Week 3

Question 1

The climate is always ____

Answer 1

Changing!

Question 2

Quaternary epoch:

Answer 2

past 2.5 million years

Question 3

Pleistocene:

Answer 3

Ice age part of the quaternary

Question 4

Holocene:

Answer 4

last 10,000 years

Question 5

Anthropocene:

Answer 5

Since 1950

Question 6

How do we measure recent climate change?

Answer 6

temp anomaly

Question 7

what is a temp anomaly?

Answer 7

he difference between an observed temperature and a reference (or baseline) temperature.

Question 8

Why do we use temp anomalies?

Answer 8

track climate change.
help compare temperatures across different regions and times

Question 9

The cryosphere - glacier length

Answer 9

remained relatively stable until 1850 (end of ice-age period) at this point the glaciers started to receede

Question 10

Lost sea ice leads to a change in _____ which leads to a _______

Answer 10

albedo
positive feedback

Question 11

What are we losing that is changing albedo and more solar energy is being absorbed?

Answer 11

we are losing the snow cover

Question 12

is average global sea temperature increasing or decreasing

Answer 12

increasing

Question 13

What station has the longest instrumental climate record in Canada?

Answer 13

Toronto

Question 14

what is the longest instrumntal climate record in the world?

Answer 14

Central england temperature record

Question 15

How do we know about climate 1-2000 years ago

Answer 15

Proxy data

Question 16

Paleoclimatology:

Answer 16

reconstruction of past climates using proxy data

Question 17

Stratigraphic records

Answer 17

ice cores
ocean and lake sediments

Question 18

historical documentary data

Answer 18

paintings
travel logs etc

Question 19

Biological records:

Answer 19

tree rings
corals

Question 20

Use of proxy records of climate depend on both:

Answer 20

time span of record
resolution of record

Question 21

What is proxy data:

Answer 21

preserved physical/chemical/biolgical charecteristics that can be used to iinterperet or reconstruct past climate conditions
e.g., tree rings, ice cores, sediments etc.

Question 22

Historical data (proxy data)

Answer 22

observations of weather and climate conditions
e.g., log, travelers diaries etc.

Question 23

What can you tell from a tree ring:

Answer 23

seasonal climate regimes results in the formation of annual growth bands

Question 24

Autochthonous lake sediments:

Answer 24

inputs originate within the lake itself not transported in
(e.g., aquatic plant material, organisms etc.)

Question 25

Allochthonous lake sediments:

Answer 25

inputs originate outside the lake examples: wind blown soil terrestrial plants terestrial organisms

Question 26

Where is there an ice sheet drill project

Answer 26

greenland

Question 27

Ice core basics:

Answer 27

Records of accumulation can be obtained from the thickness of annual ice layers - impurities in the ice give information about atmospheric circulation and land surface

Question 28

Ice core layers:

Answer 28

young and shallow snow at top older and deeper snow is compacted further at the bottom of the core: rocks, sand etc.

Question 29

Marine sediments:

Answer 29

- long cores drilled by specially equipped ships - isotopes in shells can reveal temp and ice volume - granular debris from land can indicate icebergs breaking off