Climate Exam 2

which human activities produce methane

agriculture/livestock, solid waste & wastewater, fossil fuel production

what are the big natural forces that cause climate change

continental drift, the sun, earth’s orbit, ocean currents & ice sheets

what happens in continental drift in climate change

plates moves and new rock is formed

what happens with the sun in climate change

steady brightening and energy changes over time directly influencing temperature

where is our orbit heading (milankovitch cycle)

currently moving towards circular

where is our tilt heading (milankovitch cycle)

currently becoming less tilted (less difference between seasons)

where is our wobble heading (milankovitch cycle)

currently in the southern hemisphere (spring)

what type of things could be responsible for modern climate change

greenhouse gases, especially CO2

what type of things could not be responsible for modern climate change

continental drift, the sun, earth’s orbit, internal variability

how would high emissions affect temperature

creating more warming

how would low emissions affect temperature

creating less warming

what does the amount of future warming depend on

how much greenhouse gas humans emit

how would more CO2 affect temperature

trapping outgoing heat & increasing earth’s temperature

how would less CO2 affect temperature

reduces the warming effect & decreasing earth’s temperature

what are climate change impacts that are not due to temperature changes

sea-level rise, changing precipitation, ocean acidification, saltwater intrusion, loss of wetlands & biodiversity

what is a specific example of how sea-level rise impacts the U.S.

along the texas gulf coast sea-level rise increases coastal flooding & erosion

why is it easier to predict climate than weather

climate is predicted in regards to statistics & averages while weather is predicted using exact conditions

what is a representation concentration pathway (RCP)

a possible future greenhouse gas concentration pathway

what does the representative concentration pathway (RCP) number mean

the approximate radiative forcing in 2100, measured in W/m²

what are shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs)

possible future storylines describing how society, population, technology, & the economy might develop

what are the four things that make up I = P x A x T

I - impact

P - population

A - affluence

T - technology

what parts of I = P x A x T are increasing

impact, population, affluence

what parts of I = P x A x T are decreasing

technology

which parts of I = P x A x T have the most ability & willingness to change

technology & population

where on earth is climate change having the biggest impact

high latitudes, especially the arctic, where ice sheets are melting

where in the U.S. is climate change having the biggest impact

the southern U.S. and gulf coast (galveston & louisiana flooding)

why does exponential growth make a curve

the amount added becomes larger as the total grows creating a curve

what is an example of exponential growth in terms of climate change

sea-level rise could accelerate as warming increases ocean expansion & land-ice loss

why are we pinning down the social cost of carbon

to understand the economic damage caused by CO² emissions & help decide whether the costs of reducing emissions are worth the benefits

what kind of climate & time period are we in

interglacial & holocene