climate change

What is the relationship between water vapor and temperature?

When the temperature is high, there is more water vapor in the atmosphere.

Describe a positive feedback system that affects Earth's temperature.

The feedback loop between carbon dioxide and water vapor. Increased carbon dioxide leads to higher temperatures Which leads to more water vapor Which leads to higher temperatures Which leads to more carbon dioxide coming out of the ocean Which leads to higher carbon dioxide levels Which leads to more water vapor On and on as the temperature increases

latitude

* Is the distance from the equator * Measured in degrees. * Climates near the equator tend to be warmer. * As the location gets farther from the equator, it gets cooler, typically.

How does the water temperature affect the amount of carbon dioxide that can dissolve in the ocean?

Increased water temperature leads to less carbon dioxide dissolved in the ocean.

How does atmospheric carbon dioxide affect global temperature?

Increases in the temperature.

What happens when infrared radiation hits the greenhouse gas molecules? How does the temperature change as a result?

It is absorbed and deflected. The greenhouse gas is excited by the radiation (it glows) The infrared radiation is re-emitted in a different direction. The temperature increases as a result.

What two things can happen when energy from the Sun interacts with the ground?

Reflected back into space Absorbed by Earth's surface.

Explain how scientists can be both fairly certain that Earth is warming and still actively researching the unknown factors.

Recent temperature data shows warming They don't know all of the reasons that Earth is warming There are many factors that can interact to change Earth's temperature Have to continue research to learn how all factors interact with each other to predict future warming with more accuracy

The main factors influencing temperature:

latitude * altitude * distance from large bodies of water * ocean currents

PARTICLES

tiny solids and liquid particles of Dust, Smoke, Salt, and other chemicals found in the air.

3-ZONES

* Tropical Zone * Polar Zones * Temperate Zones

trace gas

RACE GASES = other gases such as NEON, HELIUM, METHANE, HYDROGEN, and KRYPTON are found in the atmosphere in very small amounts

gravity

will tend to pull the denser colder water.

Based on the Earth system model and the molecular model, how do carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and other greenhouse gases cause Earth's atmosphere to warm?

Absorb outgoing infrared radiation. Emit outgoing infrared radiation.

How can scientists be sure that Earth is getting warmer when they are not completely certain about what is going to happen to Earth's temperature in the future?

Because of temperature data that they've measured Understanding that greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere. They can be uncertain about the future because there are many things that are unknown: future levels of greenhouse gas emissions are prime unknowns.

What are some of the causes of the carbon dioxide increase over the past 50 years?

Burning of fossil fuels Removal and burning of forests.

How does carbon dioxide (CO2 ) interact with the two types of radiation (sunlight and infrared) shown in this model?

Carbon dioxide is not affected by sunlight. Infrared radiation changes direction when it hits a carbon dioxide molecule.

la nina

During a period of La Niña, the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3-5 °C.

radiant.

direct transfer to heat energy through electromagnetic like visible light.

argon

If oxygen and nitrogen make up 99% of dry air, then argon and carbon dioxide make up most of the other one percent.

Describe how changes in the amount of ice covering Earth's surface can affect Earth's temperature.

If there is more ice on Earth's surface, more of the incoming radiation is reflected into space. If the radiation is reflected into space, it can't warm the Earth, so there is a cooling of the temperature.

Why is there a lag between changes in CO2 levels and temperature?

It takes time for the carbon dioxide to move between reservoirs. It takes a while for the oceans to heat up enough to release enough carbon dioxide to warm the temperature very quickly.

How can scientists look at 542 million years of temperature data (in the graph) and still be fairly confident that humans are contributing to the current warming trend?

Look at long histories of data and see trends. They match trends with what they knew was happening at the same time: volcanic eruptions, solar flares, asteroid impacts, etc. Scientists look at trends over a long periods-- periods with and without much human impact. Then compare trends to the more recent trends in which humans have put more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This doesn't allow them to say that humans are the only cause of global warming, It does allow them to say that humans have some effect on global warming because they've studied time periods in which there was little human activity.

In the past 50 years, where has the temperature changed the most?

Northern hemisphere, particularly in the Arctic.

What happens when the sunlight hits greenhouse gas molecules?

Nothing happens to the temperature

oygen

Plants & animals take in oxygen directly from the air and use it to help obtain energy from food. Used as fuel for many processes: burning of fuel such as gasoline, burning of wood, and chemical reactions OZONE = form of oxygen with 3 oxygen atoms

Ozone

Ozone, or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula O ₃. It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell.

Importance of the Atmosphere:

Provides oxygen needed by many organisms. Provides warmth by trapping energy from the sun, keeping the surface warm enough for water to exist as a liquid. Protects living things from dangerous radiation and objects from outer space.

How do energy packets (solar radiation and infrared radiation) interact with the clouds to cool the planet?

Solar radiation is reflected by the clouds' surface. The reflection of energy prevents addition of heat into the Earth system. Infrared radiation is sometimes reflected and sometimes passes straight through clouds. Reflection helps to keep the heat in the atmosphere Passing through allows heat to escape the Earth system.

Water is a greenhouse gas. What do you think will happen to the temperature when the amount of water vapor increases?

Temperature will increase.

What happens when energy from the Sun encounters a white surface (ice or snow)?

The energy is reflected off the surface and leaves the atmosphere.

Currently, about 10% of Earth is covered with ice year-round. If this ice melts, what could happen to Earth's temperature?

The temperature could increase

What happens if you remove all of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?

The temperature decreases.

What happens when the sunlight hits particles in the ground?

They get hotter

WATER VAPOR

WATER VAPOR = water in the form of a gas. The reason why air is not dry It is invisible This is not the same as steam Plays an important role in Earth's weather.

How can you (and scientists) tell that a model is good? What kinds of tests can you run to assess the validity of a model?

When it does a good job of replicating past scenarios. When a model can predict the past future based on some inputs, then you can have more confidence in its ability to predict future futures.

wind

blowing on the surface pushes the water.

coriolis force

causes the water to move to the right in the northern hemisphere and to left in the southern hemisphere.

solar heating

causes water to expand about 8 centimeters higher at the equator than in middle latitudes. This very slight slope causes the water to flow down the slope.

CARBON DIOXIDE

essential for life Plants use it to help produce food Released into the air when cells of plants and animals break down food to produce energy. break down food to produce energy Burning of fuels such as coal and gasoline releases carbon dioxide.

el nino

is the warm phase associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific.

NITROGEN

most abundant gas in the atmosphere. Nitrogen is important to the growth of plants.

Is the melting of Arctic ice an example of positive feedback or negative feedback?

positive feedback

Convection

the transformation of heat by a fluid liquid (liquid or gas) by moving into an areas of cooler fluid.

Conduction

the direct transfer from one substance to another that is touching substances that are metals have better conductor than non-mental substances.

Troposphere

the layer in which earth's weather occurs.

ocean

the ocean covers more than 70% of the earths surface. the ocean plays a major role om weather and climate.

Exosphere

the outermost region of a planet's atmosphere.

Stratosphere

this is the 2nd layer and contains the ozone

Thermosphere

this layer has no definite outer limit; the air is very thin, temperatures up to 1800 C