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44 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What is Earth System Science?
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Study of how the following systems are linked to affect life on Earth
1.) atmosphere 2.) ocean 3.) land 4.) biosphere |
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Difference between weather and climate?
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Weather refers to temporary atmospheric conditions
Climate refers to characteristic atmospheric conditions over long periods of time |
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What is the Koppen System?
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Defines climate zones and uses a monthly average temperature and precipitation associated with different types of vegetation
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Linkages of hazards
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-Flooding to rainfall
-Landslides to rainy climates -Wildfires to dry areas |
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The Atmosphere
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Has three gases:
Permanent, variable, and aerosols *see other notecards |
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Permanent
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-Proportions stay constant
-Nitrogen and oxygen -Have little affect on atmosphere |
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Variable Gasses
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-Proportions vary with time and space
-Play role in atmospheric dynamics -Carbon dioxide, water vapor, ozone, methane, nitrous oxide, and halocarbons. |
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Aerosols
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Particles whose proportions vary with time and space
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Glaciations
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1.) Cryosphere: Part of hydrosphere where ice stays frozen year round
ex: Permafrost, sea ice, ice caps, glaciers, and ice sheets 2.) Flow from high areas to low areas under ice weight 3.) Glacial Intervals: Periods with major continental glaciations 4.) Interglacial Intervals: Warmer periods, less glaciations 5.) Multiple advances and retreats of glaciers: Rare, but several in last 1 billion yrs |
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Pleistocene Epoch
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-Last series of glacial and interglacial periods
-Multiple ice ages -Glaciers used to cover 30% of Earth now 10% -Global sea level >330 ft lower than today |
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Glacial Hazard
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Melting and movement caused property damages, injuries, and death
Such as: -fall into crevasses -glacial ice can fall from above -overrun villages -produce ice jam, causing flooding -blocks of ice may fall off in avalanche -Calving (splitting apart glaciers) produces icebergs in the ocean |
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How we study climate change?
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1.) Instrumental Record
2.) Historical Record 3.) Paleo-Proxy Record *see other notecards |
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Instrumental Record
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-Temp measurements (1860)
-CO2 measurements(1960) -Solar is from past several decades |
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Historical Record
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Written collections (books, newspapers, articles, journals, etc)
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Paleo-Proxy Record
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-Correlated with climate
-Not direct measurement of temp -Provide the best evidence that predates the historical and instrumental records -Includes 3 data sources: Tree Rings, Sediments, and Ice Cores, Pollen, Corals, Carbon-14, and Carbon Dioxide |
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Tree Rings
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Growth of trees depends on the rainfall and temperature changes
Extends back more than 10,000 years! |
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Dendroclimatology
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Climate record provided by tree rings
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Sediments
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Chemical sediments are interpreted to provide climate change data
(drill into ocean or lake to find them) |
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Ice Cores
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Ice studied to determine composition of water
-Tells us about the volume of ice on land and the processes occurring in the paleo-oceans (drill into just the ocean to find them) |
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Pollen
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-Reflects climate
-Can be preserved in sedimentary layers to form chronology |
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Corals
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Calcium Carbonate in the corals can has isotopes of oxygen and trace metals that can be analyzed for temperature
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Carbon-14
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Gives info about solar (sunspot) activity
*explains warming during the Medieval Warming Period and cooling during Little Ice Age (found in tree ring data) |
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Carbon Dioxide
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MOST IMPORTANT PROXY FOR TEMP CHANGE!
(Comes from instrumental record and ice core samples!) |
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What are the two Global Climate Models?
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General Circulation Model and the Global Climate Model
*see other flashcards |
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General Circulation Model
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Used to forecast weather
-large stack of boxes that are 3-dimensional cells -6-20 layers of cells and height varies - |
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Global Climate Models
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Used to describe climate
-models run backwards to describe historic climate changes - |
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Global Warming
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-Land and ocean temps rose in the past 50 years
-Resulting form burning of fossil fuels -Both human and natural processes contribute |
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The Greenhouse Effect
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Earth's energy balance:
A lot of energy is coming from sun, 1 watt/sq meter -The sunlight we receive is short and visible and it's absorbed by Earth and the atmosphere -Reradiated radiation is long-wave infrared -Greenhouse gases include: Water vapor carbon dioxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons absorb infrared and are warmed |
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What does Earth's temperature depend on?
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-sunlight received
-sunlight reflected -reradiated heat that is retained |
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What would happen if we didn't have Greenhouse Gases?
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-Earth's temp would be 33 degrees colder
-Surface water would be frozen -Little life on earth |
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Carbon Dioxide and Greenhouse Gases?
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CO2 is most of the antropogenic greenhouse gas
Concentrations were between 200-300ppm and now 390 to possibly 490 in 2050. |
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Global Temp Change (last 800,000 yrs)
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Low temps-continental glaciations
High temps-interglacial periods |
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Global Temp Change (last 150,000 yrs)
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Eemian! (Last Major interglacial period)
Sea level was 4-6 feet higher than today |
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Global Temp Change (last 18,000 yrs)
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Younger Dryas! Cold. Happened 11,500 yrs ago then a little warming during Holocene Maximum.
Recent cooling, "Little Ice Age", in the 15-19th centuries |
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Global Temp Change (last 1000 yrs)
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Warming and Cooling
Warming in 1100-1300AD to allow vikings into greenland, iceland, and North America |
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Global Temp Change (Last 140 yrs)
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1940s started a warming trend and temperatures in the last 30 yrs are the warmest recorded since studying began
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Milankovitch cycles it terms of why climate changes?
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Natural changes in Earth's orbit, tilt
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Climate forcing
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An imposed change of Earth's energy balance
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Climate sensitivity
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Climates response after a new equilibrium has been established
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Climate response time
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The time required for a response from the Climate Forcing to occur
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What is the Ocean Conveyor Belt?
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-Circulation of ocean water than can cause fast climate change
-Strong northward movement of currents cooling when they reach greenland and cooling and sinking down becoming saltier and denser |
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Little Ice Age and Medieval Warming Period caused by what?
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Corresponds to drop and increase in solar radiation
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What is Volcanic Forcing?
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Ash from eruptions reflects sunlight having a cooling effect
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What is the Positive Feedback Cycle in terms of glaciers and ice caps?
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Having ice reflects back sunlight and keeps temperature cool but since it's melting, darker ground is exposed and absorbing heat making it hotter
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