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Week 6 Flashcards

1
Q

what are the 5 interacting spheres involved in the climate?

A

atmosphere (gases)

hydrosphere (oceans, large bodies of water)

lithosphere (plate tectonics, orogeny - mountain building via collision of plates)

cryosphere (glaciers, ice sheets, snow cover)

biosphere (vegetation, animals, humans)

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2
Q

regarding temperature, what is the concern?

A

the rate of temperature change!!

not the actual temperature itself

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3
Q

around when was all of canada covered with ice? which area wasn’t covered in ice?

A

18,000 years ago

Northern Yukon wasn’t covered in ice

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4
Q

since when has the rapid rise in global temperature averages occurred? what does this correspond to?

A

since 1900

corresponds to industrialization and the increase of greenhouse gases

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5
Q

what are the 4 general causes of climate change?

A

variations in solar radiation

changes in composition of the atmosphere (only one that’s causes by humans!)

changes in Earth’s surface

variations in Earth’s orbit

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6
Q

what is a sunspot? how often does it occur? relevance to the climate?

A

a cool region of high magnetism on the Sun, appears as a dark spot on the Sun

the sun tends to emit more energy (via faculae) during periods of high sunspot activity. sunspots occur in cycles and reach a maximum every 11 years.

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7
Q

what are faculae?

A

bright areas that emit high amounts of energy

they surround sunspots

with more sunspots (and faculae), there is more solar output

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8
Q

what is the residence time of CO2 in the atmosphere? what is the relevance of this?

A

100 years

therefore, even though we are reducing CO2 today, the effects will not be felt for decades

a warming climate appears to be inevitable during our lifetimes

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9
Q

what are some greenhouse gases?

A

CO2

water vapor

methane

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10
Q

what is the relevance of ice cores?

A

the width of an ice layer provides insight on the temperature and snowfall of that year

each year, a new layer of ice forms – bubbles of air are trapped in the ice

ice cores provide climate data for up to 600,000 years in the past

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11
Q

what is dendrochronology?

A

the study of tree rings

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12
Q

what is the relevance of tree rings?

A

wider tree rings corresponds to warmer or wetter years

tree rings provide climate date for up to 1000 years in the past

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13
Q

what is the theory of plate tectonics?

A

the continents have moved over time

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14
Q

how does the movement of plates affect the climate?

A

the collision of converging plates results in uplift and the creation of mountains

this affects wind, temperature, precipitation patterns on the surrounding landscape

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15
Q

what is the Milankovitch theory?

A

proposes that 3 separate phenomena relating to Earth’s orbit contribute to climate change

referred to as the 3 Milankovitch cycles
—- eccentricity
—- precession
—- obliquity

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16
Q

what are the 3 Milankovitch cycles?

A

eccentricity

precession

obliquity

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17
Q

describe the eccentricity cycle of the Milankovitch theory

A

changes in the shape of the Earth’s orbit from circular to elliptical

this cycle accounts for ice ages and is why we have an ice age every 100,000 years (it is a 100,000 year cycle)

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18
Q

describe the precession cycle of the Milankovitch theory

A

the wobble of the Earth’s axis

a 23,000 year cycle

impacts timing of the seasons

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19
Q

describe the obliquity cycle of the Milankovitch theory

A

changes in the tilt of the Earth’s axis

a 41,000 year cycle

impacts seasonal contrasts between the hemispheres (intensity)

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20
Q

why does the greenhouse effect exist? describe the concern

A

greenhouse gases allow solar radiation to pass thru, but they absorb infrared radiation from the Earth

the greenhouse effect itself isn’t a concern, but the enhancement of the greenhouse effect by humans is a concern

—> more infrared radiation from the Earth being absorbed by the atmosphere

21
Q

where are CO2 emissions rapidly increasing?

A

in China and India as the economies in these countries continue to industrialize

22
Q

what is ozone?

