EPS 7 Master Doc
Borehole paleothermometry reveals a mean global ground-temperature increase over the past ~100 years of
1 K
Roughly how much coal is available for humans to burn?
5 TtC
If a laser delivers 30 W of power to a target over 2 seconds, how much energy does it deliver to the target?
60 J
If a sand dune's feedback parameter is −20 kg/s/m, by what amount does its net rate of inflow change if we apply a sudden height perturbation of −4 m?
80 kg/s
3^4 equals
81
Who is credited with identifying the gases responsible for the greenhouse effect?
John Tyndall
Coal is
fossilized peat
A positive forcing
is an externally applied increase in the net inflow
What is so super about a supercomputer?
it has many ordinary computers connected together
Which of the following is a mechanism built into the Kyoto Protocol to allow countries to avoid reducing their own emissions?
joint implementation
When water vapor condenses, this is an example of
latent converting to sensible
Which of the following is not one of the primary pieces of evidence for global warming?
lunar brightness records
When talking about the wavelengths of radiation from the Sun and Earth, it is most convenient to use which unit?
micrometer
What does optically thick mean?
opaque
What is another name for shortwave?
sunlight
Why does burning fossil fuels cause global warming?
the extra atmospheric CO2 lifts the τ=1 layer to a colder level in the atmosphere
Which radiates the most power, a wall with a total area of 2 m2 and temperature of 310 K, or a chair with a total area of 2 m2 and temperature of 310 K?
they radiate the same power
What is true about all photons?
they travel at the same speed
Aerosol spray cans are responsible for how much radiative forcing?
0 W/m2
In a business-as-usual scenario, what is a likely concentration of atmospheric CO2 in the year 2100?
1000 ppm
What is the likely amount of carbon contained in methane clathrates?
1000-10000 GtC
When was the universe formed?
14 Gya
Consider a metal rod that has 10 W of heat conduction between its two ends, which are maintained at temperatures of 200 K and 400 K. If we lower the temperature of the cold end from 200 K to 100 K, what is the new rate of heat conduction along the rod?
15 W
2^4
16
In what decade did measurements on Mauna Loa first document rising concentrations of CO2?
1960s
By how much have Berkeley's warm-season maximum temperatures increased over the past 125 years?
2 K
At what rate are humans currently consuming energy?
20 TW
Which of the following is a typical temperature of a blowtorch?
2000 K
A typical building has 3 meters between floors and the average American adult weighs 80 kg. How much energy does it take to lift 5 average American adults up 2 floors in a typical building?
24 kJ
Using the minus-thirty-and-halve approximation, what is 80 °F in Celsius?
25 °C
If Earth's mean temperature increases from 288 K to 291 K when CO2 is doubled from its preindustrial concentration, what mean temperature would you expect if CO2 were quadrupled from its preindustrial concentration?
294 K
Given Earth's feedback parameter of -1 W/m^2/K, what is roughly its final temperature perturbation in response to a doubling of CO2, which causes a forcing of 3 W/m^2?
3 K
What is the modern best estimate of Earth's climate sensitivity?
3 K
What is HCO3−?
bicarbonate ion
As the Earth cools, the atmosphere holds ____ water vapor and that tends to cause the atmosphere to emit ____ radiation to space.
"less" and "more"
What is 3 Gya?
3 billion years ago
What is the current concentration of atmospheric CO2?
400 ppm
What type of cloud is this?
altocumulus
What is CaCO3?
calcium carbonate
How many COPs have there been?
more than 20
If the dry-bulb temperature is much greater than normal skin temperature and the wet-bulb temperature is much less than normal skin temperature, then
you are sweating
If a sand dune's feedback parameter is −15 kg/s/m, by what amount does its net rate of inflow change if we apply a sudden height perturbation of 3 m?
-45 kg/s
What is another way to write 300 Mya?
