Atmosphere and Climate Change Study Guide

Atmosphere and Climate Change Study Guide

Multiple Choice

What part of the atmosphere do we find the ozone layer in?

• Thermosphere

• Ionosphere

• Stratosphere

• Mesosphere

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between climate and weather?

• Climate refers to long term weather patterns while weather refers to the current atmospheric conditions.

• Weather refers to long term climate patterns while climate refers to the current atmospheric conditions.

Climate vs Weather

• Climate is the average weather conditions over a long period of time in a specific area. 

• Weather is the mix of events that happen each day in our atmosphere.

• When scientists talk about climate, they are often looking at the average temperature and precipitation that occur over a long period.

Multiple Choice

__________________ currents are responsible for circulating hot and cold air in the atmosphere and causing local weather systems.

• Radiation

• Convection

• Conduction

Convection Currents

• Convection currents are when hot air rises because of its density to be replaced by the cold, denser air that is falling down from the atmosphere. This cyclical pattern gives rise to distinct weather patterns

Open Ended

What are greenhouse gases? Provide Examples.

What are greenhouse gases? Provide Examples.

Greenhouse gases are composed of molecules that absorb and radiate infrared radiation back into our atmosphere. Examples include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, water vapor, and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Multiple Choice

What is the greenhouse effect?

• Excess carbon gases released into the atmosphere cause additional radiation to be retained and Earth's average temperature to increase.

• The cooling of the surface and lower atmosphere of Earth that occurs when carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases in the air absorb and re-radiate infrared radiation.

The greenhouse effect

• Greenhouse gases absorb and re-radiate heat into our atmosphere

• The re-radiated heat helps regulate our atmospheric temperature so we don't freeze at night.

Multiple Choice

What is solar radiation?

• energy radiated from the moon in the form of electromagnetic waves, including visible and ultraviolet light and infrared radiation

• energy radiated from the sun in the form of electromagnetic waves, including visible and ultraviolet light and infrared radiation

• the warming of the surface and lower atmosphere of Earth that occurs when carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases in the air absorb and re-radiate infrared radiation.

Open Ended

How does solar radiation contribute to the greenhouse effect?

How does solar radiation contribute to the greenhouse effect?

Solar energy absorbed at Earth’s surface is radiated back into the atmosphere as heat. As the heat makes its way through the atmosphere and back out to space, greenhouse gases absorb much of it.

Multiple Select

The Montreal Protocol called for a reduction in the use of CFCs. What did we replace them with? (Choose two)

• Bags of ice

• HFCFs

• HFCs

• Freon

Multiple Choice

Why are HCFCs and HFCs a better alternative to CFCs?

• they have shorter lifetimes

• they do not destroy any ozone

• less expensive to produce than CFCs

• they possibly contribute to global warming

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be a potential argument that humans are NOT responsible for the current cycle of global warming?

• Carbon dioxide is a gas used by plants to make food and not a greenhouse gas.

• Greenhouse gases were present in the atmosphere well before the Industrial Revolution began.

• The Industrial Revolution happened over 200 years ago and Earth should have been much hotter by now.

• No one thinks that humans are behind this cycle of global warming.

Multiple Select

What are some potential activities that possibly contribute to global warming? (Select all that apply)

• burning fossil fuels

• driving cars

• using renewable energy resources

• creating more "green" energy

Multiple Select

What are some natural sources of greenhouse gas emissions? (Select all that apply)

• Methane from the gas of livestock (cow farts)

• Volcanoes

• Respiration from animals

• Driving cars

Open Ended

The Earth periodically undergoes a series of 3 changes called Milankovitch Cycles that affect the amount of global solar radiation received. What are they?

The Earth periodically undergoes a series of 3 changes called Milankovitch Cycles that affect the amount of global solar radiation received. What are they?

• Shape of its orbit around the sun (~100,000 years)

• Tilt of the Earth’s axis (~41,000 years the axis deviates between 21.5° and 24.5°)

• Wobbling of the Earth’s axis (~23,000 years)

Multiple Choice

What is El Nino?

• Lower than normal temperatures in the Pacific Ocean causing weak trade winds and abnormal weather patterns result in a weather event

• Higher than normal temperatures in the Pacific Ocean causing weak trade winds and abnormal weather patterns result in a weather event

• a tropical storm in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans.

• a storm with a violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean.

Multiple Choice

How would you expect El Nino to affect the weather in the Northern US?

• wet, cold weather.

• blizzard-like conditions.

• extremely cold temperatures.

