METEO 122 Final Exam Concept Questions

List and briefly describe the three variation in Earth's Orbit that may cause global temperatures to vary.

1. Eccentricity- Variations in the shape of the Earth's orbit about the sun 2.Obliquity- changes in the angle that the axis makes with the plane of Earth's orbit 3.Precession- The wobbling of Earth's axis

Why are seafloor sediments useful in the study of past climates? Aside from seafloor sediments, list four sources of proxy climate data.

Additional proxy data may include glacial ice, fossil pollen, and tree-growth rings, as well as historical documents. Seafloor sediments are great for use in oxygen-isotope analysis to determine past temperatures. The seafloor sediments also can contain remains of dead creatures which could potentially tell us a little more about what kind of creatures lived in the sea in the past and how they may have lived.

How does the theory of plate tectonics help us understand the cause of the ice age?

Because glaciers can form only on land, we know that landmasses must exist somewhere in the higher latitudes before an ice age can commerce. Many scientists believe that ice ages have occurred only when Earth's shifting crustal plates have carried the continents from tropical latitudes to more poleward positions.

Why has the CO2 level of the atmosphere been increasing over the past 200 years?

CO2 levels are increasing due to industrialization. The burning fossil fuels such as: coal, natural gas, petroleum, and deforestation is creating a lot of carbon output

Describe and explain he annual temperature range one should expect in the realm of the taiga

Due to Continental Polar Air masses as source regions they are very long in winter but during the short summer the temperature gets considerably warm for the area leading to the greatest annual temperature range

Describe and briefly explain the effect of the El Chichon and Mount Pinatubo eruptions on global temperature.

El Chichon- Had greater cooling effect on global mean temperatures. It had a greater impact on temp because El Chichon on emitted far greater quantities of sulfur dioxide gas. (volcanic clouds) Mount Pinatubo-the cooling produced could alter the general pattern of the atmosphere circulation for a limited period. Can influence weather in some regions

Why is classification often a necessary task in science?

Establishing groups of items having common characteristics bring order and manageability to large quantities of information, facilitates analysis and comprehension.

What factors influence the accuracy of computer models of climate?

Factors that would influence the accuracy of computer models in terms of predicting climate change would include: population, economic growth, fossil fuel consumption, technological development, improvements in energy efficiency. All of these would need to be considered to provide an accurate prediction.

Is global warming greater near the equator or near the poles? Explain.

Global warming is most prominent in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Thickness of sea ice has been declining.

Why us the marine west coast climate (Cfb) represented by only slender strips of land in North and South America but is extensive in Western Europe?

In both North and South America there are mountains that are parallel to the coasts stopping the Maritime air masses while in Europe there is not a parallel range of mountains which leads to Europe being evenly hit by the masses

How does a tropical rain forest differ from a middle-latitude forest?

It's made up of broadleaf trees that remain green throughout the year. Also have a much larger amount of species. Temperature and precipitation differences.

List the major climate controls, and briefly describe their influance

Latitude, land and water, geographic position and prevailing winds, mountains and highlands, ocean currents, pressure and wind systems

Which control has the greatest influence on global temperature differences?

Latitude. Seasonal changes in sun angle and length of daylight are determined by latitude and are the most influential on the temperature distribution.

Contrast continental and marine climates

Maritime- Climates are relatively mild of their latitude because the moderating effect of water produces summers that are warm but not hot and winters that are cool. Continental- Climates are much more extreme with summers and winter

What is the significance of the 10C (50F) summer isotherm?

Marks the equatorward limit of the tundra. Also marks the poleward limit of tree growth, thus the tundra is a treeless region.

What climate data are needed to classify a climate using the Koppen scheme?

Mean monthly and annual values of temperature and precipitation.

What other name is given to the dry-summer subtropical climate?

Mediterranean Climate

Aside from CO2, what trace gases are contributing to global temperature change?

Methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons

What is another name for the tropical wet and dry (Aw) climate?

Monsoon

Why do coastal stations such as New York City experience primarily continental climatic conditions?

