ENVS Final Exam 1st Quarter Review

What gases make up the atmosphere?

Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon

What are the 2 main permanent gases and their %?

Nitrogen - 78%

Oxygen - 21%

What are the 2 main variable gases and their %?

Water vapor (0-4%), CO₂ (0.04%) - vary by time/place due to water and carbon cycles

How does the greenhouse effect work? 

The Earth reflects sunlight from its surface back out, but greenhouse gases absorb this infrared energy that is reflected and keep it within the atmosphere, warming the planet

What is albedo and Earth’s average value?

Reflectivity of a surface - Earth’s average is 30%

How does Earth’s albedo of 30% compare to other common surfaces?

Asphalt = 5-10% (low)

Snow/ice = 85-90% (high)

Grassland = 10-25% (moderate)

Water = 10-60% (depends on Sun’s angle)

What causes sea levels to rise?

Land ice melting, thermal expansion (warmer things take up more space)

What is the difference between adaptation and mitigation?

Adaptation = managing the unavoidable 

Mitigation = avoiding the unmanageable 

What is the Anthropocene, and are we really in it?

The Anthropocene is a proposed new epoch that reflects human impact on Earth, but it is not officially recognized 

What are the SSPs, and which ones are good and bad?

SSPs are models used to predict Earth’s socioecnomic future in pathways

Lower numbers (SSP1) = more optimistic for climate

Higher numbers (SSP5) = not optimistic for climate 

What is the #1 thing we can do about climate change? (Katherine Hayhoe) 

Talk about it!