exam 3

Most climate models predict that by the year 2100, the Earth's global average temperature will increase somewhere in the range of ________ assuming the current rate of greenhouse gas emissions continues.

(1-5)* C

Laws of radiation:

-The higher the temperature of an object the greater the rate of radiation energy emitted. -As the temperature of an object increases, a large percentage of the total radiation emitted shifts towards higher photon energies.

Observed loss of stratospheric ozone

-Tropical Latitudes (30°North to 30°South): Little, if any, changes observed -Middle Latitudes (30° to 60° in both Northern and Southern Hemisphere): 6% decrease from 1980 to 1996, with slight increase after 1996 -Arctic Latitudes (60°North to North Pole): Reduction of ozone highly variable from year to year. Can spike to 30% reduction during cold periods in winter and spring -Antarctic Latitudes (60°South to South Pole): Region where seasonal ozone "hole" occurs. The ozone hole is described in the next section

How much has CO2 increased since 1750?

45.2%

Radiation energy from the sun that strikes the top of Earth's atmosphere can either be absorbed or scattered (reflected) away to outer space. Which of the following accounts for the largest portion of the Sun's energy that strikes the top of our atmosphere?

Absorption of radiation by the ground surface and oceans

What is haze and how does it affect visibility?

Aerosols that limit visibility because they scatter and/or absorb visible light, usually all colors (wavelengths) equally.

Most major hurricanes that hit the US being as tropical easterly waves that move off the continent of

Africa

Which of the following best summarizes the chances of New York City being directly struck by a hurricane (with hurricane force winds)?

Although rare, hurricanes do occasionally hit NYC, so it is wise for disaster planners to prepare for it.

Suppose the average surface temperature in some regionally defined climate zone goes up by 2 degrees C in the next 50 years. Which conclusion is most sensible:

An increase of 2 degrees C in the average temperature over only 50 years would almost certainly cause the current ecosystem in that climate zone to collapse.

Which set of conditions will likely lead to the highest overnight low temperature (warmest). Assume all other factors are the same, expect for those specified in the answers.

Cloudy with high dew point temperature

At the Paris Climate Summit in 2015, many countries signed a legally binding commitment to reduce future greenhouse gas emissions, which could result in massive fines if emission reductions are not achieved.

FALSE

Last month, March 2017, was the warmest month of March recorded in Tucson since temperature records began in 1895. This warm month proves that human emissions of greenhouse gases are causing global warming.

FALSE

There has been a large and significant reduction in the amount of snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere in recent decades based on observational records of snow cover.

False

On average in the U.S., the number of people who are killed by extreme weather events each year is about the same as the number of people that are killed in vehicle accidents.

False, the number of people dying due to extreme weather is low comparing it to people dying from vehicle accidents

As pointed out in class, polar bears are on the verge of extinction due to extreme warming and loss of sea ice in the Arctic region. In fact extinction is likely unless we reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Falsee

Suppose we are examining the temperature climatology of a particular city. The larger the standard deviation of the temperature distribution, the:

Greater the variability in temperature

Which of the following past climatic periods on Earth ended most recently (around 1850)?

Little Ice Age

How does latitude influence the amount of UV exposure a person will recieve

Potential exposure to UV radiations is greatest at low latitude locations and smallest at low latitude locations.

Lowest pressure reading / largest storm ever recorded for hurricane in 1979

Super Typhoon Tip

In spite of worldwide concern about global warming and conservation efforts, there has not been a significant decrease in the total global emission of greenhouse gases resulting from human activity over the last 20 years.

TRUE

Suppose you read an article that states there is a strong connection between global warming and hurricanes. What type of connection is hypothesized and what is the simple basis for the connection?

The basis for a link to global warming is as humans add more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, the average surface temperature of earth should increase. Measurements show the global average sea surface temperature is about 1.0*C warmer than it was around the year 1900 therefore since hurricanes feed off warm ocean water, one can argue that global warming will result in more and stronger hurricanes around the globe.

Suppose the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere becomes twice what it was prior the Industrial Revolution. Ignoring all feedbacks, how would this increase in CO2 act to change the global average surface temperature of the Earth?

The global average surface temperature would increase

Hurricanes are called "warm core" systems because the air above the surface low pressure is warmer than the air surrounding this central core above the storm. What causes the warm core?

The release of latent heat during condensation

Which statement best describes the problem of the "missing carbon dioxide sink"?

