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56 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back

What will happen if Earth absorbs more power than it emits?

Earth will warm



What is the difference between the radiation emitted and absorbed by objects at higher equilibrium temperature and objects lower equilibrium temperature?

Higher: absorbs less radiation


Lower: absorbs more radiation

What is the Zero Dimensional Energy Balance Model and how does its prediction about Earth’s radiative equilibrium temperature compare with the observed value?

It is an energy balance climate model that treats Earth as a single point and yields only a single global average temperature. Prediction is -18, observed is 15 (287 K)

Why does the zero dimensional energy balance model not get the temperature right for Earth and Venus?

It doesn't take the warming effect of the atmosphere into account. (Greenhouse Effect)

Which of the inner planets has the highest greenhouse effect warming and which one has the lowest?

Highest: Venus


Lowest: Mars

What is the greenhouse effect?

The warming of a planet's surface due to the absorption of outgoing infrared radiation by atmospheric greenhouse gases.

What are the major greenhouse gases present in Earth's atmosphere and which of these gases have the dominant contribution to the greenhouse effect?

Water Vapor is most dominate. Then CO2, Methane ,Nitrous Oxide, and Ozone

Models to understand the greenhouse effect

The Blanket Model & The Two-Box Model

Under what conditions will there be no greenhouse effect?

No water vapor or CO2 to absorb...or if there weren't any weather such as clouds to reflect (albedo)

Which will enhance the greenhouse warming? Cooler or warmer atmosphere?

Cooler

Why does a strengthened greenhouse effect results in the warming of lower atmosphere and simultaneous cooling of upper atmosphere?

Less radiation can escape the atmosphere thus less of it is ever reaching the upper atmosphere

What is the meaning of albedo?

It is the fraction of solar power that is reflected back to space by clouds, surface, etc.

What would happen to albedo: Large Scale glaciation / de-glaciation of Earth's surface?

Albedo will increase with large scale glaciation. and decrease with de-glaciation.

What would happen to albedo? Increase could cover of low altitude clouds/high altitude clouds?

Lower clouds there is an increase of albedo and a decrease with higher clouds

Which of the inner planets has the highest/lowest albedo?

Highest: Venus


Lowest: Mercury and Mars

What is the dominant factor contributing to Venus's huge surface temperature? Sun or Greenhouse Effect?

Greenhouse

What is the meaning of Climate Forcing? When is it positive/negative?

Any factor that upsets Earth's Energy Balance.


Positive: warming


Negative: Cooling

What is the meaning of the term anthropogenic forcing?

Human caused, instead of natural factors

What is climate sensitivity?

Climate system's response to a forcing. It describes the climatic change that results from forcing

What is the range of the best estimate of Earth's climate sensitivity?

Ragne from 2C-4.5C

Examples of Negative Feedback

Carbon-dioxide - Plant Growth Feedback


Atmospheric Temperature - Cloud Cover Feedback

Examples of Positive Feedback

Water Vapor - Atmospheric Temperature Feedback


Ice Cover - Albedo Feedback

What is the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of greenhouse gases?

Effect of a greenhouse gas relative to carbon dioxide. It depends on the strength of absorption and the atmospheric lifetime. Actual warming depends on the amount of gas present

Which is the most dominant among the anthropogenic forcings?

HFC-23(CHF3)

If carbon-dioxide has the lowest global warming potential among the greenhouse gases why is it a problem?

It has extremely long atmospheric life. Concentration is overwhelmingly larger than other gases.

What causes the Stratospheric Ozone Depletion?

CFCs (Freon) rising to the stratosphere are photo decomposed by solar UV rays to release Chlorine. The Chlorine destroys ozone.

Why is the ozone hole found only in the polar region?

Low temperatures allow formation of low polar stratospheric clouds,Clouds provide a reaction base that accelerates ozone destruction

What are Aerosols?

fine particulate matter suspended in tiny liquid droplets

What is the net effect of anthropogenic aerosols on climateforcing? Do the aerosols lead to positive forcing or negative forcing? What is the main source of sulfate aerosols?

They produce a negative forcing of about .5W/m^2Cannot compensate the positive forcings of greenhouse gases because they are neither dominant nor will stay for long in the atmosphere

How much of carbon is there in Earth's atmosphere, in land and in oceans?

