natural hazards

Question 65

Explain with an example the shifting ecological boundaries.

Answer 65

Climate controls the spatial distribution of the vegetation, trees may shift their boundary to the poles or a higher altitude where it is cooler. This can be seen with the paper birch tree which has begun to migrate towards canada.

Question 66

Explain how climate has put increase stress on trees with an example

Answer 66

Increase temperature puts stress on trees making them more vulnerable to pest attacks in the north America forest belt, where because of the increased temperatures, there has been increase beetle activity, they are now active for a six month period instead of the 2 week period they are usually active for

Question 67

How has climate benefitted trees? Use an example.

Answer 67

On the other hand, the increase in temperatures has resulted in longer growing periods which has lead to additional plant growth. There has been a 14% increase in productivity of ecosystems increase in vegetation can also be attributed to the increase in CO2 levels as CO2 is required for plants to grow NASA suggest that 70% of earths greening can be explained by increased CO2 levels.

Question 68

How has climate impacted the environment in relation to hazards, use an example.

Answer 68

events such as droughts and fires are becoming more common An example of this was in the 2019-2020 bushfires season in Australia which burned through 20% of the country's forests

Question 69

How has climate impacted the environment in the northern hemisphere? Use an example.

Answer 69

Areas in the northern hemisphere will experience warmer and moister climates, meaning the agricultural growing season will increase, but they will also experience more weeds and pest attacks. For example, Northern Russia which is expected to have 150% increase in arable land

Question 70

How is climate predicted to affect the southern hemisphere? Use an example.

Answer 70

Areas in southern hemisphere are predicted to see a decrease in arable land due to the increase in temperature but the decrease in rainfall. The Australian Wheatbelt is expected to see a decrease in yield by 9%, this has led to farmers to move more towards the coast