🍏 climate change

weather vs climate? (1)

• the set of environmental patterns from day to day (short period of time)

• the set of environmental patterns averaged over years (long period of time)

  • temperature, winds, precipitation

three climate zones? (1)

• tropical zone relatively warm temperatures

• temperate zone temperature varies, experiences cold and warm seasons

• polar zone relatively cold temperatures

5 canadian biomes? (1)

• tundra

• mountain forest

• grasslands

• deciduous temperate forest

• boreal forest

ecozones? (1)

climate zones focusing on the ecology of a region

how are ecozones different from biomes?(1)

Ecozones are different from biomes because neighbouring ecozones are separated by a geological feature such as an ocean, desert, mountain, or soil

what three factors did koppen take into account in his system? (1)

• average monthly temperature

• average monthly precipitation

• average annual precipitation

what percent of solar radiation is absorbed or reflected? (2)

70% is absorbed and 30% is reflected

what happens as energy is absorbed into the earth? (2)

• it gains thermal energy and converts it to infrared radiation

• energy absorbed by earth and atmosphere = energy radiated by earth

albedo? (2)

• a measure of the percentage of light that an object reflects

• the higher the albedo, the greater the object’s ability to reflect sunlight

the “albedo effect”? (2)

• if earth’s temperature slightly drops, more ice forms

  • this ice reflects more of the sun’s radiation and earth’s temperature decreases even more

• if earth’s temperature slightly increases, more ice melts

  • more of the sun’s radiation is absorbed, and earth’s temperature increases even more

three ways that thermal energy is transferred? (2)

radiation, convection, and conduction

radiation? (2)

• transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves

• can travel through empty space

• ex. heat coming from sun/campfire

conduction? (2)

• transfer of energy through contact

  • transfer of heat is always from an area of high temperature to a low one

  • ex. a metal pot handle heating up on a stove

convection? (2)

• transfer of energy through collision of particles in a fluid (liquid/gas)

• warm fluids rise and fall

convection current? (2)

• when a fluid is unevenly heated a current forms

• the cooler, denser fluid falls and pushes the warmer, less dense fluid up

two factors that affect the amount of solar energy that reaches earth’s surface? (2)

• latitude

• movements of earth in space

latitude? (2)

• distance north or south of earth’s equator

• the sun’s radiation reaches earth at different temperatures

what happens when the sun’s radiation hits earth at a higher/lower latitude? (2)

• at higher latitudes (further from the equator), solar radiation hits earth’s surface at a larger angle, so it’s spread across a larger area

• at lower latitudes (closer to the equator), solar radiation hits earth’s surface almost right on, so it’s concentrated in a smaller area

heat sink? (2)

• the ability to absorb energy and become warmer— atmosphere and hydrosphere are examples of that (these two + the lithosphere all have different capacities to absorb heat)

heat capacity? (2)

the amount of heat a substance requires to increase its temperature by a degree celsius

mnemonic to remember order of atmosphere? (3)

The Silly Monkeys Tickled Elephants

troposphere? (3)

• closest to earth

• weather occurs here

• as altitude increases, temperature decreases

stratosphere? (3)

• many jets fly here as it is stable

• contains the ozone layer which absorbs UV rays

mesosphere? (3)

• very low temperature

• meteors burn up here

thermosphere? (3)

• temperature becomes very high and meteors become “excited”

• northern lights, satellites and space shuttles orbit here

exosphere? (3)

• outer space

sea breeze? (3)

• during the day, the land is warmer than the water

• convection current —> warm land warms the air, which causes it to rise, pushing the cold air towards land (aka sea breeze)

land breeze? (3)

• opposite of sea breeze, this occurs at night

• sea is warmer, land is colder

• cool breeze from the land is called land breeze

types of wind? (3)

• local/regional winds (sea/land breeze)

• prevailing winds

  • winds that affect larger areas

• coriolis effect

  • earth’s eastward rotation causes large air and ocean masses to appear to change direction

• jet stream

jet stream? (3)

• special kind of prevailing wind

• high speed winds move from west to east in the atmosphere

• responsible for moving around low and high-pressure air systems

• important for air travel as travelling against/with the jet stream can change travel time

effects of hydrosphere on earth’s climate? (3)

• large bodies of water moderate the temperature of coastal regions

• water moves thermal energy away from the equator (towards the poles)

• oceans act as a carbon sink (water absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere and stores carbon in the form of carbonates)

how do large bodies of water moderate the temperature of coastal regions? (3)

• water has a high heat capacity, as it can store large amounts of energy without getting too hot (good heat sinks)

• water transfers energy by convection, which is why coastal regions are warmer in winter and colder in summer

5 things that cause ocean currents? (3)

• convection currents (warm water moving away from equator)

• earth’s rotation (coriolis effect)

• shape of continents (currents have to change direction when they encounter a large land mass)

• heat capacity of water (oceans are large heat sinks)

• salt content in oceans (evaporating water at the equator leaves behind saltier and denser water, allowing less dense and warmer water to move on top)

effects of ocean currents? (3)

• cold ocean currents cause air to be cold and dry (this forms deserts on landmasses)

• warm ocean currents cause air to be moist and warm (this forms rainforests)

describe one way in which each component is important to the climate system? (3)