• warmer than usual temperatures.

Multiple Choice

How would you expect El Nino to affect the weather in the Southern US?

• Increased rainfall

• Decreased rainfall

• Blizzard like conditions

• Drier than average conditions

Multiple Choice

How would you expect El Nino to affect the weather in Australia?

• increased rainfall

• increased bush fires

• tsunamis

• flooding

Multiple Choice

How would you expect El Nino to affect the weather in Peru?

• Bush Fires

• Drought

• Flooding

• Cooler than average

Multiple Choice

What is La Nina?

• the global weather phenomenon characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific

• a storm with a violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean

• a system of winds rotating inward to an area of low atmospheric pressure, with a counterclockwise (northern hemisphere) or clockwise (southern hemisphere) circulation

• the global weather phenomenon characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific

Multiple Choice

What does the burning of fossil fuels contribute to?

• production of acid rain

• pollution of water sources

• global warming

• depletion of ozone

Open Ended

Global warming has contributed to a rise in sea levels. What are some potential effects to the coast lines if sea levels continue to rise?

Global warming has contributed to a rise in sea levels. What are some potential effects to the coast lines if sea levels continue to rise?

• flooding

• habitat destruction

• increasing storm surges

• increased saltwater intrusion

Multiple Select

How is global warming causing an increase in global sea level? (Select all that apply)

• Thermal expansion

• Ice loss from Greenland and West Antarctica

• An increase in the water present in the water cycle

• Melting of glaciers and polar ice caps

Multiple Select

What greenhouse gas do volcanoes release into our atmosphere that is attributed to climate change? (Select all that apply)

• Methane

• Sulfur Dioxide

• Oxygen

• Carbon Dioxide

Volcanoes and Climate Change

• Volcanic eruptions also have an effect on climate change.

• During major eruptions, huge amounts of volcanic gases, like sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, and ash are ejected into the stratosphere

• Volcanoes can increase the reflection of radiation from the Sun back into space, cooling the Earth's lower atmosphere or troposphere.

Multiple Choice

The graph above shows greenhouse gas levels over the last 2,000 years. What event caused a spike in greenhouse gases in the 1750s?

• The invention of the car

• The Industrial Revolution

• The Agricultural Revolution

• The Dance Dance Revolution

Multiple Choice

What effect would you expect this increase in these greenhouse gases has had on the Earth over the last 2,000? Why?

• Increase in global temperature over the last 2,000 years

• Increase in average rainfall over the last 2,000 years

• Increase in global temperature after the 1750s

• Increase in average rainfall after the 1750s

polar regions/heating/equator/the ocean

The world’s oceans are critical to ____________ our planet. While land areas and the atmosphere absorb some sunlight, the majority of the sun’s radiation is absorbed by_____________  . Consider the map of the world above, showing the ocean currents. Ocean currents act as conveyor belts of warm and cold water, sending heat toward the _____________ and helping tropical areas cool off. In the tropical waters around the  _____________, the ocean acts as a huge, solar panel. Earth’s atmosphere also plays a part in this process, helping to retain heat that would otherwise quickly radiate into space after sunset.

polar regions/heating/equator/the ocean

The world’s oceans are critical to heating our planet. While land areas and the atmosphere absorb some sunlight, the majority of the sun’s radiation is absorbed by the ocean . Consider the map of the world above, showing the ocean currents. Ocean currents act as conveyor belts of warm and cold water, sending heat toward the polar regions and helping tropical areas cool off. In the tropical waters around the equator, the ocean acts as a huge, solar panel. Earth’s atmosphere also plays a part in this process, helping to retain heat that would otherwise quickly radiate into space after sunset.

humidity, evaporation, trade winds

The ocean doesn't just store solar radiation; it also helps to move heat around the earth. When water molecules are heated, they exchange freely with the air in the process of ______________ . Ocean water is constantly evaporating, increasing the temperature and _______________ of the surrounding air to help form the rain and storms that are carried by ________________ . In fact, almost all rain that falls on land begins in the ocean. The tropics are particularly rainy because heat absorption and ocean evaporation is highest in this area.

humidity, evaporation, trade winds

The ocean doesn't just store solar radiation; it also helps to move heat around the earth. When water molecules are heated, they exchange freely with the air in the process of evaporation. Ocean water is constantly evaporating, increasing the temperature and humidity of the surrounding air to help form the rain and storms that are carried by trade winds . In fact, almost all rain that falls on land begins in the ocean. The tropics are particularly rainy because heat absorption and ocean evaporation is highest in this area.