0.3 Gya
To make 1 J of ethanol energy from U.S. corn, we have to expend
0.6 to 1.3 J
If a 5-kg weight is lifted 2 meters on the moon, how much gravitational potential energy has it been given? On the moon, g = 1.6 m/s2.
16 J
If a planet's total solar irradiance, or TSI, is 1000 W/m^2, what is the average incident sunlight per planetary surface area?
250 W/m^2
What is the unit for energy?
Joule
Which of the following is an example of conduction?
burn hand on hot pan
Which of the following is not a leading source of anthropogenic methane emissions?
burning natural gas
Natural gas is
fossilized peat
Which of the following is a violation of conservation of mass? - tree grows - ball falls - car races
none of the other answers
Which of the following is a violation of conservation of momentum? - tree grows - ball falls - car races
none of the other answers
If humans burn 5000 GtC in a couple centuries, roughly what will the atmospheric concentration of CO2 be in the year 12017?
750 ppm
How many planets are there in our Solar System?
8
If we hold the concentrations of greenhouse gases constant at the levels anticipated in 2100 for the RCP8.5 scenario, roughly how much globally averaged warming would we get if we waited long enough?
8 K
Given Earth's feedback parameter of -1 W/m^2/K, what is roughly its final temperature perturbation in response to a brightening of the Sun that leads to 9 W/m^2 of extra solar absorption?
9 K
What is a GtC?
A billion tons of carbon
What is an AMSU?
Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit
What is plankton?
Any collection of microscopic organisms that drift in the sea.
What is the empirical formula for coal?
C or CH
Which of these is an example of a halocarbon?
CF2Cl2
What is the empirical formula for oil?
CH2
What is the chemical formula for methane?
CH4
What is the empirical formula for gas?
CH4
What chemical formula most accurately describes the burning of natural gas?
CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O
Photosynthesis is best described by what chemical reaction?
CO2 + H2O + photon → O2 + CH2O
When permafrost thaws, it releases
CO2 and CH4
What chemical reaction ultimately removes the excess carbon from the atmosphere and ocean?
CaSiO3 + CO2 → CaCO3 + SiO2
When was most coal formed?
Carboniferous period 300 Mya
What type of cloud is this?
Cirrostratus -High elevation clouds, layered across the sky
Which of the following carbon pools has the largest amount of carbon at present?
Coal
COP stands for
Conference of the Parties
Who is credited with alerting scientists to global warming by documenting the rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
Dave Keeling
What is the first molecule that CO2 forms when dissolved in water?
H2CO3
Which chemical reaction describes ocean acidification?
H2CO3 → H+ + HCO3−
In what form is most of the dissolved carbon in the ocean?
HCO3−
The IPCC stands for
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
How is a Watt defined in terms of other units?
J/s
Who is credited with alerting the public to global warming with his congressional testimony?
James Hansen
Who discovered that mechanical work gets converted to heat, thereby establishing the law of conservation of energy?
James Joule
Who is credited with starting the industrial revolution with their invention?
James Watt
Who is credited with postulating the existence of a greenhouse effect and thereby kicking off the field of climate science?
Joseph Fourier
When was most oil formed?
Jurassic period 150 Mya
Who created the cloud classification scheme that we still use today?
Luke Howard
The Curiosity rover is on which planet?
Mars
Which is not a contributing factor to the seasonal cycle in atmospheric CO2?
Most land is in the Northern Hemisphere
What is the chemical formula for nitrous oxide?
N2O
Which of these is an example of a NOx?
NO2
Which of the following is not a rocky planet?
Neptune
What type of cloud is this?
Nimbostratus- Clouds that are low-level, uniform layer, usually very dark, that bring strong precipitation
Atmospheric CO2 decreases most rapidly in
Northern-Hemisphere summer
Respiration is best described by what chemical reaction?
O2 + CH2O → CO2 + H2O + photon
What is the chemical formula for ozone?
O3
What is Earth's biggest negative feedback?
Planck feedback
What book is credited with kicking off the U.S. environmental movement in 1962?
