Oceans and climate Flashcards
2.1 (32 cards)
What role do oceans play in determining climate?
Oceans play a dominant role in determining climate by being a major source of water and heat.
What process supplies water vapor to the atmosphere?
Evaporation.
What process supplies heat to the atmosphere?
Condensation.
What is the heat capacity of oceans?
Oceans absorb energy with heated water.
How do oceans convey heat?
Through currents.
What does the oceanic conveyor system do?
Moves water from the surface to deep oceans and back.
What are ocean-atmosphere oscillations?
Processes that produce globally erratic climates.
What is the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)?
Atmospheric pressure centers switch back and forth across the Atlantic.
What does the El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation (ENSO) represent?
Shifts in atmospheric pressure over the central equatorial Pacific Ocean.
How long can ENSO dominate global climate?
For over a year at a time.
What are greenhouse gases (GHGs)?
Water vapor, CO2, and other gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.
What happens to light energy when it reaches Earth?
Earth absorbs and converts it to heat.
What do greenhouse gases in the troposphere do?
Absorb some infrared radiation and direct it back to Earth’s surface.
What is planetary albedo?
Sunlight reflected by clouds that contributes to cooling.
What effect do high-flying, wispy clouds have?
They have a positive forcing effect, absorbing solar radiation and emitting infrared radiation.
How does snow and ice contribute to albedo?
By reflecting sunlight.
What effect does black carbon soot have on ice and snow?
It darkens them, reducing albedo.
How can volcanic activity affect climate?
It can lead to planetary cooling by reflecting radiation from particles and aerosols.
What are aerosols?
Microscopic liquid or solid particles from land or water.
How do industrial aerosols impact greenhouse gas warming?
They cancel some of the warming effects.
What is the balance of global atmospheric temperatures affected by?
Positive and negative forcing from natural and anthropogenic causes.
What is the average global temperature rise since the mid-1970s?
1.5°C.
Where is warming happening most rapidly?
At high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.
What is the consequence of the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Global warming.