New York experience these conditions due to it being hit with the western air masses from the western side of the continent. Since those are continental, NYC will experience more of a continental type of climate.

The Arizona cities Flagstaff and Phoenix are relatively close to one another, yet have contrasting climates. In what ways do they differ and why?

Phoenix is located at 1100ft above sea level, and Flagstaff is located 6900ft. Higher altitudes are colder because the air is thinner (there is less of it) and the less air there is the less heat it can hold. This is why even high mountains near the equator get snow, and why flagstaff is so much colder than phoenix

Whats the difference between Positive and negative feedback mechanisms?

Positive- response of effect or increases change of the stimulus—speeds up processes Negative- process by which an effector negates/counteracts a stimulus

Provide at least one example of each type of feedback mechanism

Positive: Increasing the CO2 content also increases Oceanic temperatures Negative: Increasing cloud coverage DECREASES the amount of surface radiation hitting earth thus lowering the temperature.

What are proxy data and why are they necessary in the study of climate change?

Proxy data is data that can be used to predict past climate data such as seafloor sediments, glacial ice, fossil pollen, and tree-growth rings, as well as from historical documents. This kind of data is important in the study of climate change because we can use it to get an idea of how the climate has changed since past times, and further predict how it may change again in the future.

Why are summer temperatures cooler at San Francisco than at Sacramento?

San Fran is limited to coastal areas. Windward coasts are further intensified by cold ocean currents

What are sunspots? How does solar output change as sunspot numbers change? Is there a solid connection between sunspot numbers and climate change on earth?

Sunspots are huge magnetic storms that extend from the sun's surface deep into the interior. The change in solar output is too small to have any appreciable effect on global temperatures, however, there does seem to be a solid connection between sunspot numbers and climate change.

Describe the influence of the ITCZ and the subtropical highs on the annual distribution of precipitation in the Aw climate.

The ITCZ advances and brings precipitation not a region and when it leaves it starts the dry season.

What are the primary factors that cause middle-latitude deserts and steppes?

The dry lands exist principally because of their position in the deep interiors of larger landmasses, far removed from the main moisture source- the oceans. In addition, they are separated from maritime air masses.

Why is the tundra landscape characterized by poorly drained boggy soils?

The frozen soils thaw to depths of less than 1 meter and the removal of the insulating vegetation mat the delicate thermal balanced is disturbed, thawing of permafrost leads to soggy material

What is the connection between pressure systems and the world distribution of precipitation?

The seasonal shifting of the pressure belt which follows the movement of the sun's vertical rays, significantly affects areas in immediate positions. The latitudinal shifting of pressure belts is largely responsible for the seasonality of precipitation in many regions.

Although polar regions experience extended periods of sunlight in the summer, temperatures remain cool. Explain

The sun is so low in the sky that its oblique rays produce little warming. In addition, much solar radiation is reflected by the ice or used to melt the snow cover

Why are desert and steppe areas uncommon in the middle latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere?

There is a lack of extensive land areas in the middle latitudes. Only found in the tip of south america in the rain shadows of the Andes

Why do ground and air temperatures reach such high values in subtropical deserts?

There is low humidity and no cloud cover. There is little energy from isolation goes to power evaporation and all goes to heating the surface.

Describe the factors that are causing sea level to rise.

Thermal expansion- higher air temperatures warm the adjacent per layers of the ocean. and Melting Glaciers

Should climate boundaries, such as those shown on the world map in figure 15.4 be regarded as fixed? Explain.

They cannot be viewed as fixed. The boundaries shown are simply average locations based on data collected over the years. Boundary line should be regarded as a broad transition zone.

How has the atmosphere responded to the growing CO2 levels? How are temperatures in the lower atmosphere likely to change as CO2 levels continue to increase?

Weather patterns and other natural cycles cause fluctuations in average temperatures from year to year. Increases in greenhouse gas levels are causing a long-term rise in global temperatures.

List the 5 parts of the climate system

the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere, the land surface and the biosphere, forced or influenced by various external forcing mechanisms, the most important of which is the Sun