Rachel Carson's Silent Spring
International coordination on climate change began in 1992 with a document adopted in
Rio de Janeiro
Which of the following was responsible for the industrial revolution?
Scientific Revolution, Abundant Coal, James Watt
What type of cloud is this?
Stratus
Who first predicted global warming and made a calculation of Earth's climate sensitivity?
Svante Arrhenius
Which of the following countries uses Fahrenheit?
UK, Germany, Canada, France --> none of these answers
Which of the following federal agencies does not have its own climate model?
USPS
The document adopted in 1992 is called the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
What industrialized country did not join the Kyoto Protocol?
United States
What is the only country that plans to not be a party to the Paris Agreement?
United States
Which of the following is not a gas giant?
Venus
How is a Joule dened in terms of other units?
W-s
The IPCC was founded by
WMO and UNEP
What is the unit for power?
Watt
Which person did not play a role in discovering the power per area of radiation emitted by an object?
Watt
Roughly how much of the recoverable coal have humans used?
a few percent
Ethanol fuel is made from the stuff found in
a glass of beer
Biodiesel is made from the stuff found in
a jug of vegetable oil
What is an acid?
a molecule that adds H+ ions to water
What of the following emits photons?
a person, the Earth, the Sun, a chair
Methane clathrate is
a water-ice lattice that encases methane molecules
What is the primary source of anthropogenic nitrous oxide?
agriculture
Which of the following is not one of the three major sectors of energy consumption?
agriculture
Parties to the UNFCCC include
all nations on Earth
Many of those who deny the science of climate change today also previously denied the science of - the ozone hole - acid rain - tobacco and cancer
all of the other answers
Methane clathrate is - cold - flammable - white
all of the other answers
What motivated the formation of the International Meteorological Organization, later renamed the World Meteorological Organization, in the 1800s? - large size of storms compared to European countries - invention of the telegraph - a desire to make weather forecasts
all of the other answers
Which of the following is required for forming ozone in smog? - sunlight - volatile organic compounds - NOx
all of the other answers
With the exception of high-energy nuclear reactions, which of the following is always conserved? - momentum - energy - mass
all of the other answers
What type of cloud is this?
altostratus -Clouds at mid-level that form a light sheet that lets the sun or moon show as a bright spot.
The radiative forcing by extra greenhouse gases is best described as causing
an decrease of outgoing power
Which causes the greater amount of additional warming?
an increase of CO2 from 300 to 400 ppm
Which of the following radiates the most power?
an object with Area = 1 m^2 and T = 1000 K
Which of the three has the shortest wavelength?
blue
Imagine that the price of a single permit is 100 $, with each permit covering 1 tC. If a company gets 3 permits for free for the year, and the company burns 6 tC of fossil fuel in that year, what does the company do?
buys 3 permits and thereby loses 300 $
Imagine that the price of a single permit is 100 $, with each permit covering 1 tC. If a company gets 0 permits for free for the year, and the company burns 6 tC of fossil fuel in that year, what does the company do?
buys 6 permits and thereby loses 600 $
Between a blue berry and a red berry, which has the higher temperature?
cannot tell because their color is scattered light
In this carbon-pricing scheme, the market sets the price of carbon emissions.
cap-and-trade
Which of the following gases is relatively opaque to longwave radiation?
carbon dioxide
In this carbon-pricing scheme, the government sets the price of carbon emissions.
carbon tax
What is CO3−−?
carbonate ion
What is H2CO3?
carbonic acid
Climate sensitivity is the
change in temperature for a doubling of CO2
A natural-gas-fired power plant is powered by
chemical reactions
What type of cloud is this?
cirrocumulus -a cloud at a high altitude consisting of a series of regularly arranged small clouds resembling ripples
What type of cloud is this?
cirrus cloud
Which of the following is a mechanism built into the Kyoto Protocol to allow countries to avoid reducing their own emissions?
clean development mechanism
Compared to the Earth, is Mars cold or hot?
