ATMOS study guide

system

An entity composed of diverse but interrelated parts that function as a complex whole

What are the four spheres of the earth system?

Hydrosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, biosphere

what does it mean for a system to be at equilibrium

The system state is stable or in a steady state where inflow=outflow and there is no net change over time.

What is deep time?

geological time scale, millions of years

Perturbation

temporary disturbance to a system that quickly recovers to its prior state.

Forcing

A persistent long-lived disturbance to a system

Gaia Hypothesis

The concept that the Earth is a “superorganism” whose biosphere works to maintain conditions suitable to life.

Albedeo

ratio between sunlight surfaces where darker surfaces absorb light and lighter surfaces reflect light.

inorganic carbon vs organic carbon

inorganic carbon= not associated with compounds formed by living organisms (carbon)

organic carbon- associated with compounds formed by living organisms(animals)

what carbon reservoir has the longest residence time

sedimentary limestone

how much is global temperature predicted to rise over the next century?

1.5 - 5 degrees C

residence time

The average length of time a substance spends in a reservoir( reservoir size/ flux rate)

Where is most of the biomass on Earth today (83%) located

Plants

What is the most variable component of the modern global carbon cycle and how does it work?

Carbonate Weathering0 the process of carbonic acid dissolving rocks.

What proportion of the carbon dioxide emitted from fossil fuel combustion remains in the atmosphere?

60%

shared socioeconomic pathways

=climate change scenarios that include distinct potential societal developments

What is the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) best known for

Publishing a comprehensive report on the current state of climate science and policy.

Biological pumps

pulls co2 from the air to the ocean

silicate weathering

silicate minerals consume co2 when broken down,

sources

additional emissions into the atmosphere

sinks

removal of carbon from the atmosphere

carbon reservoirs/pools

Storage of carbon. (99% of carbon is found in deeper reservoirs included in geosphere and hydrosphere like oceanic bicarbonate, organic carbon in sedimentary rocks, and limestone in sedimentary rocks)

fluxes

movement between reservoirs

gigatonne

way to measure carbon 1,000 kg= 1 tonne

confidence interval

expectation for truth to fall within a certain range 95% of the time

airborne fraction

% of emitted carbon that ends up in the atmosphere

ppm

parts per million, used instead of out of 100%

el nino conditions

Hot and dry weather resulting in the weakening of the land sink

keeling curve

Graph that tracks the incline of carbon on the atmosphere.

sublimation

solid -> gas

how much water is in each pool?

Oceans: 96.5% 

Ground ice and permafrost: 69%

Glaciers and ice caps: 68.7%

Groundwater: 30.1%

Lakes 20.9%

Atmosphere: 3%

Freshwater: 2.5%

the water cycle is

an energy cycle

what is latent heat

when storm energy is powered by the energy released after water vapor condenses

Evaporation vs transpiration

evaporation= loss of water as vapor through non-living

transpiration= loss from stomata in plant leaves

arctic amplification

The arctic is warming 2x faster than the global average.

What do microbes at the bottom of the lake use

sulfate ( no oxygen)

gsl inflow and outlfow

inflow= bear, jordan, weber, groundwater, snowmelt, precipitation

outflow= evaporation

hyper salinity

salt concentration above 5%

fetch

length of travel over open water

orbital (milankovitch) forcing

long-term orbital changes that alter how much solar radiation earth receives.

specific heat

water has a higher specific heat than land

latent heat

energy absorbed/released when a substance changes physical state(solid>liquid)