Global Climate Change Chp 21 EARTH

Approximately how much of the world's oil and natural gas reserves are believed to be in the arctic?

1/4 or 25%

Where does the length of day remain the same throughout the year?

At the equator

____ are a proxy that can be used to recreate past variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Hint 1. This proxy is trapped air representative of the atmospheric conditions during the time of formation.

Bubbles in glacial ice

What are the major components of clean, dry air, and what are two significant variable components? Hint 1. What Is a Variable Component? A variable component is an overall type of component that differs depending on things such as location or situation. The amount of the component does not affect its variability.

Clean, dry air is composed of 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen. Its two significant variable components are gases and particles.

What are the five major parts of the climate system? Hint 1. A Refresher on Systems Think back to previous chapters. What are the components of Earth system?

Climate System atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere

Notice in the table that the energy consumed by the food retail and commercial food service component almost quadrupled from 1.05 quads in 2009 to 3.9 quads in 2016. What might be the reason(s) for this increase?

Consumers are eating out more at food establishments that serve fast food but with a focus on fresh and healthy ingredients. Consumers are purchasing more processed and ready-to-eat foods, thus outsourcing much of the food prep to retail and wholesale grocery stores.

The _____ refers to the portions of Earth's surface where water exists in solid form.

Cryosphere

How would a 50 percent increase in Earth's albedo impact average surface temperatures?

Higher albedo would result in cooler temperatures on Earth. Ice sheets would advance, thereby increasing Earth's overall albedo and further cooling Earth's surface. A 50% increase in Earth's albedo would cause ice sheets to advance and would result in cooler temperatures on Earth. Urban and rural areas can have vastly different albedo magnitudes. The difference is due to natural and human causes.

How is positive feedback affecting the arctic?

How is positive feedback affecting the arctic? Open ocean is less reflective than sea ice. If sea ice melts, the arctic energy balance changes and more heat is absorbed, causing temperatures to rise faster.

When are the Sun's rays perpendicular to Earth's surface at the equator?

March Equinox September Equinox

Most of the ozone layer is concentrated in the ____. Hint 1. There is very little mixing in this layer of the atmosphere, and temperatures slowly increase with altitude

Stratosphere

By _____, humans add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Hint 1. Human activities increase carbon dioxide and methane levels in the atmosphere.

burning fossil fuels clearing forests cultivating paddy fields (methane)

Aside from CO2, which trace gases are contributing to global temperature change? Select all that apply. Hint 1. What Do These Gases Do? The gases in question absorb wavelengths of outgoing radiation from Earth that would otherwise escape into space.

methane nitrous oxide chlorfluorocarbons

What is the December solstice?

the time of the year when Earth's geographic North Pole is leaning most directly away from the Sun

What is the June solstice?

the time of the year when Earth's geographic North Pole is leaning most directly toward the Sun

What could be considered by some a positive outcome of the changing climate conditions in the arctic?

An increase in coal mining profits on the islands near the arctic Warming conditions lead to a decrease in the amount of ice, increasing access to reserves and extending the shipping season for coal miners.

What factors influence the accuracy of computer models of climate? Select all that apply. Hint 1. What Must Computer Models Consider Computer models must consider many variables that may change in the future, such as changes in population, economic growth, fossil fuel consumption, and technological development.

Computer models cannot capture the full complexity of Earth. Computer models must make many assumptions that significantly influence their resulting predictions

Which of the following solutions would best address the threat posed to arctic wildlife as a result of drilling for oil?

Create a comprehensive arctic treaty that oil companies must obey. notes: A comprehensive arctic treaty would ensure that all oil companies maintain strict standards for protecting arctic wildlife.

Which of the following characteristics of Earth's relationship to the Sun explains the existence of Earth's seasons?

Earth's axis always points in the same direction relative to the stars. Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane. Earth orbits around the Sun, completing one orbit each year. Earth spins on its axis, completing one rotation each day.

Which of the following is an example of a natural process that created long-term global warming? Hint 1. Long-term changes in Earth's climate are affected by the positions of the continents, variations in Earth's orbit, and extensive volcanism.

Emission of carbon dioxide from sustained volcanic eruptions during the Cretaceous

In 1991, Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted. The accompanying photo shows the ash and debris that the volcano propelled high into the atmosphere. What meteorological impact could these aerosols have on the global weather and climate?

Global temperatures could decrease. The ash and smoke could lead to an increase in clouds and fog. NOTES: The composition of the atmosphere affects climate and weather. In our eruption scenario, global temperatures could decrease and the ash and smoke could lead to an increase in clouds and fog.

How has Earth's atmosphere reacted to its increasing levels of CO2, and how are temperatures in the lower atmosphere likely to change as CO2levels continue to increase? Hint 1. The Role of Uniformitarianism If the increase of CO2 levels in the atmosphere have correlated to certain conditions in the past, what would this increase indicate about the future?

Global temperatures have increased as a result of the atmosphere's current CO2 content and will continue to increase if the CO2 levels in the atmosphere continue to increase.

Which of the following is a positive feedback mechanism? CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Hint 1. A positive feedback mechanism is a scenario where the effects of a change reinforce the initial change.

Global warming increases cloud cover, which traps heat on Earth, which increases global temperatures. Global warming melts sea ice, which decreases reflectivity and increases the amount of absorbed solar radiation.

What are the main sources of human-generated aerosols, and how do these aerosols affect the net atmospheric temperatures? Hint 1. A Paradox Sometimes a single event or process can result in two simultaneously opposite results. The difference between these results lies in how significant each result is compared to the other.

Human-generated aerosols generally come from the burning of vegetation and the combustion of fossil fuels. These aerosols cool Earth by reflecting solar radiation back into space.