cold
Would most people consider 40 K cold or hot?
cold
Would most people consider 40 °F cold or hot?
cold
By what process does air that is in contact with the Earth's surface get heat?
conduction
When a mass exchanges energy with an adjacent mass by jiggling against it, what do we call this?
conduction
What do we call a fundamental law of physics that says that stuff is neither created nor destroyed?
conservation law
By what process does a blob of hot air move its heat from Earth's surface up into the atmosphere?
convection
When energy moves from one place to another because a mass carries that energy there, what do we call this?
convection
Why does a small piece of burning paper float up into the air?
convection
If the Earth suddenly becomes warmer than its steady-state temperature, the Planck feedback tends to make the Earth
cooler
What happens to the temperature of your skin when you exercise?
cools down
What is the most certain way to date glacial ice?
counting layers
What type of cloud is this?
cumulonimbus -A type of cumulus cloud that is tall and gray, and associated with thunderstorms.
What type of cloud is this?
cumulus - Fluffy, white clouds, usually with flat bottoms, that look like rounded piles of cotton.
The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund
defends climate scientists being threatened or harassed
The divvying up of the world into Annex-I and Annex-II countries broadly reflects
different economic conditions in North America and Western Europe compared to the former Soviet Socialist republics
The acidified ocean is returned to its original pH by
dissolution of calcium carbonate
If we could somehow double the albedo of Mars, would its temperature go up or down?
down
What force holds electrons in orbit around the nucleus?
electromagnetic
What force prevents you from pushing one hand through your other hand?
electromagnetic
Biomass energy has the potential to provide all of humanity's current energy needs.
false
Biomass energy has the potential to provide all of humanity's future energy needs.
false
Halocarbons are still found in aerosol spray cans.
false
Hydropower has the potential to provide all of humanity's current energy needs.
false
Hydropower has the potential to provide all of humanity's future energy needs.
false
Compared to the Earth, is Mars farther from the Sun or closer to the Sun?
farther
Oil is fossilized plankton
fossilized plankton
Where does conduction move energy into, out of, or within the Earth?
from the surface to the atmosphere
Which way do storms move in the continental United States?
from west to east
Why is the sky blue?
gas molecules scatter short wavelengths more than long wavelengths
Overall, the land surface and the top layers of soil tend to ____ with warming.
get drier
Roughly how much of the recoverable oil have humans used?
half
What is appropriate clothing for 260 K?
heavy winter jacket and earmuffs
A toaster converts ______ grade energy into _____ grade energy. You Answered
high/low
The higher the k and/or ρ of some gas in the atmosphere, the ______ the effective height of emission to space.
higher
Would most people consider 40 °C cold or hot?
hot
Which of the following is an example of convection?
hot air balloon rises
What is H+?
hydrogen ion
If someone claims to be generating biofuel energy at a rate of 10 W per square meter of cropland, you would say that is
impossible
What is another name for longwave?
infrared
Which of the three has the longest wavelength?
infrared
A negative perturbation
is a decrease in the stock from its steady-state level
A negative forcing
is an externally applied reduction in the net inflow
A positive perturbation
is an increase in the stock from its steady-state level
If the height of a sand dune is 50 meters and the net inflow of sand is 10 kg/s, what can we say about this sand dune?
it is not in steady state
If a sand dune's feedback parameter is +8 kg/s/m, what happens if we suddenly reduce the height of the dune by 2 m?
it will disappear
If a sand dune's feedback parameter is −5 kg/s/m, what happens if we suddenly add 4 m of sand?
it will go back to its original steady state
An AMSU measures temperature at many heights in the atmosphere by measuring atmospheric emission at multiple wavelengths on the side of an oxygen resonance that each have a different
k and so a different τ=1 level
Which of the following is not a positive feedback?
lapse-rate feedback
What do we call energy hidden in a particular phase of matter?
latent heat
Lifting a 20-kg weight a height of 0.5 m a total of 7 times requires ______ lifting a 5-kg weight a height of 1 m a total of 15 times.