There is less C02 in the atmosphere than expected.

Climate around the Earth have fluctuated significantly throughout the written history of man with relatively warm periods and relatively cold periods.

True

The sun is continuously emitting photons of radiation. Most of these photons would be classified as which type of radiation:

Visible

On average, which ocean basin produces the most hurricanes per year

Western North Pacific, (near southeast Asia), where they are called typhoons

The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) measures the total wind energy realized over the entire life cycle of a hurricane. Yearly total ACE can be computed by adding the ACE for all hurricanes that occur in a given year. Worldwide ACE has been calculated each year since 1972. Which of the following statements is most true regarding how worldwide ACE has changed since 1972?

Worldwide ACE has fluctuated up and down since 1972, and it does not seem to be strongly tied to the increase in sea surface temperature since 1972.

Do people die with heat and cold waves?

Yes. Might differ where they are at, for example a heat wave of 100C in Chicago would be different for Phoenix. Heat waves are typically most severe in large northern cities such as Chicago and New York because the people that live there and the buildings in which they live are not well adapted to the infrequent heat waves that strike.

What is monsoon?

a dramatic increase in rainfall from an extremely dry late spring season to a rainy summer season

the eye of a hurricane is:

an area of calm winds and low surface pressure with sinking air and generally fair skies

Most of the photons (of radiation) emitted from the surface of the Earth (land and oceans):

are absorbed by greenhouse gases and clouds.

why sunsets and sunrises are red?

at sunset, long path through the atmosphere, much of the blue light scattered out of the line of sight, so sun looks reddish

International agreements do show that the world is:

capable of dealing with a global scale environmental threat, resulting from advanced technology. for example, the cause of ozone destruction was easily proven and substitutes for CFCs were easily found without much additional cost.

Human emissions of carbon dioxide will likely

cause the ocean water to become more acidic, i.e., lower the pH of the water

Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO) and its relationship to Atlantic hurricanes

climate cycle in Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperature pattern. the relationship it has to Atlantic hurricanes is that hurricanes feed off warm ocean water

On average, which type of severe weather probably kills the most people each year worldwide?

exposure to extreme temperatures

Radiation; different types

for studies of the Earth's climate, we are mainly concerned about ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiation (listed in order from most energetic to least energetic photons)

A lard bridge connecting Russia with Alaska formed during an __________ when sea levels were ______________.

ice age / much lower than today

according to climate models, most of the measured increase in global average temperature since 1900 was caused by

increasing greenhouse gases

The stratospheric "ozone hole" occurs...

over Antarctica during the Southern Hemisphere spring (September-December)

Climate models have been used to run simulations for doubled CO2. The models do include some feedback processes. The overall feedback effect with respect to change in global average surface temperature that is simulated by most current climate models is:

positive, i.e., the surface temperature change is larger than the non-feedback case.

radiative equilibrium

radiation absorbed from sun (energy in) equals radiation energy emitted by earth (energy out)

eye wall

ring of intense thunderstorms that whirl around the storm's center and extend upward to almost 15 km above sea levels. has the heaviest precipitation and strongest winds.

We know CFC destroy ozone in the stratosphere

so developed countries of the world have, for the most part, stopped producing these chemicals. substitute ozone - friendly chemicals for CFC

With regards to the carbon cycle, photosynthesis by land-dwelling organisms is a _______ for carbon stored in the land surface reservoir.

source

exposure to extreme temperatures kills more people each year

than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, blizzards, etc.

During the monsoon season in Tucson...

the center of the 500mb subtropical high pressure cell moves into a position north of Tucson. This causes the 500mb winds over Tucson to become easterly.

why is the sky blue?

the sky looks blue because some of the visible light from the sun is scattered by air molecules, shorter wavelengths (blue) are scattered more efficiently than longer wavelengths (red)

Some scientists believe that the reason of why the planet is heating up is due by natural changes / natural cycles of the planet like

the variations of the Sun's energy output

ozone hole

thinning or a depletion of a large amount of the ozone in the stratosphere

Surface winds in the tropics generally blow from the east, specifically from the northeast (in the northern hemisphere) and from southeast (in the southern hemisphere), these reliable and steady wings are called

trade winds

Consider two cities located at the same latitude. One city is a coastal city (located on the ocean), while the other is an inland city (located away from the coast). In general, the inland city will have

warmers summers and colder winters compared to the coastal city.