ENVO CH9
Albedo
a description of a surface's reflective properties
Climate
a description of the long term weather in a particular area
Ozone (03)
a highly reactive molecule containing three oxygen atoms; a dangerous pollutant in ambient air. in the stratosphere, however, ozone forms an ultraviolet absorbing shield that protects us from mutagenic radiation
Wedge-anaylsis
breaking down a problem into smaller, bite size pieces (impact shows in 50 years)
Stratosphere
extremely stable; warms slightly with elevation as ozone absorbs solar energy
Troposphere
layer closest to the earth's surface, usually temperature and pressure decrease with increasing altitude; turbulent
Mesosphere
located roughly 50-85 km of elevation; cools dramatically with elevation
What natural gas is a very effective absorber of energy in the atmosphere? (produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen)
methane
The 2 most abundant gases in the earth's atmosphere are..
nitrogen and oxygen
Milankovitch cycles
periodic variations in tilt, eccentricity, and wobble in the earth's orbit; responsibly for earth's cyclic weather changes
The thermohaline circulation system in the ocean is driven by differences in ocean _____ and _____
salinity, temperature
Rank the following surfaces in order of decreasing albedo: Green forest, white sand, fresh snow, black soil
fresh snow, white sand, green forest, black soil
Latent heat
stored energy in a form that is not sensible (ex: water vapor in the air holds 580 calories of energy per gram). usually powers thunder storms, hurricanes and tornados
Weather
the physical conditions of the atmosphere (moisture, temperature, pressure, and wind)
Order the layers of atmosphere with farthest away from Earth's surface being first
thermosphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, troposphere
Thermosphere
warms dramatically with height due to ionizing radiation
What does it mean to be carbon neutral?
you reduce your green house gas emissions to zero
The second most abundant human-caused green house gas is..
CH4
The most abundant human-caused green house gas is...
CO2
The most abundant green house gas, but little affected by human activity is...
H2O
IPCC
International Panel on Climate Change: collaboration among governments, with scientists and government representatives from 130 countries. goal is to collect and analyze scientific evidence on climate change