less energy than
What do we call the radiation emitted by a planet?
longwave
Imagine that the carbon tax is 100 $/tC. If a company burns 3 tC of fossil fuel in that year, what does the company do?
loses 300 $
Imagine that the carbon tax is 100 $/tC. If a company burns 6 tC of fossil fuel in that year, what does the company do?
loses 600 $
A coal-fired power plant converts _______ grade energy into ________ grade energy
low/ high
What was James Watt's primary contribution?
making the steam engine much more efficient
For climate studies, what are the two most important instruments inside a Stevenson enclosure?
min-temperature and max-temperature thermometers
An extra molecule of CH4 in the atmosphere causes an extra molecule of CO2 in the atmosphere.
more warming than
A carbon tax with proceeds divvied up among all households preferentially favors
neither old or brand new companies
Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?
nitrogen
Which of the following describes the planet Mercury?
no atmosphere, closest to the Sun, smallest planet
Which of the following is a violation of conservation of energy? - tree grows - ball falls - car races
none of the answers
If a sand dune's feedback parameter is +1 kg/s/m, what is the final perturbation if a forcing of -2 kg/s is applied?
nonsense question because the dune is unstable
If a sand dune's feedback parameter is +3 kg/s/m, what is the final perturbation if a forcing of 3 kg/s is applied?
nonsense question because the dune is unstable
What is special about 0 K?
nothing moves
Americium in your smoke detector releases energy by
nuclear fission
Existing nuclear power plants are powered by
nuclear fission
A hypothetical tokamak power plant is powered by
nuclear fusion
The Sun is powered by
nuclear fusion
If constructed, the Dakota Access Pipeline will carry
oil past Native-American land
A cap and trade scheme with free distribution of permits based on historical emissions preferentially favors
old companies
Large optical depth τ ≫ 1 corresponds to being
optically thick
Small optical depth τ ≪ 1 corresponds to being
optically thin
The temperature of Mercury is most similar to which of the following?
oven
Which of the following gases is transparent to longwave radiation?
oxygen
Why is the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere decreasing?
oxygen is being reacted with carbon to make carbon dioxide
What is appropriate clothing for 280 K?
pants and a sweater maybe a light jacket
Scotch, the alcoholic drink and not the people, is made using
peat
What do we call the layer of the Sun that emits light to space?
photosphere
What kind of orbit do most AMSUs fly?
polar
Is the ice-abedo feedback a positive or negative feedback?
positive
With respect to Earth's temperature, an increase in CO2 in the atmosphere can be described as a
positive forcing
The number of what particle determines what element an atom is?
proton
Which is not a type of photon?
proton
The purpose of a Stevenson screen is to
provide a ventilated enclosure, reflect away sunlight, provide shade
By what process does energy from the Sun get to Earth's surface?
radiation
When a mass exchanges energy with a faraway mass by sending photons to it, what do we call this?
radiation
Which of the following is not a step in enacting a new treaty?
reconciliation
Which of the three has the longest wavelength?
red
Imagine that the price of a single permit is 100 $, with each permit covering 1 tC. If a company gets 6 permits for free for the year, and the company burns 3 tC of fossil fuel in that year, what does the company do?
sells 3 permits and thereby earns 300 $
The energy budget of a wet-bulb thermometer is described by power being delivered to the bulb as heat and power being removed from the bulb as heat.
sensible / latent
When liquid water evaporates, this is an example of
sensible converting to latent
What do we call regular heat that you can feel?
sensible heat
What is appropriate clothing for 300 K?
shorts and t-shirt
What do we call the radiation emitted by the Sun?
shortwave
What is peat?
soggy swamp soil
Permafrost is
soil that is frozen all year long
What is serial computing?
solving a single problem on a single computer
What is parallel computing?
