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62 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Which characteristics of the atmosphere make it especially conducive to life?
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has Oxygen and water vapor
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What was the composition of the Earth’s early atmosphere?
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Hydrogen and Helium
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What is the current composition of the Earth’s atmosphere?
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78%N, 21%O, .9%argon
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What has caused the changes in the Earth’s atmosphere over the past 3.5 billion years?
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Volcanic activity and cooling.
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What are the layers of the Earth’s atmosphere?
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Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
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Approximately how high do the troposphere and stratosphere extend?
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0-10 km, 17-48 km
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What is the tropopause?
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Top of troposphere
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What are atmospheric conditions like in the troposphere and stratosphere?
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low humididity
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Describe each of these key properties of the atmosphere that influence weather and climate:
air pressure: air temperature: humidity |
air pressure: weight of the atmosphere
air temperature: heat of the air humidity: water vapor in air |
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What causes global air circulation and wind patterns?
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Uneven surface haeating and the earth's rotation
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What is the prevailing wind in the continental US?
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Westerly
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What is weather?
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short term atmospheric conditions
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What is climate?
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average long term weather conditions
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What are the types of climate by latitude?
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x
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What is the significance of climate type for biogeography?
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x
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What is a microclimate?
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very localized conditions
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List and describe the 4 ways that climate in midlatitude cities differs from the surrounding rural areas.
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warmer, less humid, more dust, more fog and precip
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How has the global climate changed over time?
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Heated and cooled periodically
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How do we know that it has changed?
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x
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What changes have occurred since the 1850’s?
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heating
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What is significant about the last 2 decades of the 20th century?
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x
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What is global warming?
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x
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What factors affect the temperature at or near the Earth’s surface?
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x
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Why does the sun radiate energy of shorter wavelengths and higher energy than the Earth does?
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x
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What is the greenhouse effect?
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x
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Which greenhouse gases are naturally occurring?
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x
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Which greenhouse gases are anthropogenic?
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x
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For each, describe the sources, rate of increase, and relative contribution to the anthropogenic greenhouse effect:
carbon dioxide (CO2) |
x
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methane (CH4)
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x
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chlorofluorcarbons (CFCs)
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x
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nitrous oxide (N2O)
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x
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What is the atmospheric window and what is its significance in global warming?
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x
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In terms of global climate change, what is meant by forcing?
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x
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What are some of the scenarios and models of global warming that have been developed?
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x
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Describe the 8 feedback cycles discussed and shown in the figure in your text.
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x
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Describe how these forces can affect global climate:
solar activity |
x
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aerosols and volcanoes
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x
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methane
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x
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human activities
What is El Nino? What are some of the effects of an El Nino? How often does El Nino occur? |
x
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What are some of the potential effects of global climate change?
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x
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What are some adjustments we will have to make?
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x
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What is being done to address global warming?
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x
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What are the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol? What are the reasons that the US has not signed on?
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x
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Aerosol
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x
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Albedo
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x
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Albedo
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x
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CFCs (halocarbons)
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x
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Coriolis effect
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An apparent deflection of a moving object in a rotating frame of reference. deflection right in N hemisphere, left in S
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El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
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x
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Goldilock’s Principle
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x
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Ice-albedo feedback
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x
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insolation
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x
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IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel and Climate Change)
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x
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Infrared radiation, long wave radiation
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x
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Mauna Loa Observatory
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x
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Methane
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x
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Milankovitch cycles
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x
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Nitrous oxide
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x
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Ocean conveyer belt
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x
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Solar radiation, electromagnetic radiation
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x
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Sulfur dioxide
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x
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Water vapor feedback
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x
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