What is the difference between a positive feedback mechanism and a negative feedback mechanism? Hint 1. A Simple Comparison to Math If you multiply two positive numbers together, the answer is also positive, just like the two numbers that were multiplied (e.g., 2 × 3 = 6). On the other hand, if you multiply two negative numbers together, the answer comes out positive, in contrast with the two original numbers multiplied together (e.g., -2×-4 = 8)

In a positive-feedback mechanism, the effects reinforce the initial change. In a negative-feedback mechanism, the effects tend to offset the initial change, as they are the opposite of that change.

When do all locations on Earth experience equal lengths of day and night?

March Equinox September Equinox

How might volcanism lead to global warming? Hint 1. Material Ejected from Volcanoes Some material ejected from volcanoes cause global warming, whereas other materials ejected from volcanoes cause global cooling. Be sure to only pick scenarios where volcanoes are causing global warming.

Massive outpouring of hot lava combined with the release of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide may both increase and maintain global warming.

What is one result of the changing conditions in the arctic?

Polar bears must swim farther to find food. Large ice floes are melting, so polar bears must swim longer distances between them to find food and many of them drown.

What are proxy data, and why are they necessary in the study of climate change? Hint 1. What Does Proxy Mean? A proxy is a reasonable representation or estimate of the original.

Proxy data are indirect evidence of past climates taken from natural recorders of climate variability. These data are necessary because direct measurements of past climates are limited to the recent past.

Why are seafloor sediments useful in the study of past climates? Hint 1. Past Climates Are Past Systems Recall the five spheres that make up the climate system. How do some of those components fit into this scenario?

Seafloor sediments are composed of organisms that once lived near the surface of the sea. Because the number and types of these organisms change as the climate changes, the seafloor sediments they create provide a history of changes in climate.

What is a possible consequence of global warming? CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Hint 1. As global temperatures rise, the oceans will get warmer, glaciers will melt, and more greenhouse gases will be absorbed into the oceans.

Shoreline erosion will increase. The oceans will become more acidic.

The climate system includes interactions among which spheres? Hint 1. The climate system is a complex exchange of energy and moisture from air, the oceans, organisms, soils and rock, and ice.

Spheres the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere

What are sunspots? Is there a solid connection between sunspot numbers and climate change on Earth? Hint 1. Separating Logical Speculation from Evidence Scientific conclusions need to make sense, but they also need to be supported by observed, measured, and documented data. Without data, the conclusion does not exist.

Sunspots are huge magnetic storms that extend from the Sun's surface deep into the interior. Although an increase in sunspots correlates to an increase in solar output, there is no solid connection between sunspot numbers and climate change on Earth.

Are the effects of global warming greater near the equator or near the poles, and why? Hint 1. Which Area Has More to Lose? If the temperature were to steadily increase in environments categorized by humid tropics or dry deserts, would these environments likely run into more or fewer problems than if the temperature steadily rose in an environment characterized by glaciers, sea ice, and permafrost?

The effects of global warming are greater at the poles than at the equator, as the poles are experiencing the thinning of sea ice, the decrease in areas affected by permafrost, and the introduction of vegetation that is usually found 4 to 6 degrees closer to the equator.

How does the inclination of Earth's axis change over the course of a year?

The inclination of Earth's axis does not change.

What effect did the El Chichón and Mount Pinatubo eruptions have on global temperature? Hint 1. The Key Detail The material ejected during the eruptions from these two volcanoes affected the global temperature with the material that was expelled.

These eruptions both emitted massive amounts of tiny particles and aerosols, which reflected solar radiation before it could reach Earth. As a result, global temperature dropped slightly while the particles slowly settled.

Why are countries like Russia, Canada, and the United States interested in securing legal rights to the arctic?

They want to access oil and natural gas found in the arctic. Scientists think a large amount of oil and natural gas exists in the arctic that was previously inaccessible due to ice.

Massive thunderstorms (which result from vertical mixing of the atmosphere) occur in the ____. Hint 1. This atmospheric layer is closest to Earth and experiences frequent vertical mixing.

Troposphere

Distinguish between weather and climate. Hint 1. On the News Think about how the news reports the daily natural conditions outside. Does it report the weather or the climate?

Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place; climate is a description of aggregate weather over time.

Who were the first people to profit from arctic waters?

Whalers Early whalers in the arctic hunted some species, like the Greenland Right Whale, almost to extinction.

What is an "exclusive economic zone"?

a marine area where countries have the right to explore and extract resources NOTES: An exclusive economic zone (or EEZ) is defined by the United Nations, and can extend up to 200 miles beyond a country's coastline.

What has been causing the CO2 level of the atmosphere to increase over the past 200 years? Select all that apply. Hint 1. How CO2 Is Not Released into the Atmosphere If carbon dioxide is absorbed by another material, then that carbon dioxide is sequestered from the atmosphere unless something happens to release it from the absorbing material.

deforestation plant decomposition the combustion of fossil fuels

Clean, dry air is primarily ___ gas. Hint 1. Air is composed almost entirely of just two gases that are important for life but have little to no importance in affecting weather phenomena.

nitrogen and oxygen

Which of the choices below are connections between climate and geology? Select all that apply. Hint 1. Causes Versus Results In some cases, changes in the geosphere cause changes in the atmosphere; in other cases, changes in the atmosphere cause changes in the geosphere.

the creation of desert dunes in a hot, dry climate the impact of mountain building on regional temperature, precipitation, and wind patterns the changing of the atmosphere by gases and particles emitted by volcanoes

Why are researchers from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland setting off explosions in an area of the arctic?

to determine whether the Lomonosov Ridge is joined to the Canadian/Greenland continental shelf Notes: Researchers are recording sound waves following dynamite blasts to determine if the rock types found in the Lomonosov Ridge are the same as those of the Canadian/Greenland continental shelf.