solving a single problem on multiple computers at the same time
The fossil-fuel industry employs scientists and public-relations firms primarily to
spread doubt about the state of climate science
What word do we ascribe to a sand dune that has no grains of sand being added or removed?
static equilibrium
What do we call a situation where wind is actively blowing sand onto and off of the sand dune, but the height of the sand dune is not changing in time?
steady state
What type of cloud is this?
stratocumulus
What force keeps neutrons and protons bound together?
strong
The objective of the IPCC assessment reports is to
summarize the state of climate science
January is during the Southern Hemisphere's
summer
What causes the seasons?
the Earth's axis of rotation is tilted with respect to Earth's orbital plane
The divvying up of the world into Annex-I and non-Annex countries broadly reflects
the North-South divide
What best describes the atmospheric greenhouse effect?
the atmosphere lets shortwave pass through but greenhouse gases readily absorb longwave
Between a blue star and a red star, which has the higher temperature?
the blue star by Wien's law
The optical depth τ for some path of light through a gas depends on
the density ρ of the gas, a constant k describing how readily the gas tends to absorb or scatter radiation, the length Δz of the light path
The rate of heat conduction, in watts, from a hot place to a cold place is proportional to
the difference in temperature between the hot and cold places
Which is a valid definition of wavelength?
the distance from a peak to an adjacent peak
What is albedo?
the fraction of sunlight reflected to space
As you move from the equator to one of the poles, the land tends to get less solar power per land-surface area. This is because
the higher latitudes receive sunlight at a more glancing angle
Lifting a 10-kg weight a height of 0.5 m a total of 5 times requires ______ lifting a 5-kg weight a height of 1 m a total of 5 times.
the same energy as
The timescale for a process is
the time it takes for the process to be mostly done
The active layer is
the top layer of soil that thaws out at least once every year
Halocarbons were initially phased out by international law because
they generated the ozone hole
Which of the following is not the same as the rest? - μm - micron - micrometer - millionth of a meter - thousandth of a meter
thousandth of a meter
What does optically thin mean?
transparent
Which of the three has the shortest wavelength?
ultraviolet
Studies of boreholes reveal that these layers of the ground are warmer than they would be in the absence of global warming.
upper layers
Which of the following is an example of radiation?
warm hands by the fireplace
If the Earth suddenly becomes cooler than its steady-state temperature, the Planck feedback tends to make the Earth
warmer
AMSU records show the atmosphere
warming at low altitudes and cooling at high altitudes
The unique fingerprint of CO2-induced global warming is
warming at low altitudes and cooling at high altitudes
Which more strongly absorbs longwave radiation?
water vapor
What is the Earth's biggest positive feedback?
water vapor feedback
What is acidic water?
water with a high concentration of H+ ions
What happens when we calculate the average temperature of Earth the same way that we did for Mercury and Mars?
we get too cold a temperature
What color are clouds as seen from space?
white because water drops and ice scatter all wavelengths
When the Northern Hemisphere is in summer, the Southern Hemisphere is in
winter
Where does convection move energy into, out of, or within the Earth?
within the atmosphere
Where does radiation move energy into, out of, or within the Earth?
within the atmosphere, from the Sun to Earth, from the surface to the atmosphere, from the Earth to space
If the dry-bulb temperature and wet-bulb temperature are much greater than normal skin temperature, then
you are dying
If the dry-bulb temperature and wet-bulb temperature are much less than normal skin temperature, then
you are not sweating
From what optical depth into the Sun does the Sun emit light to space?
τ = 1
How deep into a gas does the gas emit radiation like a solid surface?
τ = 1
As the Earth warms, the atmosphere holds ____ water vapor and that tends to cause the Earth to emit ____ radiation to space.
"more" and "less"
If a sand dune's feedback parameter is +25 kg/s/m, by what amount does its net rate of inflow change if we apply a sudden height perturbation of −5 m?
-125 kg/s
To make 1 J of ethanol energy from Brazilian sugarcane, we have to expend
0.1 to 0.25 J
How long does it take to drive 5 km at 20 km/hour?
