Env10 - Chapter 10

Describe the greenhouse effect and its relationship to modern industrialized society.

Greenhouse effect is how incoming sunlight is blocked by particles and heat radiating outward from Earth's surface may or may not be trapped by certain atmospheric gases. Our modern industrialized society and the evolution of technology has meant rapidly increasing energy consumption and the release of greenhouse gases in order to generate energy.

Which elements compose most of Earth's atmosphere?

Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), and water (0-4%)

Measurements of what isotopes have helped researchers determine what past climates were like?

O 18 and O 16

Explain how global warming is related to the spread of certain diseases.

Changing temperatures and precipitation rates may change the habitat range and survivability of carrier species of mosquito, causing the spread of diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika.

Describe what happens during an El Nino event, and how it influences both precipitation patterns in the Pacific and the productivity of coastal fishing grounds.

El Nino is an ocean-atmosphere climate interaction in which warm water pushes across the Pacific ocean from the South Pacific to South America, resulting in a drastic reduction in coastal upwelling. It may additionally result in heavy rain for the west coast of the United States. Upwelling brings nutrients beneficial for the productivity of coastal fishing grounds, so an El Nino event disrupts this and can be catastrophic for the industry.

Define permafrost, and indicate why traveling in permafrost regions is more difficult during the summer thaw.

Permafrost is a condition found in cold climates, wherein ground remains frozen year-round at some depth below the surface. In the summer thaw, the meltwater from the thawed upper layer cannot infiltrate the ground below, so the terrain is often marshy.

What is black body radiation?

Radiation emitted by a body that absorbs all the radiation incident on it - its maximum of emission is determined by its temperature

What is radiation?

energy that is radiated or transmitted through space in the form of rays, waves, or particles

What is the primary goal of the Paris Accord?

To limit overall warming to 1.5 degrees C or less.

What are the temperature trends and characteristics of the troposphere?

- Temperature decreases with height - Source of heat the Earth's surface (heated by the sun) - Lapse rate (rate of temperature decrease with height) is about 7 degrees C/km

What are the temperature trends and characteristics of the mesosphere?

- Temperature decreases with height. - Noctilucent clouds form here where the small amount of water condenses on meteoritic and atmospheric dust.

What are the temperature trends and characteristics of the stratosphere?

- Temperature increases with height because of ozone generation due to ultraviolet sun radiation absorbed by molecular oxygen

What are the temperature trends and characteristics of the thermosphere?

- Temperature increases with height due to high energy solar radiation.

Note two factors related to global change that are putting stress on corals, and how.

1. Warmer waters causes coral's symbiotic algae to be expelled, causing coral bleaching and loss of nutrients. 2. CO2 dissolving in the ocean results in production of carbonic acid, which makes it difficult for corals to build their calcium-carbonate skeletons.

permafrost

A condition found in cold climates, wherein ground remains frozen year-round at some depth below the surface

How can you describe the greenhouse effect in terms of radiation?

A system in which shortwave radiation is allowed to enter freely and is absorbed, then is reradiated as longwave radiation which is then retained within the system.

thermohaline circulation

Major ocean circulation pattern, driven by winds and by differences in temperature and salinity of water masses

How is the electromagnetic spectrum organized?

Increasing/decreasing energy; the higher the energy content the shorter the wavelength (the faster the vibration) Highest wavelength is to the right.

Explain why Arctic sea ice is more vulnerable to melting than many land-based glaciers.

Instead of sitting on long-chilled rock, it floats on the circulating, warming ocean.

What is "one atmosphere" of pressure?

The average pressure of air at sea level

What is Earth's energy budget?

The various kinds and amounts of energy that enter and leave the Earth system. The amount of energy coming in from the sun is on average the same as the amount going out from the reflection of sunlight and the emission of infrared radiation.

greenhouse effect

The warming of the atmosphere due to trapping of infrared rays by atmospheric gases, especially due to the increased concentration of carbon dioxide derived from the burning of fossil fuels

Identify what drives the thermohaline circulation in the oceans, and how this "conveyor" affects climate around the North Atlantic.

Thermohaline circulation is driven by differences in temperature and salinity - cold water is denser than warm, and at a given temperature, density increases with increasing salinity. Disruption of thermohaline circulation reduces influx of warm water to the North Atlantic, causing sudden cooling.

Indicate how phytoplankton productivity is being affected by warmer sea-surface waters, and two concerns related to these observations.

Warmer surface water suppressed cold upwellings and the nutrients that come with them. This disrupts the ecological food chain and will affect humans who eat larger fish in the food web.

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Weather is short-term atmospheric conditions. Climate is how the atmosphere behaves over relatively long periods of time.