• atmosphere regulates earth’s temperature by trapping heat

• hydrosphere acts as a large heat sink and transportation system

• the lithosphere absorbs and radiates the sun’s heat

• the biosphere exchanges gases in the atmosphere (releasing oxygen through photosynthesis and releasing carbon dioxide through cellular respiration)

what are greenhouse gases? (4)

gases that absorb infrared radiation and trap heat in the atmosphere

• natural ones include water vapour, co2, and methane

• if there were no greenhouse gases, the average global temp would be -18 C instead of 15, and ice would cover the surface, making survival impossible

greenhouse effect? (4)

• the effect of trapping heat

• greenhouses are glass enclosures, used for trapping heat

anthropogenic (human influenced) greenhouse effect? (4)

human activities (ex. burning fossil fuels, deforestation) increasing greenhouse gases

• greenhouse gases have been increasing since the industrial revolution

natural + anthropogenic sources of co2? (4)

• decomposition, volcanoes, fire

• burning fossil fuels, deforestation

volcanoes’ effect on environment? (4)

• when volcanoes erupt, they emit numerous gases and particles such as ash and sulfur dioxide

• the particles reflect sunlight away which creates a temporary cooling effect

• they also contribute to greenhouse effect

natural source of water vapour? (4)

• clouds

• causes around 2/3 of the earth’s natural greenhouse effect

methane? (4)

• can absorb 23x more thermal energy then co2

• natural sources are wetlands, termites and oceans

• anthropogenic sources are agricultural activities, landfills and coal mining

nitrous oxide? (4)

• most effective greenhouse gas— it absorbs 300x more energy than co2

• natural sources include soils under natural vegetation and oceans

• anthropogenic sources include livestock feed and waste and use of nitrogen fertilizers

ozone? (4)

• forms when gases such as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide react in the presence of sunlight

• anthropogenic sources include motor vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions and chemical solvents

chlorofluorocarbons (CFC)? (4)

• very strong greenhouse gases

• anthropogenic sources include aerosol cans, refrigerators and air conditioners

good vs bad ozone? (4)

• ozone in the stratosphere protects life on earth from the sun’s harmful uv rays

  • use of CFCs has greatly depleted the ozone layer, leaving holes in polar regions

• ozone in the troposphere (ground level), harmful to breathe in and it also damages vegetation

carbon and ecological footprint? (4)

• total greenhouse gases caused by an organization, event, product or person

• a measure of how fast we consume resources and produce waste, compared to how fast nature can absorb our waste and generate new resources

continental drift?

the theory that earth’s continents used to be one fused supergroup named pangea

• this influences ocean currents, wind patterns. distribution of land mass and heat transfer

• the northern hemisphere has the most land mass, and because it has less bodies of waters, it produced the coldest winters and warmest summers

• the uplifting of mountain ranges has also influenced climate

long term cycles in climate?

• earth experienced its last ice age 20,000 years ago and the average temperature was about 10 degrees lower compared to today

• ice sheets covered much of canada and sea levels dropped

• earth has been cycling between interglacial periods— a time between ice ages when Earth warms up

three ways that the earth’s orbit around the sun changes (why do interglacial periods and ice ages keep happening)?

• eccentricity (shape of orbit

  • earth’s orbit varies from being circular to elliptical

  • this is due to influence from jupiter and saturn’s gravities

• tilt

  • earth tilts back and forth on its axis and seasonal differences increase with this

• precession of tilt (wobble)

  • earth slowly wobbles, like a spinning top (toy)

short term variations of climate?

• volcanic eruptions

• small changes in the sun’s radiation

• changes in the circulation of air and ocean currents

el nino?

• every 3-7 years the prevailing winds temporarily switch direction

• instead of pushing warm water towards the west pacific, it goes east, towards south america

paleoclimatologists? (5)

study past climate using proxy records (collection of natural info) such as fossils, tree rings, ice cores, and coral reefs

• not direct measurements of temperature and precipitation

ice cores? (5)

• ice cores drilled in antarctica and greenland contain trapped air bubbles

• they provide records gong back 800,000 years ago

• provide info on greenhouse gases and temeprature

tree rings? (5)

• wide rings indicate periods of rapid growth which occur during periods of cool and wet weather

• narrow wings indicate periods of slow growth when conditions were hot and dry

• record only goes back a few hundred years at most

coral reefs? (5)

• corals build their hard skeletons from calcium carbonate

• scientists drill cylinders of coral and study their layers

leaf edges? (5)

leaves with smooth edges grow in warmer climates, and ones with jagged edges can endure colder temperatures

lake and ocean sediment? (5)

• scientists drill sediment cores from the ocean floor

• pollen grains in the sediment can be used to identify plants that grew thousands of years ago

  • the species of plant can give clues to the climate

evidence of climate change? (6)

• rising temperatures

• melting glaciers / ice sheets / ice

• rising sea levels

• changes in severe weather

• changes in wind and precipitation patterns

• changing seasons and ecosystems

  • longer growing seasons, undesirable plants and insects migrating into new regions

thermal expansion? (6)

water expanding when it warms up

effects of climate change on ecosystems + ontario’s ecosystems? (7)

• biodiversity will be lost

• repercussions will happen throughout the food web

• in ontario, some animals will benefit from the warmer temperature, while others will migrate north

effect of climate change on electricity use in ontario? (7)

• more electricity use will occur, leading to more GHGs