Land: 2000 GT + 500 GTOceans: 39, 000 GT

How has the atmospheric carbon content changed from the preindustrial times? At what rate is the atmospheric carbon content increasing?

atmospheric concentration of Carbon-dioxide is increasing drastically with time. Before AD 1750 : 275 ppm "Today" (AD 2000) : 390 ppm [ 42% increase ]

How does the rate at which carbon is released to the atmosphere, through fossil fuelburning, compare with the rate at which carbon is removed from the atmosphere byphotosynthesis?

Photosynthesis : 110 GT / Yr Fossil Fuel Burning : 9 GT/Yr

What is the typical atmospheric lifetime of an individual carbon-dioxide molecule?

only about 5 years.

Why does Table 13.1 list atmospheric life time of carbon-dioxide as 1000 years? (Figure13.12)

Collectivly they live longer

If humans stopped dumping carbon-dioxide into the atmosphere “today” what fraction of anthropogenic carbon will still be there in the atmosphere after thousand years? (Fig 13.12)

25%

By how much (in %) has the atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentration increased from its pre-industrial value?

42%

What are the problems in defining a global average temperature?

We only have data from around 1850 and moving forwardHeat is distributed unevenly across the worldEarly measurements were not standardized and did not have corrections implemented for variable changes

What is the Urban Heat Island Effect?

An urban heat island (UHI) is a city or metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities.

Why are temperature anomalies more important than the absolute value of temperature?

Temperature anomalies are more important than the absolute value of temperature becauseTemperature changes are well correlated over large distances, but absolute temperatures are notTwo thermometers might not agree on a certain temperature but they will give the same response to a change in temperature.The temperature anomalies are all relative to some average.

What are the four stages seen in the temperature anomaly measurements after 1750 topresent?

1-Steady (1850-1910) 2-Rising (1910-1945) 3-Steady (1945-1975) 4-Sharp rise (1975-2000)

stage1 seen in the temperature anomaly measurements after 1750 is steady. What years

1850-1910

stage2 seen in the temperature anomaly measurements after 1750 is rising. What years

1910-1945

stage3 seen in the temperature anomaly measurements after 1750 is steady. What years

1945-1975

stage4 seen in the temperature anomaly measurements after 1750 is what. And what years What years

Sharp rising. 1976-2000

By how much (on an average) has the Earth's surface temperature increased in the pastcentury?

On average there is a recorded 0.5C increase over the 20th century

Is global warming uniform all over the world? If not, where is it prominent?

Actual warming is distributed unevenly. **Note the greater warming over land, in the northern hemisphere, and especially at high latitudes.

What trend is observed in the ocean heat content since the mid twentieth century?

Increase in ocean heat content since the early 1990sIn units of 10^22 joulesRelative to an arbitrary zeroThe increase results from excess energy trapped by anthropogenic greenhouse gases and other forcing agentsImbalance between earths incoming and outgoing energy flows

What are Microwave Sounding Units (MSUs)? What trend is observed in the MSUanalysis of the temperature anomalies of lower troposphere and lower stratosphere?

Microwave sounding units are a more consistent approach to air temperatures that come from satellite instruments that measure atmospheric microwave emissionsThe lower troposphere and the lower stratosphere behave oppositelyEnhanced warming in the lower troposphere relative to the surface.

What causes the cycles of glaciations?

Periodic changes in the earths orbit and the tilt of its axis

What are interglacials?

the warm, relatively short periods between ice ages

What is the approximate duration of the interglacial phase in a glaciation cycle (ice-age)?

100,000 years

Why the fluctuations in the orbital parameters alone cannot explain the severity of climatevariations seen during the glaciation cycles?

Temperature and atmospheric CO2 have a very tight correlation.Feedback mechanisms also enforce the correlation

What is the Younger Dryas Event? And what causes it

rapid nonlinear cooling related to changes in ocean circulation

Was younger dryas event a warming event or a cooling event?

Cooling

Was this a global event or a local event?

Was this a global event or alocal event?local, exaggerated in Greenland. Concentrates in higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere

What are the indicators for the global climate change other than the temperature?

Reduction of snow and ice cover Species range shifts Increased temperatures mean more energy available to power tropical storms. Increased precipitationSea-level rise due to thermal expansion and melting land ice