A

it is a gas composed of oxygen with a pungent smell

forms naturally in the stratosphere (2nd layer)

forms in the troposphere (innermost atmospheric layer) by chemical reactions with other gases

23
Q

describe the importance of ozone in the atmosphere

A

ozone layer protects us from UV rays (which makes up 7% of the Sun’s radiation)

UV rays can cause great damage to unprotected skin

24
Q

describe the destruction of the ozone layer

A

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are the major reason for the depletion of the ozone layer during the 1900s
— UV radiation breaks up CFC molecules causing the release of chlorine which in turn rapidly destroys ozone
— a CFC molecule can remain in the atmosphere for many decades

CFCs were found in inefficient appliances, spray cans, and industrial processes

non-essential uses of CFCs were banned in North American in the 1970s

25
what is the Montreal Protocol?
a highly successful worldwide agreement among countries to reduce chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) concentrations
26
regardless of efforts made to decrease CFC in the atmosphere, why has there only been a little decline recognized? what are the impacts of this?
because of the high residence time of CFCs decreased amounts of stratospheric ozone have resulted in increased cases of skin cancer -- rates of skin cancer has doubled since the 1950s
27
what is acid precipitation?
precipitation that combines with pollutants that turn precipitation acidic
28
what are the main sources of acid precipitation?
sulfur oxides nitrogen oxides nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides react with water molecules to form nitric and sulfuric acid
29
what are the effects of acid precipitation?
it slows tree growth, reduces fish population in lakes, and erodes materials currently, 14,000 lakes in Canada are acidified led to the Canada-US air quality agreement
30
how is acidity measured?
via the pH scale from 0 to 14; 7 is neutral and below 7 is acidic precipitation is naturally acidic but aquatic life cannot survive when pH is below 4.8
31
where is acid precipitation most common?
in Eastern North America
32
at what pH can aquatic life not survive at?
below 4.8
33
what is positive feedback? give an example related to climate change
a process in a system that encourages the continuation of the original process less snow/ice decreases the reflectivity of solar radiation (because snow is highly reflective)... therefore, after snow/ice melts, more solar radiation is absorbed rather than reflected this is why polar regions are warming the fastest
34
describe the expected loss of Arctic sea ice by 2050
by 2050, the only remaining Arctic sea ice in summer is expected to be around Ellesmere Island and northern Greenland since 1980, Artic sea ice in summer has decline by 30%
35
what is a climate model? how does it work?
used to estimate how much the Earth will warm in the future climate models forecast that over the next 100 years, the Earth will warm by at least 1.5 degrees Celsius it uses a series of mathematical equations with variables representing greenhouse gases, solar radiation, and other climatological components
36
what did the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) say?
scientific evidence strongly indicates that natural influences cannot explain the rapid increase in global near-surface temperatures observed during the second half of the 20th century
37
what is the kyoto protocol?
a global agreement aiming to slow climate change it aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 5% below 1990 levels by 2010
38
what are some notable impacts of climate change?
polar areas will warm the most boreal forests will expand northward, agriculture will shift northward precipitation patterns will change, thus affecting habitats there may be increased intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes
39
what are the effects of sea levels rising as a result of climate change?
as sea levels rise, erosion is affecting areas farther inland; some areas are eroding at 10 m annually sea level is projected to rise as global climate changes and ice sheets continue to melt North American cities are at greatest risk including Vancouver, Miami, New Orleans, and New York
40
describe Maldives's situation with rising sea levels
Maldives is an island nation of 300,000 people in the Indian ocean. about 80% of the country is less than 1m above sea level. sea walls have been build around many of its islands to protect from waves up to 2m in height
41
how does climate change impact humans?
it affects food production, tourism, and human health the most serious impact of climate change to humans is the spread of malaria
42
describe the impacts climate change has on biodiversity
bleaching of corals loss of flora and fauna extinction risk for polar bears
43
describe how climate change has contributed to deaths of biodiversity
climate change since the mid 1970s is contributing to the cause of over 160,000 deaths per year these deaths are mainly attributed to an increase in malaria and malnutrition in less developed countries
44
what are the 2 philosophies surround our (human's) relationship with nature?
living in harmony with nature (sustainable development) exploiting nature for economic gain (ignoring the true costs of resource extinction)
45
what is the reality regarding natural resources? what is the problem with this?
many resources are finite using resources creates waste products PROBLEM! developed countries have created societies and economies in which these two realities are neglected... there is resistance to changing the way resources are extracted
46
describe wind energy as a natural resource
wind energy is a renewable and pollution-free source of energy wind farms are viable in areas with constant, moderate winds
47
what issues prevent the growth of wind energy as a natural resource? (prevention of wind farms)
habitat disruption appearance ("not in my backyard") noise
48
describe Ontario's stance on wind farms (wind energy)
Ontario is committed to funding wind energy and has created wind atlas to identify the best possible locations for wind turbines

GEO (19 decks)

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