0.25 hours
If a sand dune's feedback parameter is −8 kg/s/m, what is the final perturbation if a forcing of 4 kg/s is applied?
0.5 m
Using Wien's law, what is the peak wavelength of radiation emitted by an object with a temperature of 6000 K?
0.5 micron
Ocean acidification puts 60% of the carbon burned by humans into the ocean on a timescale of
1 thousand years
Proven reserves of uranium could provide the needed 60 TW of power for how long?
1 year
Taken altogether, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and halocarbons are responsible for how much radiative forcing?
1.0 W/m^2
What is roughly the maximum potential global power generation from hydroelectric dams?
1.5 TW
What is the modern estimate for the likely range of Earth's climate sensitivity?
1.5 to 4.5 K
Towards the end of this century, the human population will be roughly
10 Billion
Roughly at what rate are fossil fuels being burned today?
10 GtC/ year
If a 2-kg weight is lifted 5 meters, how much gravitational potential energy has it been given?
10 J
Consider a metal rod that has 10 W of heat conduction between its two ends, which are maintained at temperatures of 200 K and 400 K. If we raise the temperature of both ends by 100 K, what is the new rate of heat conduction along the rod?
10 W
If a lightbulb produces 100 J of heat and light energy while on for 10 seconds, how much electrical power does the lightbulb consume?
10 W
What is the rate of gravitational acceleration on Earth, often represented by g?
10 m/s^2
Using Wien's law, what is the peak wavelength of radiation emitted by an object with a temperature of 300 K?
10 micron
The acidified ocean is returned to its original pH on a timescale of
10 thousand years
Methane in the atmosphere oxidizes to CO2 on what timescale?
10 years
What is the timescale for a human to grow to its maximum height?
10 years
Using the minus-thirty-and-halve approximation, what is 50 °F in Celsius?
10 °C
If a 5-kg weight is lifted 2 meters, how much gravitational potential energy has it been given?
100 J
Using the approximate Stefan-Boltzmann law, Power per area = 6[T/100]^4, what is the temperature of a planet that radiates 6 W/m^2?
100 K
If a hydropower plant extracts energy from 100 kg/s of water that falls 100 m, roughly how much electrical power does it generate?
100 kW
After ocean acidification and dissolution of calcium carbonate, silicate weathering removes the remaining 20% of the extra carbon still in the atmosphere on a timescale of
100 thousand years
How much power does the average American consume?
10000 W
If we hold the concentrations of greenhouse gases constant at the levels anticipated in 2100 for the RCP8.5 scenario, roughly how much land warming would we get if we waited long enough?
12 K
An overshot water wheel generates power by capturing the gravitational potential energy of water as it is carried by the wheel from its top to its bottom. If a 2-m-diameter overshot water wheel processes 7 kg/s of water, roughly how much power does it generate?
140 W
Consider a metal rod that has 10 W of heat conduction between its two ends, which are maintained at temperatures of 200 K and 400 K. If we raise the temperature of the hot end from 400 K to 500 K, what is the new rate of heat conduction along the rod?
15 W
Including all soil depths, permafrost contains how much carbon?
1500 GtC
If planet A is the same size as planet B, but is twice as hot, how much more rapidly does planet A lose energy by radiation?
16 times
In what year was the greenhouse effect postulated, thereby initiating the field of climate science?
1824
The first prediction of global warming was made in what year?
1896
In what year did congressional testimony first raise public awareness about global warming?
1988
The IPCC was founded in and issued its first assessment report in .
1988 and 1990
What is the current radiative forcing from the extra CO2 that is currently in the atmosphere?
2 W/m^2
If planet A is the same temperature as planet B, but has twice the area, how much more rapidly does planet A lose energy by radiation?
2 times
Roughly at what rate is the atmospheric concentration of CO2 increasing?
2.5 ppm/year
The carbon contained in peat down to 1 meter is equivalent to how many years of fossil-fuel burning at the current rate of emissions?
