Global Climate System Exam 3

Thunderstorms

• Lightning

  • Charge separation in clouds leads to lightning strikes.

  • Types: cloud-cloud and cloud-ground lightning.

  • Sound of thunder travels at approximately 5 seconds per mile.

• Types of Thunderstorms

  • Air Mass Storms

  • Squall Line

  • Meso-scale Convective Complexes

  • Supercell Thunderstorms

• Life Cycle of Thunderstorms

  • Development stages and evolutionary patterns of thunderstorms.

• Distribution and Timing

  • Occurrence and frequency across the US and coastal waters, varying with time (over a year, over a day).

• Types of Thunderstorm Phenomena

  • Downburst, Microburst, Derecho, Haboob

• Tornadoes

  • Tornado formation processes, classification, and global distribution.

  • Timing and frequency throughout the year and day, including specifically Waterspouts.

Tropical Storms and Hurricanes

• Types of Cyclones

  • Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones are defined by region.

• Distribution and Timing

  • Occurrence and frequency across various ocean basins.

• Structure

  • Key components: Eye, Eyewall, and Rain Bands.

• Life Cycle

  • Stages of development: formation, maturity, and dissipation.

• Storm Impact

  • Wind speeds, rainfall amounts, and storm surges/waves.

  • Assessment of deadly impacts and damage caused by hurricanes.

Earth’s Climates

• Climate Definition

  • Commonly defined in terms of temperature and precipitation data.

• Climate Mapping

  • Historical mapping techniques, particularly the Koeppen climate classification (conceptual understanding only).

• Precipitation Distribution

  • Influenced by the three-cell structure and land/ocean interaction.

• Climographs

  • Visual representation used to depict different climate regions.

Human Effects on the Atmosphere

• Pollutants

  • Distinction between primary and secondary pollutants:

    • Examples: aerosols, carbon oxides, sulfur compounds, acid rain, nitrogen oxides, smog.

• Urban Heat Islands

  • Explanation of the phenomenon and causes for their occurrence.

Climate Change

• Defining Change

  • Understanding various "faces of change" with no singular path of progression.

Past Climates

• Frequency of Climate Cycles

  • Analysis of warm and cold periods across various timescales.

• Proxy Climate Indicators

  • Utilization of historical data sources: ice cores, tree rings, ocean sediments, coastal sediments, coral reefs.

• Instrumental Records

  • Examination of atmospheric, oceanic, land, and ice changes over the past 150 years.

• Physical Impacts of Climate Change

  • Effects on sea level, ice sheets, hydrology, isostasy, and species distribution.

Reasons for Climate Change

• Drivers of Change

  • Influential factors:

    • Solar Changes, Earth's Orbital Characteristics, Land Surface Changes (distribution and topography), Ocean Fluctuations, and Atmospheric Composition.

  • Identifying forcings contributing to climate change over the past 150 years.

Climate Models

• Representation of Processes

  • Mathematical models simulating physical processes.

• Components of Models

  • Incorporating atmosphere, ocean, ice, land, and vegetation.

• Model Types and Challenges

  • Variations based on physical dimensions.

  • Addressing difficulties in aspects like cloud physics, ice stability, and land and ocean features.

Future Climate Change

• Anthropogenic Impact

  • Human-induced changes dominating current climate patterns.

• Emission Scenarios

  • Predictions on future emissions and their implications.

• Signs of Change

  • Anticipated areas for significant change.

  • Further understanding sought in terms of:

    • Magnitude, Seasonality, Extremes, Sea Level Rise Dynamics.