20
What is roughly the per-capita consumption of oil in the United States?
20 barrels/year
Roughly what fraction of the carbon burned by humans is still in the atmosphere as CO2 after 10,000 years?
20%
How much carbon is there in peat worldwide down to one-meter depth?
200 GtC
If the concentration of atmospheric CO2 increases by 100 ppm, roughly how much more carbon is there in the atmosphere?
200 GtC
What is 0 °C in Kelvin?
273 K
What was the preindustral concentration of carbon dioxide?
280 ppm
What is the average temperature of Earth's surface air?
288 K
What is 20 °C in Kelvin?
293 K
What is roughly the per-capita consumption of coal in the United States?
3 tons/ year
How far does a person go if they jog at 1 m/s for 1 hour?
3.6 km
Using Wien's law, what is the peak wavelength of radiation emitted by an object with a temperature of 100 K?
30 micron
On planet Zorkon, the effective height of longwave emission to space is at 9 km where the temperature is 210 K. If the lapse rate in Zorkon's dry atmosphere is 10 K/km, what is the surface temperature?
300 K
Which of the following is a typical temperature on Earth?
300 K
If a planet's TSI is 2000 W/m^2 and its albedo is 0.4, how much power per area must the planet radiate?
300 W/m^2
How many Joules of heat are generated by a heater that outputs 500 W for 10 minutes?
300 kJ
What is 30 °C in Kelvin?
303 K
On planet Cruftulon, the effective height of longwave emission to space is at 3 km where the temperature is 310 K. If the lapse rate in Kruftulon's dry atmosphere is 10 K/km, what is the surface temperature?
340 K
The human body produces about 100 W of heat energy per time. How much heat energy does the human body emit in an hour? Recall that an hour has 3600 seconds.
360 kJ
How many gas giants are there in our Solar System?
4
How many rocky planets are there in our Solar System?
4
What is the mean of 0, 4, and 8?
4
If we hold the concentrations of greenhouse gases constant at the levels anticipated in 2100 for the RCP4.5 scenario, roughly how much globally averaged warming would we get if we waited long enough?
4 K
When was the Earth formed?
4.5 Gya
Using the minus-thirty-and-halve approximation, what is 110 °F in Celsius?
40 °C
How much fossil fuel have humans burned?
400 GtC
Which of the following is a typical temperature of an oven?
450 K
If a sand dune's feedback parameter is +24 kg/s/m, by what amount does its net rate of inflow change if we apply a sudden height perturbation of 2 m?
48 kg/s
Roughly at what rate are the ocean and plants absorbing CO2 at present?
5 GtC/year
Consider a metal rod that has 10 W of heat conduction between its two ends, which are maintained at temperatures of 200 K and 400 K. If we lower the temperature of the hot end from 400 K to 300 K, what is the new rate of heat conduction along the rod?
5 W
Consider a metal rod that has 10 W of heat conduction between its two ends, which are maintained at temperatures of 200 K and 400 K. If we raise the temperature of the cold end from 200 K to 300 K, what is the new rate of heat conduction along the rod?
5 W
The power per area emitted by an object, in W/m^2, is equal to
5.67(T/100)^4
If the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increases by 100 GtC, roughly how much does the concentration of CO2 increase?
50 ppm
What is the approximate power per are emited by a person in W/m^2?
6 x 3^4
What is the approximate power per area emitted by the inside wall of an oven when baking a cake in W/m2?
6 x 4.54
To allow all 10 billion people to live like Americans, roughly how much electrical power does humanity need to generate?
60 TW
How many GtC were there in the preindustrial atmosphere?
600 GtC
What is the temperature of the Sun where it emits light?
6000 K
Which of the following is a typical temperature of the Sun?
6000 K
If we hold the concentrations of greenhouse gases constant at the levels anticipated in 2100 for the RCP4.5 scenario, roughly how much land warming would we get if we waited long enough?
7 K
